ICs & Semiconductors

XMOS has unveiled a new reference design for its xCORE multicore microcontroller products that brings Ethernet AVB (Audio Visual Bridging) technology to more cost-sensitive audio transport and time sensitive networking applications in which latency and timing are critical The new Ethernet AVB Daisy-Chain (AVB-DC) reference design allows manufacturers of network-enabled audio and media products to create solutions that can be interconnected without the need for a central Ethernet AVB switch.

STMicroelectronics has unveiled its latest EEPROM family guaranteeing endurance of up to 4 million erase/write cycles and giving designers extra freedom to update stored data more frequently and extend system lifetime, even at high temperatures. The advanced CMOSF8H 0.15 µm process is key to the EEPROM’s enhanced endurance.

Altera Corporation has introduced its Generation 10 FPGAs and SoCs (system-on-chip), offering system developers improved levels of performance and greater power efficiencies. Generation 10 devices use a process technology and architecture to deliver what the company claims is the industry’s highest performance and highest levels of system integration while using less power. Initial Generation 10 families include Arria 10 and Stratix 10 FPGAs and SoCs with embedded processors.

Microchip has introduced a family of serial EEPROM devices that feature a unique, pre-programmed 32-bit serial number for customers requiring unique IDs in their applications. For applications needing longer than 32-bit IDs, the unique ID can be extended to 48-bit, 64-bit, 96-bit, 128-bit and other lengths by increasing the number of bytes read from memory. Because the 32-bit ID is unique within these devices, any longer bit sequence is also unique.

Microchip is expanding the USB2 Controller Hub (UCH2) portfolio it gained with the recent SMSC acquisition. Seven new UCH2 ICs, across three families, will be the world’s first to provide programmability, enabling the developers of PCs and mobile devices to configure their designs without external memory.

Microsemi Corporation is making available six new multi-frequency, ‘any-rate’ clock synthesis and frequency-conversion/jitter-attenuation products. These solutions focus on high frequency and ultra-low jitter output clocks with integration of fan-out buffers and optional custom configuration and target applications such as enterprise routers and switches, storage area network (SAN) equipment, servers and communications equipment.

Xilinx Inc. and TSMC have announced that they are teaming up to create the fastest time-to-market and highest performance FPGAs to be built on TSMC’s 16-nanometer FinFET (16FinFET) process, a programme Xilinx calls ‘FinFast.’ The two companies are providing dedicated resources as part of a ‘one-team’ approach, and will work together to optimise the FinFET process with Xilinx’s UltraScale architecture. The programme will deliver 16FinFET test chips later in 2013 and first product in 2014.

The automotive specialist Melexis has extended its portfolio of devices supporting the local interconnect network (LIN) bus. The new MLX80030, which comes in a compact SOIC8 package, is the third member of the company’s next generation of system basis ICs that enable simple and effective development of LIN slaves.

Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) has introduced next-generation AEC-Q100 qualified automotive LED drivers, offering a variety of features including the industry’s highest voltage rating, thermal shutdown protection and optimised electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) performance.

Freescale Semiconductor has added advanced floating point technology to its QorIQ Qonverge B4 product family, supporting new solutions for the industrial and general-purpose markets. Freescale’s B4420 and B4860 system-on-chip (SoC) solutions, powered by SC3900 StarCore technology, are the first B4 family members to include floating point arithmetic.