 |
 |
◎
2008/11/06 austriamicrosystems leaps ahead in
portable multimedia with new chip solution enabling
DVD quality video and high definition audio at
industry's lowest power consumption
AS3536 includes unique audio/video processing
engines and power management to achieve only 120mW
system level battery consumption for DVD resolution
movies and sub 15mW for compressed audio
Unterpremstaetten, Austria (Nov 6, 2008) –
austriamicrosystems (SWX:AMS), a leading global
designer and manufacturer of high performance analog
ICs for communications, industrial, medical and
automotive applications, announces an additional
member of its new family of media player ICs with
innovative IP aimed at bridging the gap between the
audio/video experience of multimedia players and
home entertainment devices. austriamicrosystems'
AS3536 is an innovative multimedia player system
whose core is based on newly developed audio and
video engines with post-processors acting as
co-processors to an ARM central programmable unit
capable of 400 MHz. The IC also includes system
level power management, a high quality audio codec
and battery charging. The claimed power consumption
is at system level that is inclusive of power
conversion losses, access to NAND Flash, DRAM
memories and audio played to headphones with running
application software. A lower cost derivative,
AS3535, which is also available, plays audio/video
at up to WQVGA resolution with a system power of
60mW, a level that most of today's audio players
require for music files only. For portable devices,
it is essential to minimize power consumption while
in stand-by mode. The fully static design and low
leakage technology of AS3536 allow for only 1.4mW
preserving context or 4mW while refreshing the
display from the on-chip 512Kbytes buffer (with
screen backlight off). The audio engine, in a fully
hardwired context, executes the decompression and
playback of most popular compressed audio formats,
like MP3, WMA and AAC, for the least amount of power
consumption with 0 (zero) CPU load. The audio
post-processor implements an Asynchronous Sample
Rate Converter (ASRC) with near transparent quality,
a multi-channel mixer with limiting function and 10
band graphics equalizer, and supports 192 KHz sample
rates at 24 bits dynamic range for high definition
audio processing. Three sets of I2S outputs can
independently control stereo speakers, subwoofer and
headphone or line outputs and may also be utilized
as multi-channel audio outputs. The AS3536 audio
subsystem additionally includes a stereo PDM digital
microphone input thereby completing all audio
requirements for new generation multimedia players.
The fully hardware implemented video engine can
decompress and play H.264/AVC, MPEG4, H.263,
WMV9/VC-1 and Sorenson Spark multi-standard video
with resolution in excess of DVD players (D1 video).
JPEG pictures are decompressed at 16Mpixels/sec.
WMV9 is supported to Main Profile at High Level so
that storing DVD movies requires less than 1/6th of
their original file sizes at equivalent quality. The
video post-processor includes features like up/down
video scaling, rotation, cropping, split screens,
picture in picture and alpha blending for enhanced
GUI effects. The unique capability to play Sorenson
Spark video as supported by Adobe Flash allows to
play content at very low power from popular Web
sites, i.e. YouTube and Google Video.
The AS3536 directly interfaces to the latest
generation removable and embedded flash memory types
with 4/8/16-bit hardware ECC, such as MLC NAND
Flash, iNAND, LBA NAND, moviNAND, oneNAND and
removable card formats like SD2.0, MMC+, CE-ATA, MS
PRO and CF. The AS3536 is complemented by a
comprehensive mature software suite backed by three
generations of products delivered in the multimedia
player market. The SDK has passed the stringent test
criteria of the Certified for Windows Vista program
for downloadable content.
Roberto Simmarano, Senior Marketing Director
Business Unit Communications at austriamicrosystems,
commented, “With austriamicrosystems’ AS3536,
portable multimedia players and mobile TV receivers
can now reproduce standard definition video content
without compromising battery consumption. Listening
to music, the prevalent use of portable
entertainment devices, the AS3536 offers the same
uncompromised experience as with high quality home
A/V devices due to its immersive lossless high
definition audio capabilities, yet with an
exceptional threefold increase in playtime compared
to current generation portable multimedia devices.”
The AS3536 is available now in a CTBGA 244 balls
package, 10x10mm with 0.5mm ball pitch. The lower
cost derivative AS3535 supports video of up to WQVGA
resolution and a CPU clock rate of 266MHz. For both
devices evaluation boards and reference kits are
available. Further product specific information,
electronic picture and block diagram are available
online at www.austriamicrosystems.com/Mobile-Entertainment-Players/AS3536
|
◎
2008/11/05 ELMOS: Declining sales in third quarter
2008 due to car manufacturer crisis
Dortmund: ELMOS Semiconductor AG (FSE: ELG)
generated sales of 42.6 million Euro in the third
quarter 2008, corresponding with a 6.3% decline from
the prior-year quarter (Q3/2007: 45.5 million Euro).
Because of the global economic crisis, the volume of
orders received sagged considerably by the end of
the third quarter.
“The car manufacturers are particularly affected by
the weak economy. This affects our customers, the
supplier industry, as the first links in the chain.
For ELMOS this results in postponed or canceled
orders on the part of the suppliers“, says Dr. Anton
Mindl, CEO of ELMOS Semiconductor AG. The gross
margin came to 44.1% of sales as opposed to 42.7% in
the prior-year quarter and 43.3% for the first
half-year 2008. Progress made at the new production
location Duisburg, leading to a high production
output, and the structural changes of the U.S.
subsidiaries of ELMOS implemented at the beginning
of 2008 contribute to cost relief. Earnings before
interest and taxes (EBIT) of 5.2 million Euro
remained at a steady level (Q3/2007: 5.2 million
Euro). Expressed in percent of sales, the EBIT
margin climbed from 11.5% to 12.1%. Net income for
the quarter under report was increased in absolute
and relative terms. In absolute figures, it gained
slightly to reach 3.4 million Euro, or 7.9% of sales
(Q3/2007: 3.3 million Euro or 7.1%).In response to
the current weakness of the automotive industry,
ELMOS decided at short notice on measures addressing
costs and investments. The already started
conversion of the manufacture in Dortmund from
6-inch to 8-inch wafers for instance will be slowed
down until the market environment is clearly
positive again.As has been announced on October 14,
2008, ELMOS anticipates sales for 2008 at the
prior-year level. The quality of results is expected
to rise over 2007. Market stimulation is not
expected for the fourth quarter 2008. A positive
free cash flow remains on the agenda. The complete
report on the third quarter 2008 is available in
German and English at www.elmos.de. On November 5,
2008 at 11:00 a.m. (CET), ELMOS will hold a
conference call (in English) for analysts and
investors. The conference call will later be
downloadable from the company website.
