Redpine Signals Rolls Out Industry's First 5 GHz CCX Certified Wi-Fi RTLS Tag and Location System
Orlando, Florida (2013-05-13) Redpine Signals, Inc., a leading developer of ultra-low-power and high-performance multi-standard wireless chipsets and systems, today announced the availability of a comprehensive set of RTLS hardware and system components that include the industry's first 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz dual band Cisco Compatible Extensions (CCX) certified RTLS tag the WiSeMote WM1-50 device. The company also extended its Cloud-based Location as a Service (CLaaS) offerings by adding SuperMote and NetworkMote.
ATREG Successfully Advises Micron on 200mm Fab Sale in Italy
Seattle, WA (2013-05-06) ATREG announced today that it has successfully advised Micron Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq:MU) in the sale of its semiconductor manufacturing subsidiary whose primary asset consists of an advanced 200mm CMOS image sensor fab based in Avezzano, Italy. The facility was purchased by LFoundry, a leading German analog mixed-signal and specialized technologies foundry. As part of the agreement, Micron assigned the buyer its supply agreement with Aptina to manufacture image sensors at the Italian facility.
New ams reference design implements highly accurate automotive intelligent battery sensor
Unterpremstaetten (2013-04-24) Designs flexible architecture enables use of latest ARM core automotive microcontrollers Unterpremstaetten, Austria (24 April, 2013), ams AG (SIX: AMS), a leading provider of high perfor-mance analog ICs and sensors today released a reference design implementing a complete automotive Intelligent Battery Sensor (IBS) based on its highly accurate AS8515 data acquisition front end. The IBS design from ams is suitable for monitoring the state of charge (SOC) and state of health (SOH) of the latest lithium-iron-phosphate automotive batteries as well as conventional AGM (lead-acid) batteries. The IBSs measurement front end is provided by the AS8515, which takes precise, synchronized measurements of the batterys current and voltage, and of the boards temperature, and outputs them as a digital signal. The measurement data are processed by a Fujitsu ARM Cortex-M3 microcontroller to provide accurate readings for any type of 12V battery. The reference design, which is fully documented and available as part of a development kit, is production-ready, and may be used by automotive manufacturers as an off-the-shelf template for an IBS system. Unlike fixed-architecture system-in-package offerings from competitors, the ams reference design also gives the user freedom to make their own choice of microcontroller. Software provided with the ams IBS reference design demonstrates SOC calculation using the cou-lomb-counting method and calculation of battery impedance triggered whenever the load changes by more than 5A. This software can easily be ported to any microcontroller of the developers choice, including other ARM Cortex-M series devices. The AS8515 has an integrated LIN transceiver, and the IBS sensor module can operate as a LIN slave in automotive systems. The reference design includes a separate LIN master board containing a LIN controller and USB controller, which enables the developer to control and configure the sensor module via a GUI (for Windows PC) supplied by ams. The IBS module draws on amss expertise in the design of precise and sensitive analog circuits, producing extremely accurate battery measurements: accuracy of current measurement is a typical ±0.5% over the entire signal range, and typical voltage measurement accuracy is better than ±0.1% over a temperature range of -40°C to +115°C. Linearity is better than 0.01%. The efficient ARM Cortex-M3 core in the Fujitsu MB9B520K microcontroller helps contribute to impressive power consumption figures, with the entire sensor module drawing just 8mA in normal operation and 87µA in stand-by current monitoring mode. Competitors IBS systems trap automotive manufacturers in a fixed architecture that compels them to use the outdated microcontroller integrated in the suppliers package. The ams solution is better because it separates the sensor device from the microcontroller, enabling developers to continually update the microcontroller in their IBS design while retaining the proven ams measurement front end, said Bernd Gessner, vice-president and general manager of the automotive business unit at ams. Price & Availability: The automotive IBS reference design kit, which supports all automotive battery types, is now avail-able to order online from ams, priced at $377. The AS8515 data acquisition front end is in volume production. It is priced at $7.50 for 1,000 piec-es. Technical Support: For further information on the ams automotive IBS reference design, please visit www.ams.com/battery-sensor/AS8515/refdesign. About ams: ams develops and manufactures