Q: Please explain the significance of Micrel's tagline "Innovation through Technology." How are these three words a reflection of Micrel's mission, vision and promise?

A: First, Micrel is a very technology-rich company. When compared to our peers, we have more patents per capita. The Company is highly focused on protecting its products through intellectual property (IP). Second, we have our own wafer fabrication facility located in San Jose, California. This allows us to develop the most sophisticated and differentiated processes because we are not required to modify our needs to be compatible with a foundry's process technologies. We can, literally, tweak the process to whatever the product requires. This is difficult to do if you're fabless. Third, with 70 percent of our revenue coming from analog products, this requires a lot of innovation to differentiate oneself. We have developed a very sophisticated analog process technology, and this gives us an edge.

Q: Tell us about some of Micrel's new, innovative analog, Ethernet and high-bandwidth solutions and how these products drive innovation for its customers.

A: Micrel's new family of High-Efficiency Low-DropOut (HELDO) products combines the high power conversion efficiency of a switch mode convertor with the ease of use and superior low output ripple characteristics of linear regulators. Micrel has combined years of experience in developing high-performance linear regulators and innovative approaches to switch mode power conversion to bring to market these innovative products solving unique problems. The HELDO family of products finds applications in a diverse array of equipment, from base stations to mobile handsets.

Micrel's industry-first Automotive Electronics Council (AEC)-Q100 qualified Ethernet product family enables our automotive customers to deploy standard Ethernet protocol inside cars. Initially, customers replace controller area network (CAN) devices with our Ethernet products for diagnostic and software download application at service stations. The download time is reduced by 100 times, saving customers a lot of time and money. Ethernet also finds its way into the infotainment system to replace Media-Oriented Systems Transport (MOST), which is a proprietary protocol. This allows our customers to drive down the cost of ownership with a single IP-based network inside cars. Furthermore, with Ethernet protocol data bandwidth can be further expanded from 100 Mbps to 1 Gbps or even to 10 Gbps to meet increasing IP bandwidth demand in the future.

Micrel's new ClockWorks family of timing devices integrating crystal oscillator, frequency synthesizer and fan-out functions delivers ultra-low phase noise and integrated jitter performance exceeding even the most stringent requirements in networking applications. The ClockWorks family featuring the revolutionary rotary wave voltage-controlled oscillator with programmability enables designers to implement their unique clock trees with the best performance, less components, lower cost and shorter time-to-market. Applications for the ClockWorks family span from set-top boxes to wireless base stations and optical switching and transport systems.

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Q: Founded in 1957, Fairchild Semiconductor was a pioneer in the semiconductor industry and has become a mainstay in Silicon Valley. What do you believe have been the major turning points of change and innovation in the semiconductor industry over the last 54 years?

A: There have been many turning points in the evolution of the semiconductor industry. One that comes to mind was the establishment of the foundry business model, as it enabled many new semiconductor companies to be created without the hurdle of building wafer fabs. This has helped maintain or increase the pace of product-oriented innovation for decades.

Another turning point was the advent of digital technology in all things related to communication. This not only improved the power efficiency, performance and quality of the user experience (think CDs vs. albums, and digital vs. analog cell phones), but it also put many applications on the cost and performance learning curve known as Moore's Law.

One turning point we are currently experiencing is the use of semiconductor technology to improve power efficiency. This is very evident in the level of functionality we can now get in smart phones while maintaining good battery life. Additional areas include the use of brushless direct current (DC) motors instead of alternating current (AC) induction motors in many industrial and home applications, and the use of switching regulators instead of linear regulators in most all power supplies. In all of these areas, new semiconductor technology is at the heart of the advancement in power efficiency.

Q: Tell us about some of Fairchild's new, innovative high-performance power and mobile products and how these products enable engineers to drive innovation in their designs.

A: Fairchild offers a substantial portfolio of semiconductor technology that addresses a broad range of requirements in power-dependent, mobile and other industries.

As a power technology leader, Fairchild offers a unique combination of functional, process and packaging innovation with the industry's best power management expertise. We are a global leader in delivering energy-efficient power analog, power discrete and optoelectronic solutions that maximize energy savings in power-sensitive applications.

Some examples of Fairchild's industry-leading solutions include SuperFET metal oxide semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) that achieve world-class Rds(on) and provide higher power density reducing heat sink size; Green Fairchild Power Switch (FPS) devices that offer state-of-the-art standby power to support the industry's 1W initiative; and power factor correction (PFC) ICs that increase system efficiency.

Fairchild's mWSaver technology offers best-in-class power savings for power supplies by enabling standby power ratings below 50 mW. By using Fairchild's mWSaver technology, power supply manufacturers can now achieve the ultra-low standby power performance their customers want, while eliminating components and lowering bill-of-material (BOM) costs.

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