|
in million Euro
or percent
unless otherwise indicated
|
Q3/08 |
Q3/07 |
Diff. |
9M '08 |
9M '07 |
Diff. |
|
Sales |
42.6 |
45.5 |
-6.3% |
133.5 |
130.4 |
2.3% |
|
Gross profit |
18.8 |
19.4 |
-3.1% |
58.1 |
54.0 |
7.7% |
|
Operating income |
4.3 |
5.6 |
-22.5% |
14.1 |
11.7 |
20.7% |
|
EBIT |
5.2 |
5.2 |
-1.0% |
14.2 |
9.5 |
49.0% |
|
Net income |
3.4 |
3.3 |
3.1% |
9.7 |
5.4 |
82.0% |
|
EPS (Euro) |
0.17 |
0.17 |
3.1% |
0.50 |
0.28 |
82.1% |
|
◎
2008/11/03 AWR and austriamicrosystems Introduce
Open Access Based SiGe Process Design Kit for Analog
Office® RFIC Design Environment
London, England and Unterpremstaetten, Austria --
November 3, 2008 - AWR and austriamicrosystems AG
today introduced an Open Access based process design
kit (PDK) for austriamicrosystems S35 0.35-μm
silicon germanium (SiGe) BiCMOS process technology
that is optimized for circuits operating up to 10
GHz and beyond. The design kit lets users take full
advantage of the industry-leading fabrication
capabilities of austriamicrosystems together with
AWR's Analog Office RFIC design suite. The PDK
includes Monte Carlo simulation models and a set of
Open Access (www.si2.org) PyCells, developed using
Ciranova’s PyCell Studio. Available devices include
a wide array of high-speed and high-voltage bipolar
transistors, NMOS and PMOS transistors, capacitors,
resistors, and spiral inductors along with
electrostatic discharge and RF pad structures. The
PDK also includes all electromagnetic (EM) stack-up
information required to perform EM analysis and
parasitic extraction from within the Analog Office
design environment using AWR's EM Socket™ interface.
“One of our European customers will be using our
advanced S35 process together with AWR’s Analog
Office software for their latest high frequency
designs,” said Hannes Koreimann, Director Marketing
Business Unit Full Service Foundry at
austriamicrosystems. “This PDK gives our mutual
customers the benefit of using austriamicrosystems
high performance S35 SiGe BiCMOS process with the
innovative software solution from AWR.”
“There have been numerous requests to add
austriamicrosystems’ advanced S35 process to our PDK
offering,” said Graeme Ritchie, Product Manger -
Analog Office at AWR. ”I’m very pleased now to be
able to offer this SiGe PDK to AWR’s Analog Office
users and to leverage its cross tool accessibility
via its Open Access roots. |
◎
2008/10/31 austriamicrosystems' new AS1324 DC-DC
buck converter supplies 600mA for low output
voltages
Unterpremstaetten, Austria (October 31, 2008) –
austriamicrosystems (SWX: AMS), a leading global
designer and manufacturer of high performance analog
ICs for communications, industrial, medical and
automotive applications, introduces AS1324, a step
down regulator optimized for low output voltages in
battery powered applications.
The AS1324 delivers up to 600mA from an input
voltage range of 2.7 to 5.5V which makes the device
ideal for single Li-Ion cell or triple AA cell
applications. The 100% duty cycle capability for low
dropout allows maximum energy to be extracted from
the battery. The fixed output voltage versions 1.2V,
1.5V and 1.8V of AS1324 require no external voltage
dividers reducing board space requirements. The
adjustable variant allows an externally set output
voltage in the range of 0.6V to VIN.
austriamicrosystems' AS1324 is designed to save
space and increase efficiency in battery powered
applications. The 1.5MHz fixed switching frequency
minimizes PCB footprint by allowing the use of tiny,
low profile inductors and capacitors. This constant
frequency switching results in low, predictable
output noise that can be easily filtered.
Furthermore the AS1324 offers high output voltage
accuracy as well as a low output voltage ripple.
Additionally the integrated automatic power save
mode increases efficiency in light load conditions,
consuming only 30µA of quiescent current. The
reduced power consumption substantially increases
battery life in many applications. Moreover, the
AS1324 offers a 100nA typical shutdown mode combined
with an output disconnect feature. “Many portable
applications powered by a single lithium-ion battery
cell need low voltages far below the battery supply
range to power modern microprocessors and other low
power ICs,” said Walter Moshammer, Marketing
Director Standard Linear at austriamicrosystems. ”
The AS1324 provides the low voltage required and
additionally offers high efficiency to support low
power designs.” |
◎
2008/10/27austriamicrosystems reports 6% revenue and
10% earnings growth in the third quarter, weakened
demand environment expected for remainder of 2008
due to economic headwinds
Unterpremstaetten, Austria (October 27, 2008) —
austriamicrosystems (SWX: AMS), a leading global
designer and manufacturer of high performance analog
ICs for communications, industrial, medical and
automotive applications, showed 6% revenue growth in
the third quarter 2008 compared to the previous
year, given solid demand for its analog
semiconductor solutions. Group revenues reached EUR
54.0 million compared to EUR 51.1 million in the
third quarter last year. On a constant currency
basis, current revenues grew by 9% compared to the
same quarter 2007. Gross margin was strong at 51%,
up from 50% in the same period 2007. Despite an
impact from the unfavorable EUR/USD exchange rate
throughout most of the quarter, the result from
operations (EBIT) for the third quarter was up 10%
at EUR 10.0 million compared to EUR 9.1 million in
the third quarter 2007. The third quarter net result
grew by 8% to EUR 9.4 million from EUR 8.7 million
in the same period 2007. Basic and diluted earnings
per share for the third quarter were CHF 1.38 / EUR
0.86 (CHF 1.31 / EUR 0.79 in the same period 2007).
Backlog which does not reflect high volume
consignment stock agreements stood at EUR 45.0
million on September 30, 2008 (EUR 55.0 million on
September 30, 2007). Operating cash flow in the
third quarter reached EUR 17.9 million, strongly up
from EUR 3.7 million in third quarter 2007.
austriamicrosystems´ third quarter results reflect
the strategic focus on the company´s target markets
which offer multiple opportunities to increase
austriamicrosystems´ market position in the future.
