ICs & Semiconductors

Future Technology Devices International Limited (FTDI) has released its FT12 series of high performance USB controller ICs, extending its portfolio of USB solutions within the industry. Operating at 12 Mbits/s and designed to the USB 2.0 specification, the new controllers support direct memory access (DMA) operation, while providing system interfaces for 8-bit parallel bus and SPI (Serial Peripheral Interface) Slave.

Texas Instruments (TI) has introduced a low-cost radio frequency (RF) value line of system-on-chips (SoCs) that can support 2.4 GHz frequency bands. The new CC2543, CC2544 and CC2545 SoCs integrate a microcontroller (MCU), 32kB flash and one or two kB RAM on a single die, making them suitable for consumer electronics that require cost and space efficiency. Examples of such devices include computer peripherals, gaming devices, remote controls and toys.

STMicroelectronics has revealed a new generation of ICs using an advanced manufacturing process that helps save energy, improve accuracy and simplifies the design of sensors for applications from automotive electronics to smart buildings and industrial controls. The new ICs are miniature amplifiers (op-amps) used to condition very small sensor signals.

Peregrine Semiconductor, a fabless provider of high-performance radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs), is expanding its high-linearity, low insertion loss RF switch family with the launch of the HaRP technology-enhanced SPDT PE42422 RF switch. The new device provides linearity of 115 dBm IIP2, and 70 dBm IIP3; low insertion loss of 0.4 dB @ 3 GHz, and high isolation of 28 dB @ 3 GHz, enabling better overall system performance.

Solving a prevalent digital motor control design problem for design engineers, Texas Instruments (TI) has introduced the 32-bit C2000 Delfino microcontroller as a resolver-to-digital converter interface for motor control systems, lowering system cost and delivering more efficient motor control capabilities. These high-performance, floating-point Delfino microcontrollers with an on-chip, high-precision analogue-to-digital converter, along with an external low-cost signal conditioning circuit, are able to provide motor control designers with an alternative to more expensive and complex semiconductor solutions.

Fujitsu Semiconductor Europe (FSEU) has launched the fifth wave of products in its FM3 Family of 32-bit RISC microcontrollers based on the ARM Cortex-M3 processor core. In total, Fujitsu Semiconductor is releasing 93 new products in its High Performance and Low Power Group to address the needs of a large variety of applications.

Texas Instruments is expanding its innovative LaunchPad portfolio to the ARM ecosystem, with the launch of a new low-price, easy-to-use Stellaris LM4F120 LaunchPad evaluation kit. The tool allows professional engineers, hobbyists and university students to begin exploring ARM Cortex-M4F microcontrollers and TI’s Stellaris family of microcontrollers for under $5.

X-FAB Silicon Foundries has said that it will invest more than $50M during the next three years in cleanroom space, new equipment, R&D and staff for its MEMS operations. These investments reflect X-FAB’s significant focus on MEMS to support the expected growth in MEMS services. The new brand X-FAB MEMS Foundry on X-FAB’s campus in Erfurt focuses solely on advanced MEMS manufacturing and developments, and will consolidate all of X-FAB’s MEMS business and activities.

STMicroelectronics has introduced a simple-to-use audio power amplifier for commercial vehicles such as trucks, buses and agricultural vehicles, whose electrical systems run at 24 V rather than the 12 V used in cars. According to ST it is the world’s first audio amplifier that can drive the cabin loudspeakers directly, without any external components, in 24V vehicles.

Maxim Integrated Products has unveiled a new vital signs monitoring shirt that enables medical professionals to perform frequent and less costly fitness monitoring that could lead to more effective preventive medical care. The highly integrated shirt measures ECG, body temperature, and motion. All diagnostic tools are packaged in a shirt that has been designed to be comfortable to wear.