high performance analog semiconductors that solve its customers most challenging problems with innovative solutions. ams products are aimed at applications which require extreme precision, accuracy, dynamic range, sensitivity, and ultra-low power consumption. ams product range includes sensors, sensor interfaces, power management ICs and wireless ICs for customers in the consumer, industrial, medical, mobile communications and automotive markets. With headquarters in Austria, ams employs over 1,300 people globally and serves more than 7,800 customers worldwide. ams is the new name of austriamicrosystems, following the 2011 acquisition of optical sensor company TAOS Inc. ams is listed on the SIX Swiss stock exchange (ticker symbol: AMS). More information about ams can be found at www.ams.com. For further information: Media Relations ams AG Patricia Moosburger Marketing Communications Manager T +43 (0) 3136 500 31235 press@ams.com www.ams.com Technical Contact ams AG Gernot Hehn Applications Engineer T +43 3136 500 31457 gernot.hehn@ams.com www.ams.com
STATS ChipPAC Appoints James A. Norling as Chairman
Singapore (2013-04-24) STATS ChipPAC Ltd., a leading provider of advanced semiconductor packaging and test services, today announced the appointment of Mr. James A. Norling to succeed Mr. Charles R. Wofford as Chairman of the Board of Directors with immediate effect. He was appointed to the Board of Directors at the Companyâs Annual General Meeting held on 24 April 2013. Mr. Wofford will retire from over 15 years of service on STATS ChipPACâs Board of Directors, including 11 years as Chairman of the Board.
New contactless payment terminals using AS3911 reader chip from ams gain EMV certification
Unterpremstaetten (2013-04-23) NBS Payment Solutions systems use highly integrated AS3911 chip to read EMV (MasterCard PayPass and Visa payWave) cards Unterpremstaetten, Austria and Las Vegas, USA (23 April, 2013) - ams AG (SIX: AMS), a leading provider of high performance analog ICs and sensors, announced today at CARTES America (Las Vegas, 23-25 April) that a new range of payment terminals from NBS Payment Solutions containing its AS3911 reader IC have gained EMV certification.
(2013-04-23) Fabless semiconductor maker Netronome nabbed $19 million in Series E funding, led by existing investor DFJ Esprit. The round also brought in new strategic investor Sourcefire and Intel Capital as well as existing investor Raptor Group. The capital infusion will allow the firm to grow its sales team and its field and customer engineering team, said Jarrod Siket, senior vice president and general manager of marketing. The latter team works closely with customers to help integrate Netronomes flow processors into customer products.
Book review: An ASIC Low Power Primer by Rakesh Chadha and J. Bhasker, both at eSilicon Corporation
San Jose, CA (2013-04-22) Perhaps you are an experienced designer, but you have just been told that you have to reduce the power consumption of the next ASIC by 50% and it has to run faster than the previous version with a bunch of new capabilities. What are you going to do? Perhaps the first thing is to obtain a copy of this book and it will guide you through all aspects of the knowledge you will need to understand your choices and set you off in the right direction - even perhaps a plan of how you are going to achieve the goal. Through standards such as the Liberty format for specifying cells to SAIF for specifying activity and CPF and UPF for specifying power intent, it covers all of the formats and languages that you will need to drive a design and implementation flow.
ams introduces industry-leading, ultra-high sensitivity digital light sensor
Unterpremstaetten (2013-04-17) TSL2591 family of intelligent light sensors significantly improves performance and design flexibility for display and non-display applications Unterpremstaetten, Austria (17 April, 2013) - ams AG (SIX: AMS), a global leader in the design and manufacture of high performance analog ICs and optical sensors for consumer and commu-nications, industrial, medical and automotive applications, today introduced a new performance benchmark with the launch of a digital light sensor family that offers low-light sensitivity down to 0.000377 lux.
Integra Technologies Celebrates 30 Years
Wichita, KS (2013-04-17) Integra Technologies LLC., is pleased to announce it is celebrating its 30th year as a leading supplier of integrated circuit test and evaluation services in the U.S. and Europe.
Deloitte Seeks Nominations for 2013 Technology Fast 500 Ranking
(2013-04-11) Who: Deloitte is ranking the 500 fastest growing technology, media, telecommunications, life sciences and clean technology companies in North America in its 19th annual ranking of the Technology Fast 500. What: Nominations are now being accepted. Companies will be ranked based on percentage revenue growth over fiscal years 2008 to 2012.