Delivering high performance analog ICs to a global
high quality customer base, austriamicrosystems
showed a solid performance in the third quarter
despite the negative developments in the
macroeconomic and capital markets environment
towards the end of the quarter. In the industrial
market, austriamicrosystems recorded good volumes,
particularly in industrial sensors, rotary encoders
and sensor interfaces for medical applications, from
a broad range of customers. The industrial market
continued to be a strong contributor to
austriamicrosystems´ overall business. In
communications, austriamicrosystems again saw
attractive volumes and significant run rates for
lighting and power management products at top tier
handset manufacturers as well as for MEMS microphone
ICs. Despite negative news flow from the automotive
end market, austriamicrosystems´ automotive business
showed another solid performance in the third
quarter, mainly driven by sensor interfaces for
critical systems. austriamicrosystems expects the
recent deterioration of the macroeconomic outlook
for important markets to impact its business going
forward due to customers showing increased
cautiousness, delayed order patterns and shortened
order cycles. austriamicrosystems therefore foresees
its business to show a more flattish sequential
revenue development in the fourth quarter. As a
result, austriamicrosystems anticipates full year
2008 revenues at around last year´s levels and full
year 2008 operating result to be approx. 10% below
full year 2007, based on current information.
Looking out into 2009, austriamicrosystems is not
yet able to assess how the macroeconomic outlook and
the uncertainties in its target markets will affect
its business in the coming year. austriamicrosystems
is, however, taking necessary steps including cost
reductions to reflect a demanding environment.
The complete third quarter report 2008 including
detailed financial information is available on the
austriamicrosystems website. |
◎
2008/10/20 Austriamicrosystems and BeeDar Technology
present the BDUR-002 RFID reader, BeeDar’s newest
mid range UHF RFID Gen 2 device
The “SimplyGen2” AS3990 and AS3991 are innovative
UHF RFID reader ICs that have been enabling
customers worldwide through a faster time to market,
low complexity, high level of integration, and
outstanding application support.
Unterpremstaetten, Austria (October 20, 2008) -
austriamicrosystems (SWX:AMS), a leading global
designer and manufacturer of high-performance analog
ICs for communications, industrial, medical, and
automotive applications, in partnership with BeeDar
Technology, is pleased to announce the release of
the latest BDUR-002 mid-range UHF RFID reader. This
is the first in a range of EPC Class 1 UHF Gen 2
readers by BeeDar, all of which will incorporate the
low power, low cost AS3990 UHF RFID “Simply Gen2”
reader IC. austriamicrosystems’ AS3990 and AS3991
UHF RFID Gen 2 reader ICs, co-developed with IDS,
are the first in a line of a low power, low cost
integrated reader solutions, positioned to make
their customers’ lives easier through the
integration of key elements whilst retaining
flexibility.
The AS3990/91 “SimplyGen2” is a single chip, EPC
Class 1 Gen 2 UHF reader IC. Ideally targeted for
power -and cost-sensitive applications, the AS3990
sports the industry’s lowest power consumption and
lowest cost BOM. It includes an EPC Class 1 Gen 2
protocol engine for fast time to market, and is
available with an integrated power amplifier to
further reduce the BOM (bill of material). Its
unique programmable features enable a single product
device that is world-wide shippable. Its simplicity
is emphasized with only 32 registers to enable full
RF, filtering, and protocol control, while
maintaining simplicity in implementation. “BeeDar’s
development of UHF Gen 2 readers for the complete
spectrum of applications aligns with the ability of
the AS3990/91 to meet all requirements from short to
long range reader solutions” says Kambiz
Hayat-Dawoodi Business Manager Wireless at
austriamicrosystems.
"Our alliance with austriamicrosystems strengthens
our commitment to a low power and low cost RFID
reader market that fulfils the current demand of the
RFID industry,” added Tony Saye, President and CEO
of BeeDar Technology. “Complementing
austriamicrosystems’ AS3990 reader chip, our new
BDUR-002 reader is the second in a series of
forthcoming readers with a variety of interfaces
including USB, TCP/IP, Weigand, I2C, UART, and
RS232C, which provide easy integration with host
systems.” |
◎2008/10/16 ELMOS introduces automotive IC and
sensor innovations in Detroit
Convergence 2008 activity highlights gesture
command, sun angle detection technology
Dortmund/Detroit: ELMOS Semiconductor AG will
introduce recent IC and sensor innovations during
Convergence 2008. A presentation will highlight
non-mechanical switches based on ELMOS’ patented
HALIOS® optical technology, a miniature,
light-independent system for 3-D movement
recognition and gesture-based commands. The
presentation will also focus on the first automotive
planar sun angle sensor, enabling high-performance
vehicle climate control. Additionally, ELMOS will
introduce a sensorless EC motor drive (VirtuHall®),
as well as the new application-ready PSS 1
integrated pressure sensor system.As part of ELMOS’
Convergence events, Dr. Patrick Popp, General
Motors’ Director of Global Electronics, Controls and
Software Product Development Asia/Pacific, will
deliver remarks on “EE Vehicle System Trends” on
Tuesday, October 21, 2008 starting at 7 p.m. at an
industry dinner. The remarks will be followed by a
discussion and one-on-one conversations.Movement and
gesture recognition products – HALIOS® ELMOS ASSP
components E909.01 and E909.05, based on the HALIOS®
technology, are special readout ICs behind infra-red
(IR)-transparent surfaces that enable measurement of
proximity and contact of fingers, hands or objects.
One, two and three-dimensional movements can be
detected. Typical applications include
gesture-controlled actuators such as lamps that can
be turned on and off or dimmed by a wave of the
hand, and switches behind glass (for explosion
protection) suitable for sterile or harsh
environments. IR-based detection is independent of
any ambient light impact and works equally well
under extreme or changing light conditions.Sun angle
sensor for high-performance climate control The
E910.86 sun angle sensor, with a planar set-up for
precise determination of the angle of light
occurrence, requires no optics and is integrated
into a package of only 4 by 4 square millimeters.
When the sensor is placed close to the surface of
the dashboard, it enables a planar transition
between sensor and environment, making possible for
the first time a highly adaptive vehicle climate
control.Sensorless EC motor control – VirtuHall®The
VirtuHall® motor drive concept enables sensorless
detection of the rotor position of brushless EC
motors. The application uses the same concept to
detect rotors all the way from standstill to high
motor rotation speed, eliminating transitional
disturbances. The concept is ideally suited to all
kinds of EC motor drive systems and underlines the
advantages of this particularly robust and simply
constructed motor drive.Application-ready integrated
pressure sensor system – PSS 1 ELMOS’ new PSS 1
pressure sensor system provides a highly universal
and cost-effective solution for a great number of
automotive pressure applications. The system
consists of a MEMS sensor cell and a signal
processor integrated into a special SOIC-20 package.
The component comes fully calibrated, which makes it
a “ready-to-use” product. |
◎2008/09/11 austriamicrosystems releases newest
version of its best in class process design kit
New HIT-Kit v4.0 combines new process add-ons with
the support of the latest Cadence Virtuoso custom
design platform IC 6.1
Unterpremstaetten, Austria (September 11, 2008) –austriamicrosystems’
business unit Full Service Foundry today announced
the availability of its new analog/mixed signal high
performance process design kit ("HIT-Kit") for its
0.35µm CMOS, High-Voltage CMOS and SiGe-BiCMOS
specialty technologies. Based on the latest version
of Cadence® Virtuoso® custom design platform (IC 6.1
release), the new HIT-Kit significantly improves the
time-to-market for highly competitive products in
the analog intensive mixed signal arena. Supporting
designers in creating their first-time-right mixed
signal designs even for complex systems, this
comprehensive design kit with its highly accurate
simulation models and flexible pcells provides a
proven route to silicon. The new HIT-Kit v4.0 is
available for Cadence Design Systems' latest version
of Virtuoso® custom design platform IC 6.1 and
supports the high performance 0.35µm process
technologies C35 (CMOS), S35 (SiGe BiCMOS) and H35
(High-Voltage CMOS). This new version includes
silicon-qualified digital, analog and RF library
elements as well as fully characterized simulation
models for a large set of simulators, extraction and
verification run sets and automatic layout device
generators. Hence product developers are enabled
with a plug-and-play tool set which facilitates
"first time right" designs. "This new HIT-Kit 4.0 is
a result of austriamicrosystems continuous efforts
to deliver the best in class design environment to
our customers," states Thomas Riener, General
Manager Full Service Foundry at austriamicrosystems.
"The usage of the new HIT-Kit enables our customers
to access the latest features of our high
performance analog process technologies, such as the
120V option of our advanced H35 technology." All I/O
structures within the design kit are
silicon-validated and meet the military ESD and
JEDEC latch-up standards with I/O pads designed to
surpass 2kV (H35 I/O pad cells only) HBM and 250mA
latch-up immunity. In C35 technology the total I/O
libraries consist of more than 1800 cells supporting
3.3V and 3.3V/5V designs. The specialty High Voltage
CMOS process H35 with its isolated libraries offers
even more than 2400 core and periphery cells. To
meet our customers` demands also in terms of
flexibility, the HIT-Kit supports RedHat EL 3.0, EL
4.0 and Sun Solaris 8, 9 and10 operating systems.
Read more details about this new HIT-Kit version on
our Foundry Support Server at http://asic.austriamicrosystems.com/hitkit400
. |
◎2008/07/28 austriamicrosystems reports 5% revenue
and 26% EBIT growth in first half despite adverse
exchange rate environment, expectations for full
year growth confirmed
Key financial data for the second quarter and first
half of 2008
austriamicrosystems (SWX: AMS), a leading global
designer and manufacturer of high performance analog
ICs for communications, industrial, medical and
automotive applications, showed revenue and EBIT
growth in the first half and second quarter of 2008
compared to the previous year despite an adverse
exchange rate environment, given broad-based demand
for its analog IC solutions. Consolidated second
quarter group revenues reached EUR 46.3 million, up
6% from EUR 43.9 million in the same quarter 2007.
Group revenues for the first six months of 2008 rose
5% to EUR 87.5 million, compared to EUR 83.3 million
recorded in the first half of 2007. This positive
revenue development was achieved despite a
significant deterioration in the USD against the EUR
compared to last year. On a constant currency basis,
second quarter revenues grew by 12% compared to the
second quarter last year while first half revenues
grew by 11% compared to the first half 2007 which
underscores the positive development of
austriamicrosystems’ business in the second quarter
and first half of 2008. In the second quarter, gross
margin increased to 51% from 50% in the same quarter
last year, driven by positive product mix effects
and manufacturing cost improvements. For the first
half of 2008, gross mar­gin reached 51%, up two
percentage points from 49% in the first six months
2007. The result from opera­tions (EBIT) for the
second quarter increased by 49% to EUR 6.4 million,
from EUR 4.3 million in the same quarter 2007, with
continued high R&D investments of 23% of the
quarter’s revenues and despite a negative impact
from exchange rate movements. For the first
half-year 2008, the result from operations (EBIT)
was up 26% at EUR 10.1 million, compared to EUR 8.0
million in the same period 2007.
Net income for the second quarter 2008 rose by 44%
to EUR 5.9 million, from EUR 4.1 million in the same
period last year. Basic and diluted earnings per
share for the second quarter were CHF 0.87 or EUR
0.54. Net income for the first half of 2008 was up
20% at EUR 9.1 million, equivalent to CHF 1.34 or
EUR 0.84 per share (basic and diluted), compared to
EUR 7.6 million for the same period last year. Total
backlog which does not reflect high volume
consignment stock agreements with key customers and
is therefore not fully comparable to the previous
year stood at EUR 54.5 million on June 30, 2008
compared to EUR 48.2 million at the end of the first
quarter and EUR 54.5 million on June 30, 2007.
austriamicrosystems’ business performed well in the
second quarter and first half year 2008 which
underscores the attractiveness of the company’s
product portfolio and its solid market position. In
communications,austriamicrosystems strengthened its
position in advanced power management products for
mobile devices such as handsets, personal navigation
and other communications devices. Two Top 5 handset
vendors, Nokia and SonyEricsson, are using its flash
LED driver ICs, lighting management solutions and
power management ICs in increasing volumes for
production, newly released and upcoming models.
austriamicrosystems added another, Asia-based Top 5
handset manufacturer to its customer base in the
second quarter which has designed an
austriamicrosystems lighting manage­ment
solution into several upcoming models.
austriamicrosystems’ MEMS microphone business
returned to growth in the first half of the current
year driven by the increasing penetration of this
technology at top tier handset vendors. With
existing and new solutions, austriamicrosystems
holds a leading position in this competitive market
and expects its MEMS microphone business to develop
positively going forward. In mobile entertainment,
austriamicrosystems continues to be successful in
high quality personal media players, information and
entertainment devices with its market-proven audio
ICs with advanced power management and high
performance system solutions. Its latest product
generation features significantly reduced power
consumption while offering even higher audio quality
and high-quality video capabilities. In the second
quarter, a global consumer electronics OEM decided
to develop an upcoming generation of audio/video
mobile entertainment devices around products from
this new family. The company’s industrial and
medical business again delivered strong results
given attractive demand for austriamicrosystems’
industrial automation, sensor interface, encoder and
healthcare IC solutions. Automation, metering and
seismic sensors continued to be important
sub-segments of the industrial business in the first
half of 2008. In consumer healthcare, a leading
global sportswear brand successfully introduced an
innovative wearable electronic training assistance
device including an austriamicrosystems sensor
interface product. austriamicrosystems’ magnetic
encoder business continues to grow at a very
attractive pace, driven by the industry’s broadest
portfolio of integrated magnetic encoder solutions.