18V boost regulator from ams supports wide range of display sizes in mobile end products
Unterpremstaetten (2013-04-03) System developers can easily re-use their power circuit design across multiple product variants with different display sizes Unterpremstaetten, Austria (3 April, 2013), ams AG (SIX: AMS), a leading worldwide designer and manufacturer of high performance analog ICs for consumer & communications, industrial & medical and automotive applications, today released the AS1345, a miniature step-up DC-DC regulator that maintains high efficiency in power supplies designed for small, medium-sized or large displays in mobile products.
Ottawa, Canada (2013-04-01) Sidense Corp. announced today that the Companys 1T-OTP macros for TSMCs 180nm BCD 1.8/5V/HV and G 1.8/5V processes have met all of TSMCs IP9000 Assessment program requirements. Sidense OTP macros are fully qualified for -40ºC to 150°C read and field-programmable operations to support applications such as automotive electronics that require reliable operation and long-life data retention in high-temperature environments.
Sidense Qualifies 1T-OTP Non-Volatile Memory for MagnaChip 180nm Mixed-Signal and HV CMOS Process
Ottawa, Canada; Seoul, S Korea; Cupertino, Calif. (2013-03-25) MagnaChip, a Korean-based designer and manufacturer of analog and mixed-signal semiconductor products, and Sidense Corp., a leading developer of Logic Non-Volatile Memory (LNVM) one-time programmable (OTP) memory IP cores announced that Sidenses SLP 1T-OTP macros have been fully qualified for MagnaChips 180nm 1.8/3.3/18V high-voltage CMOS and mixed-signal process.
Aquantia to Highlight Funding Accomplishments at GSA Event
Milpitas, CA (2013-03-18) MILPITAS, CA March 18, 2013 Aquantia, the leading developer of High Speed Ethernet connectivity solutions for cloud computing and large-scale data center deployments, announced today that it will participate in the GSA Entrepreneurship Conference, to be held at the British Museum in London on Wednesday, March 20, 2013. Phil Delansay, Aquantias vice president of business development, will be part of a panel discussion titled Success Stories in Funding, IPOs and M&As at 3:30 p.m.
New boosted NFC tag front end from ams enables secure payment transactions on µSD and µSIM cards
Unterpremstaetten (2013-03-06) Unterpremstaetten, Austria (March 6, 2013) - ams AG (SIX: AMS), a leading worldwide designer and manufacturer of high-performance analog ICs for consumer & communications, industrial & medical, and automotive applications, today announces the release of the AS3922, a tag analog front end (AFE) which enables the operation of NFC on µSD, µSIM, SIM and other space-constrained carrier devices.
Brighter, clearer images from mobile phone cameras as ams introduces intelligent flash LED driver
Unterpremstaetten, Austria (2013-03-04) ams AG (SIX: AMS), a leading worldwide designer and manufacturer of high-performance analog ICs for consumer & communications, industrial & medical and automotive applications, today introduced a new intelligent LED driver for mobile phone cameras that maximizes the brightness of the flash without causing the phones battery to fall below its minimum operating voltage.
Unterpremstaetten, Austria (2013-02-25) ams AG (SIX: AMS) and Mobeam announced today they have formed a strategic partnership that will accelerate the ability of smartphones to transmit barcoded content that can be read by all point-of-sale (POS) laser scanners. The partnership will provide an integrated solution consisting of ams industry-leading light sensors and Mobeams light-based beaming technology. With this partnership, handset makers will be able to fully support mobile commerce applications that use barcodes such as: coupon redemption, loyalty cards, gift cards and tickets. For retailers, this will mean the end of manually sorting printed coupons, and waiting months for reimbursement. This solution is being demonstrated in the ams booth (6C40 - Hall 6) at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this week.
Unterpremstaetten, Austria (2013-02-20) ams AG (SIX: AMS), a manufacturer of high-performance analog ICs and sensors for consumer, industrial and automotive applications, today announced that Intermec (www.intermec.com) has embedded the AS3993 UHF reader in its 70 Se-ries of rugged, handheld computers. Intermec is a successful manufacturer of data-capture devices such as scanners, barcode readers and handheld computers for use in the logistics, transportation, retail and industrial sectors. The 70 Series, which includes the CN70 RFID, CN70e RFID and CK70 RFID, is a family of ultra-rugged handheld computers designed for use by couriers, shopworkers and inventory handlers. The bene-fits of the products include excellent data-capture capabilities and long battery life.