This product range was expanded with new high
resolution products to address even more
applications across a multitude of markets.
austriamicrosystems’ new offering of RFID reader ICs
has seen outstanding market acceptance and first
design-ins.
In the automotive market, austriamicrosystems saw
ongoing good demand in the areas of sensor inter­faces,
related systems, car access and position
measurement. Leading global automotive suppliers
rely on complex automotive sensor interfaces for
applications such as ESP where penetration across
car classes and regions continues to increase. In
the second quarter, austriamicrosystems was able to
pene­trate another European-based Tier 1
automotive systems supplier underscoring its system
and design expertise in the competitive automotive
semiconductor market and its positive long term
outlook for this business. The foundry business
again provided an attractive contribution in the
second quarter and first half based on high quality
customers focused on specialty process technologies
such as High Voltage and Silicon Germanium. In
operations, austriamicrosystems’ state-of-the-art
200 mm wafer fab and in-house test centers continued
their excellent performance. The company benefits
from a high level natural hedge in its production
costs which was actively set up over the last years
as part of austriamicrosystems’ global manufacturing
concept. Looking forward, austriamicrosystems
continues to expect its business to show growth in
revenues, gross margins and earnings on a USD and
EUR basis in 2008, based on currently available
information. austriamicrosystems believes its
business to be well positioned with a strong line-up
of successful and upcoming products and a growing
list of high quality customers. However, the company
recognizes that the uncertain future development of
the EUR/USD exchange rate and potential
macroeconomic induced end market volatility are risk
factors influencing its revenue and earnings
development for the full year of 2008. |
◎2008/08/13 ELMOS with solid performance in 2nd
quarter 2008
Sales up 7% – Further margin improvement
Dortmund: ELMOS Semiconductor AG (FSE: ELG)
increased sales and improved its earnings in the
second quarter 2008. Sales grew by 6.8% to 46.6
million Euro (Q2/2007: 43.7 million Euro). The
semiconductor segment contributed to this growth
with an increase of 8.4%. The gross profit climbed
by 12.2% to 20.4 million Euro (Q2/2007: 18.2 million
Euro), corresponding with a gross margin of 43.8%.
Earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) gained
28.0% to reach 4.9 million Euro (Q2/2007: 3.8
million Euro). The net income rose to 3.6 million
Euro in the quarter under report (Q2/2007: 2.1
million Euro).“ELMOS showed a solid performance in
the second quarter and consequently in the first
half-year 2008. We were successful with respect to
sales and earnings. However, we direct close
attention to the economic slowdown and the situation
of the automotive industry in particular,” says Dr.
Anton Mindl, CEO of ELMOS Semiconductor AG. For 2008
ELMOS anticipates an increase in sales of 7% to 9%
and an EBIT margin between 12% and 14%. Against the
backdrop of the current economic situation
especially in the automotive sector and the weakness
of the U.S. dollar, we confirm this forecast at the
lower end of the target corridor. A positive free
cash flow is expected. For the half-year, sales
amounted to 90.8 million Euro (HY1/2007: 84.9
million Euro), the EBIT came to 9.0 million Euro
(HY1/2007: 4.3 million Euro), and the net income was
6.4 million Euro (HY1/2007: 2.1 million Euro). The
complete half-year report is available in German and
English at www.elmos.de. On August 13, 2008 at 11:00
a.m. (CEST), ELMOS will conduct a phone conference
(in English) for analysts and investors. The phone
conference will later be downloadable from the
company website.
Overview of financial figures Q2/08 and HY1/08
according to IFRS:
in million Euro or
percent, unless
otherwise indicated |
Q2/08 |
Q2/07 |
Diff. |
HY1/08 |
HY1/07 |
Diff. |
|
Sales |
46.6 |
43.7 |
6.8% |
90.8 |
84.9 |
7.0% |
|
Gross profit |
20.4 |
18.2 |
12.2% |
39.3 |
34.6 |
13.8% |
|
Operating income |
5.7 |
4.6 |
23.2% |
9.8 |
6.1 |
60.1% |
|
EBIT |
4.9 |
3.8 |
28.0% |
9.0 |
4.3 |
109.5% |
|
Net income |
3.6 |
2.1 |
72.0% |
6.4 |
2.1 |
204.0% |
|
EPS (Euro) |
0.19 |
0.11 |
72.5% |
0.33 |
0.11 |
204.8% |
|
◎7/29/2008 Long-term customer relationship with the
Swedish automotive supplier
Dortmund: ELMOS Semiconductor AG has delivered 100
million semiconductors to its Swedish customer
Autoliv. The customer specific chips are integrated
in airbags and other safety applications. ELMOS
works together successfully with Autoliv for roughly
14 years and delivers the specialist for automotive
safety systems worldwide.“We esteem the long-term
trust of Autoliv. The quality requirements are
extremely especially high in particular for safety
systems. ELMOS fulfils these levels with its
zero-defect-strategy and thereby contributesto the
success of Autoliv” says Dr. Anton Mindl, CEO of
ELMOS Semiconductor AG.“Autoliv focuses on highest
quality in all product areas. With ELMOS we have
found a reliable partner for highly-integrated
circuits. ELMOS distinguishes itself by its high
quality awareness”, stated Peter Kellerhals,
Purchase Director of Autoliv Electronics.The safety
systems are used in various models of European,
American and Asian automotive manufacturers.Autoliv
is a worldwide leader in automotive safety
applications. The company is a pioneer in both
seatbelts and airbags, and has the widest worldwide
product offering for automotive safety. The company
with its headquarters in Sweden has all together 80
facilities and joint ventures in more than 30
countries. The products are tested 21 crash test
tracks in 13 countries. Autoliv has roughly 42,000
employees und achieved sales of roughly 6.8 billion
US-Dollar in 2007.ELMOS is a leading developer and
producer of customer-specific system solutions for
many years in the automotive sector. Based on the
modular high-voltage CMOS technology, a great amount
of analog mixed-signal circuitry elements such as
voltage regulators, analog/digital converters,
power-drives and NVM storage offer a huge range of
integration possibilities for customers' ideas. |
◎07/28/2008 austriamicrosystems reports 5% revenue
and 26% EBIT growth in first half despite adverse
exchange rate environment, expectations for full
year growth confirmed
Key financial data for the second quarter and first
half of 2008
austriamicrosystems (SWX: AMS), a leading global
designer and manufacturer of high performance analog
ICs for communications, industrial, medical and
automotive applications, showed revenue and EBIT
growth in the first half and second quarter of 2008
compared to the previous year despite an adverse
exchange rate environment, given broad-based demand
for its analog IC solutions.Consolidated second
quarter group revenues reached EUR 46.3 million, up
6% from EUR 43.9 million in the same quarter 2007.
Group revenues for the first six months of 2008 rose
5% to EUR 87.5 million, compared to EUR 83.3 million
recorded in the first half of 2007. This positive
revenue development was achieved despite a
significant deterioration in the USD against the EUR
compared to last year. On a constant currency basis,
second quarter revenues grew by 12% compared to the
second quarter last year while first half revenues
grew by 11% compared to the first half 2007 which
underscores the positive development of
austriamicrosystems’ business in the second quarter
and first half of 2008.In the second quarter, gross
margin increased to 51% from 50% in the same quarter
last year, driven by positive product mix effects
and manufacturing cost improvements. For the first
half of 2008, gross margin reached 51%, up two
percentage points from 49% in the first six months
2007. The result from operations (EBIT) for the
second quarter increased by 49% to EUR 6.4 million,
from EUR 4.3 million in the same quarter 2007, with
continued high R&D investments of 23% of the
quarter’s revenues and despite a negative impact
from exchange rate movements. For the first
half-year 2008, the result from operations (EBIT)
was up 26% at EUR 10.1 million, compared to EUR 8.0
million in the same period 2007.Net income for the
second quarter 2008 rose by 44% to EUR 5.9 million,
from EUR 4.1 million in the same period last year.
Basic and diluted earnings per share for the second
quarter were CHF 0.87 or EUR 0.54. Net income for
the first half of 2008 was up 20% at EUR 9.1
million, equivalent to CHF 1.34 or EUR 0.84 per
share (basic and diluted), compared to EUR 7.6
million for the same period last year. Total backlog
which does not reflect high volume consignment stock
agreements with key customers and is therefore not
fully comparable to the previous year stood at EUR
54.5 million on June 30, 2008 compared to EUR 48.2
million at the end of the first quarter and EUR 54.5
million on June 30, 2007. austriamicrosystems’
business performed well in the second quarter and
first half year 2008 which underscores the
attractiveness of the company’s product portfolio
and its solid market position. In communications,
austriamicrosystems strengthened its position in
advanced power management products for mobile
devices such as handsets, personal navigation and
other communications devices. Two Top 5 handset
vendors, Nokia and SonyEricsson, are using its flash
LED driver ICs, lighting management solutions and
power management ICs in increasing volumes for
production, newly released and upcoming models.
austriamicrosystems added another, Asia-based Top 5
handset manufacturer to its customer base in the
second quarter which has designed an
austriamicrosystems lighting management solution
into several upcoming models.austriamicrosystems’
MEMS microphone business returned to growth in the
first half of the current year driven by the
increasing penetration of this technology at top
tier handset vendors. With existing and new
solutions, austriamicrosystems holds a leading
position in this competitive market and expects its
MEMS microphone business to develop positively going
forward. In mobile entertainment,
austriamicrosystems continues to be successful in
high quality personal media players, information and
entertainment devices with its market-proven audio
ICs with advanced power management and high
performance system solutions. Its latest product
generation features significantly reduced power
consumption while offering even higher audio quality
and high-quality video capabilities. In the second
quarter, a global consumer electronics OEM decided
to develop an upcoming generation of audio/video
mobile entertainment devices around products from
this new family.The company’s industrial and medical
business again delivered strong results given
attractive demand for austriamicrosystems’
industrial automation, sensor interface, encoder and
healthcare IC solutions. Automation, metering and
seismic sensors continued to be important
sub-segments of the industrial business in the first
half of 2008. In consumer healthcare, a leading
global sportswear brand successfully introduced an
innovative wearable electronic training assistance
device including an austriamicrosystems sensor
interface product. austriamicrosystems’ magnetic
encoder business continues to grow at a very
attractive pace, driven by the industry’s broadest
portfolio of integrated magnetic encoder solutions.
This product range was expanded with new high
resolution products to address even more
applications across a multitude of markets.
austriamicrosystems’ new offering of RFID reader ICs
has seen outstanding market acceptance and first
design-ins.In the automotive market,
austriamicrosystems saw ongoing good demand in the
areas of sensor interfaces, related systems, car
access and position measurement. Leading global
automotive suppliers rely on complex automotive
sensor interfaces for applications such as ESP where
penetration across car classes and regions continues
to increase. In the second quarter,
austriamicrosystems was able to penetrate another
European-based Tier 1 automotive systems supplier
underscoring its system and design expertise in the
competitive automotive semiconductor market and its
positive long term outlook for this business.The
foundry business again provided an attractive
contribution in the second quarter and first half
based on high quality customers focused on specialty
process technologies such as High Voltage and
Silicon Germanium. In operations,
austriamicrosystems’ state-of-the-art 200 mm wafer
fab and in-house test centers continued their
excellent performance. The company benefits from a
high level natural hedge in its production costs
which was actively set up over the last years as
part of austriamicrosystems’ global manufacturing
concept.Looking forward, austriamicrosystems
continues to expect its business to show growth in
revenues, gross margins and earnings on a USD and
EUR basis in 2008, based on currently available
information. austriamicrosystems believes its
business to be well positioned with a strong line-up
of successful and upcoming products and a growing
list of high quality customers. However, the company
recognizes that the uncertain future development of
the EUR/USD exchange rate and potential
macroeconomic induced end market volatility are risk
factors influencing its revenue and earnings
development for the full year of 2008. |
◎07/08/2008 austriamicrosystems introduces 1A
ultra-low-dropout regulator
Operating at lowest dropout voltages, the AS1364
offers excellent 10µVRMS low noise performance.