Sunnyvale, California (2013-02-14) eSilicon Corporation announced that the eSilicon Access® production management system is available in a mobile edition for iPhone and Android smartphones.
Assertion Synthesis: Atrenta, Cadence and AMD Tell All
(2013-02-11) Assertion Synthesis is a new tool for verification and design engineers that can be used with simulation or emulation. At DVCon Yuan Lu of Atrenta is presenting a tutorial on Atrenta's BugScope along with John Henri Jr of Cadence explaining how it helps emulation and Baosheng Wang of AMD discussing their experiences of the product.
Redpine Signals Introduces First Wireless M2M Combo Chip for The Internet of Things
San Jose, California (2013-02-05) SAN JOSE, Calif., Feb. 5, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Redpine Signals, Inc., a leading developer of ultra-low-power and high-performance multi-standard wireless chipsets and systems, today announced the release of its RS9113 M2MCombo chip, the first of its kind in the industry. It integrates dual-band 802.11n Wi-Fi, ZigBee, and dual-mode BT 4.0 wireless connectivity, making it the ideal device for universal M2M communications applications. "M2M is a key application driving the realization of The Internet of Things, which is one of the fastest growing areas within the tech industry," said Scott Gardner , Analyst of the Linley Group. "With the rapid proliferation of new protocols, wireless manufacturers need a cost-effective wireless connectivity solution to keep up with the pace. Allowing multiple wireless protocols to easily communicate frees up the market for all sorts of possibilities."
STATS ChipPAC and UMC Unveil Worlds First 3D IC Developed under an Open Ecosystem Model
Taiwan (2013-01-29) STATS ChipPAC, a leading semiconductor advanced packaging and test service provider, and UMC, a leading global semiconductor foundry, have announced the worlds first demonstration of TSV-enabled 3D IC chip stacking technology developed under an open ecosystem collaboration. The 3D chip stack, consisting of a Wide I/O memory test chip stacked upon a TSV-embedded 28nm processor test chip, successfully reached a major milestone on package-level reliability assessment. This success demonstrates a total solution for reliable 3D IC manufacturing through the combination of UMCs foundry and STATS ChipPACs packaging services.
Nimbic Joins the Global Semiconductor Alliance
San Jose, CA (2013-01-28) Nimbic, a leading provider of 3D Full-Wave signal integrity solutions for chip-package-system designs, is pleased to announce that they have become a member of the Global Semiconductor Alliance (GSA), the voice of the global semiconductor industry.
ams and Mouser form worldwide distribution partnership
Unterpremstaetten (2013-01-23) ams AG (SIX: AMS) a manufacturer of high performance analog ICs and sensors for consumer, industrial and automotive applications and Mouser Electronics Inc. (Texas, USA), an award-winning global distributor of semiconductors and electronic components, today announced a new distribution partnership. ams provides innovative solutions to the most challenging applications that require extreme precision, accuracy, dynamic range, sensitivity and power efficiency. We have always been dedicated to forming strategic partnerships with companies that share our forward-minded business vision, says Mike Scott, Vice President of Semiconductors with Mouser Electronics. With state-of-the-art products from ams, and our uncompromising attention to fast, efficient distribution and prompt, helpful customer service, the partnership between our two companies will provide the highest quality solutions for design engineers worldwide.
Spreadtrum Adopts STATS ChipPACs Innovative Packaging for Chinas Smartphone Market
Singapore (2013-01-23) STATS ChipPAC has announced the implementation of breakthrough performance and packaging innovation in multiple advanced chipsets for the rapidly developing smartphone market in China. Spreadtrum Communications, a leading fabless semiconductor provider in China, has adopted STATS ChipPACs packaging innovations for a number of its TD-SCDMA mobile chipsets. The combination of Spreadtrums advanced silicon design capabilities with STATS ChipPACs next generation embedded Wafer Level Ball Grid Array (eWLB) packaging technology offers increased performance and compact form factor at a competitive cost for the fast-growing China smartphone market. Spreadtrum and STATS ChipPAC are jointly working to utilize innovative packaging technology across a full spectrum of complex product designs such as dual and quad core mobile processors.