austriamicrosystems (SWX: AMS), a leading global
designer and manufacturer of high performance analog
ICs for communications, industrial, medical and
automotive applications, today expanded its low
dropout regulator (LDO) portfolio with the AS1364,
capable of delivering up to 1A while operating at
lowest dropout voltages. The AS1364 operates from a
2 to 5.5V supply, making it ideal for dual or triple
standard-cell and single Li-Ion battery powered
applications. Offering lowest dropout voltage of
140mV @ 1A with an extremely low quiescent current
of only 35µA during operation and stunning 10nA
during shutdown, battery life time is maximized when
using AS1364."There is a growing demand of
applications requiring high currents and the need of
a LDO smoothed voltage." said Walter Moshammer,
Marketing Director Standard Linear at
austriamicrosystems. “At currents rated around 1A,
the dropout voltage is the most important factor for
lifetime and efficiency of the system.
austriamicrosystems’ AS1364 fulfils these needs
completely..”The AS1364 is available as adjustable
version or with pre-programmed output voltages in
the range between 1.2 to 5.0V with an output voltage
accuracy of excellent 0.75%. While the adjustable
version allows highest flexibility in design and
does not require a bypass capacitance, the
pre-programmed versions offer improved noise
performance through a bypass pin. The noise is
therefore improved from good 50µVrms of the
adjustable version to excellent 10µVrms of the
pre-programmed versions. Additionally, the AS1364
offers a power-ok output that signals when the
output voltage drops out of regulation by 6%
typically.A digital enable pin allows system-level
dynamic power management. Furthermore, the AS1364
offers over-temperature and over-current protection.
The AS1364 is available in a thermally enhanced TDFN
3x3mm 8-pin package suitable for operating
environments ranging from -40 to +85°C. |
◎07/02/2008 Trainees successfully complete their
apprenticeship
Applications for 2009 can be handed in Dortmund: Ten
trainees of ELMOS Semiconductor AG have successfully
completed their apprenticeship in the summer of
2008, with five thereof as a micro technologist.
Micro technologists are specially trained for the
work in the semiconductor production. In the 36
months long apprenticeship they learn the technical
processes in theory and practical terms, which are
needed to produce a semiconductor chip.“We are
promoting our young employees systematically.
Especially with the training as micro technologists
we gain qualified staff for our production. They are
able to achieve technological advancements
combined”, says Dr. Anton Mindl, CEO of ELMOS
Semiconductor AG. “But also the other trainees have
become specialists within their area of work.”From
now on applications for the start of the
apprenticeship in 2009 can be handed in. ELMOS
offers e.g. apprenticeships for the following
training courses: industrial clerks, management
assistant in informatics, office communication
assistant, micro technologist and physics laboratory
assistant. |
◎06/30/2008 austriamicrosystems’ global sales
network adds New Scale Technologies’ SQUIGGLE®
motors and motion systems to its product lineup
New Scale significantly expands its sales reach
through austriamicrosystems’ global sales network
Victor, NY and Unterpremstaetten, Austria (June 30,
2008) – New Scale Technologies, Inc., a provider of
innovative miniature motion systems, has named its
strategic partner austriamicrosystems (SWX: AMS) as
a global, non-exclusive agent for its patented
SQUIGGLE® motors, micro motion systems and other
products. The agreement significantly expands New
Scale’s global sales reach while enabling analog
chip specialist austriamicrosystems to introduce
additional innovative products to its customers. New
Scale develops and manufactures miniature motion
systems including the piezoelectric SQUIGGLE motor,
the world’s smallest linear motor.
austriamicrosystems is a leading designer and
manufacturer of high performance analog ICs for
communications, industry, medical and automotive
applications and has a global sales network of
approximately 100 direct sales engineers and field
application engineers (FAEs), spread across Asia,
Europe, the USA and South Africa.New Scale and
austriamicrosystems formed a partnership early in
2008 to create tiny closed-loop motion systems
integrating SQUIGGLE motors with single-chip motor
controllers and position sensor ASICs.“We are
impressed with the technical competence of the
austriamicrosystems sales and FAE teams, and their
ability to understand their customers’ needs and
offer innovative solutions,” said Dan Viggiano III,
vice president and general manager of OEM products
at New Scale. “We are thrilled to have this highly
qualified sales network introducing New Scale
products to design engineers around the world.”“New
Scale’s extremely small motion systems allow design
engineers to add motion-based features where they
could not be incorporated before, due to size and
power constraints,” commented Carlo Rebughini,
senior vice president of sales at
austriamicrosystems. “Users of our high-performance
analog ICs have a keen interest in expanding their
products’ current capabilities and introducing
innovative new products through the use of SQUIGGLE
motors and micro motion systems.”
About New Scale Technologies
New Scale Technologies (www.newscaletech.com)
creates disruptively small motion systems based on
our patented piezoelectric SQUIGGLE® motor, the
world’s smallest linear motor. This ultrasonic motor
is more compact, precise, robust, power-efficient
and cost-effective than other micro motors. Complete
motion systems incorporate supporting electronics (ASICs)
developed in partnership with austriamicrosystems.
Our micro motors and micro-actuator modules enable
design engineers to create smaller products
including mobile phone cameras, electronic locks and
intelligent fasteners, nano-scale fluid control
including lab-on-a-chip systems, medical devices
including miniature drug pumps and endoscopes,
optics and imaging systems, automotive modules,
lasers, aerospace and defense systems, cryogenic and
MRI-compatible instruments, and consumer electronics
including micro fuel cells. |
◎06/20/2008 LIN system basis chip fulfills high OEM
requirements
Chip E910.48 reduces systems costs – ESD performance
>12kV
Dortmund: With its E910.48, ELMOS presents a LIN
transceiver with an integrated voltage regulator.
The chip, equipped with a LIN 2.0 compatible
transceiver, also provides a watchdog with
adjustable triggering time. The E910.48 fulfills the
high requirements commonly agreed by the German OEMs
and is available as a volume product. A confirmation
of the release can be requested from the OEMs.The
integrated voltage regulator supplies the
application with a load current of up to 100mA. The
output voltage can be selected to be 5V or 3.3V. By
using an optional series resistor, the power
dissipation in the IC can be reduced to enable the
maximum load current over the entire temperature
range of -40°C to +125°C. At low supply voltages an
internal bypass transistor keeps the drop-out
voltage low. If needed, higher currents can be
realized by means of an external transistor. The
voltage regulator allows stable operation with a
bypass capacitor as low as 100nF and therefore
reduces the costs for external components.The
watchdog and the reset generation are configurable
in various ways. Common values can be defined
without external components, thereby minimizing
system costs. Other settings can be realized via
cost-effective resistor circuits. A battery voltage
monitoring routine generates a “reset warning”
signal below typ. 7V. This enables reaction before
shutdown, e.g. to save important data.There are
three ways to activate the voltage regulator: 1.
exceeding a power-on threshold after the battery
supply had been low, 2. a remote wake-up frame on
the bus, 3. a local digital signal wake-up on the
enable pin.Slope detection and debounce reliably
avoid cyclic wake-up in case of different kinds of
undefined bus potentials. A falling edge at the
enable input forces the IC into sleep mode and
deactivates the voltage regulator. Strong emphasis
has been laid on EMC and ESD measures to fulfill the
high automotive requirements. As a result, a system
level ESD stability of more than 12kV (according to
IEC61000-4-2) has been achieved.The IC offers all
necessary functions for operation in a
microcontroller circuit, not only in automotive
networks but in industrial applications as well. The
high grade of noise immunity allows the use anywhere
in a vehicle.
The most important features are:
LIN 2.0 compatible
Wakeup via bus based on slope detection and debounce
Very low standby current (typ. <20μA)
Two selectable output voltages: 5V or 3.3V ±2.0%
Stable voltage regulator with bypass capacitance
down to 100nF
Output current up to 100mA
Selectable watchdog windows: fixed: 35ms or 75ms;
variable: 3ms to 50ms
Reset pulse durations (10ms, 65ms) and programmable
threshold levels
Output slew rate control to reduce EMI
ESD protection on BUS pin >12kV according to
IEC-61000-4-2
Operating voltage range (VS) 4V to 40V
Bus voltage -24V to +40V
Over temperature protection
Output current limitation at bus and voltage
regulator
SO16 package, QFN 5x5 coming soon |
◎06/18/2008 austriamicrosystems builds profound
system know-how on FlexRay™ - the next generation
automotive networking system
The Virtual Vehicle’s TEODACS research project
provides expertise for the deployment and validation
of FlexRay™ based distributed systems
austriamicrosystems (SWX: AMS), a leading global
designer and manufacturer of high performance analog
ICs for automotive, communication, industry and
medical applications, is a driving force in the
TEODACS (Test, Evaluation and Optimization of
Dependable Automotive Communication Systems)
research project which is being launched by The
Virtual Vehicle, a group of industry partners and
research facilities in Graz / Austria. The project
brings together AVL List GmbH, CISC Semiconductor
Design + Consulting GmbH, Infineon Technologies AG,
University of Applied Sciences FH Joanneum and the
Institute for Technical Informatics (ITI) at the
Graz University of Technology in a partnership aimed
at building expertise for the deployment and
validation of FlexRay™ based automotive networking
systems.FlexRay™ becomes an emerging technology for
in-vehicle networks to support the requirements of
the next generation vehicles. Safety, infotainment,
reliability and dependability, cost and weight
reduction together with CO2 prevention for vehicles
are key drivers for new automotive local area
networks. FlexRay™ is developed to cope with these
demands, but as it is a young technology with little
field affirmation, a comprehensive level of system
investigation is needed.austriamicrosystems is a
leading provider of FlexRay™ Transceiver ICs and
with its AS8221, which is already well known in the
FlexRay community, the device focus changed to a
system-based focus to provide profound knowledge for
customers in design-ins of FlexRay Transceivers. The
AS8220 FlexRay™ Basis Transceiver and the AS8224
FlexRay™ Active Star Device will be available soon,
expanding austriamicrosystems’ FlexRay™ Transceiver
family.“TEODACS allows us to combine the knowledge
from different domains to utilize experience in an
efficient way for our customers”, Harald Gall,
Product Manager In-Vehicle Networks at
austriamicrosystems, explains. “In addition, this
unique know-how will be reflected in our future
automotive networking products.”The deployment of
FlexRay™ networks results in numerous challenges for
the system design. At the same time, the networks
and the various possibilities the system offers,
have not been entirely investigated so far. This is
the goal of the TEODACS project which aims to
investigate the FlexRay system behaviour with a
novel holistic approach including analysis on an
enhanced laboratory setup and the concurrent
simulation of the comprehensive framework. This
duality combines the advantage of capturing limiting
factors in real networking structures and the
flexibility when performing simulations considering
varying conditions. The experience gained during the
development of the physical setup and the simulation
environment will be used to develop novel concepts
and methods for the efficient test and deployment of
FlexRay™ in vehicles. |
 |
◎06/02/2008 Component Manufacturer Partron Selects
NemeriX to Enhance GPS Modules for PND and Mobile
Handset Markets
Manno Switzerland - NemeriX, a leading fabless
semiconductor company specializing in ultra low
power, high-performance A-GPS solutions for GPS and
location-based service (LBS) products, today
announced a partnership with Partron, a leading
component manufacturer serving the mobile phone and
PND markets, to incorporate NemeriX's
high-performance GPS solutions into Partron's
components.Based in Korea, Partron designs,
manufactures and supplies RF modules, GPS
components, VGA camera modules, antennas and other
components to handset and PND manufacturers.
Launched in 2003, Partron was founded by the
technologists who led RF-development for the mobile
communications division of Samsung
Electro-Mechanics. Since its founding, Partron has
become one of the world's premier manufacturers of
RF modules.By leveraging NemeriX's chipsets, Partron
has significantly enhanced the performance and
efficiency of its GPS modules - which are featured
in approximately 70% of all PNDs sold in Korea and
China. The enhancements delivered from its
partnership with NemeriX will help Partron increase
its PND market-share on a global basis, and also
provide a competitive advantage for Partron's
components in mobile phone markets."We've selected
NemeriX because of the quality of their products,
and because their technical support is first rate,"
said Steven Cho, Senior Sales Manager for Partron.
"The NemeriX chipsets integrate seamlessly with our
GPS offerings, and NemeriX's low-power design
provides a power savings of more than 60% compared
to some of the other GPS chipsets we've
evaluated.""Partron's innovation and technical
leadership in developing RF solutions for mobile
phones, PNDs and base stations is widely recognized
by our customers, and by many of the companies we
seek to do business with," said Lew Boore, VP of
Marketing for NemeriX. "We're thrilled to work with
Partron, and we look forward to a lasting and
successful partnership together." |
◎05/27/2008 Sun angle sensor with a planar set-up
Precise angle measurement at a very small surface
Dortmund: ELMOS Semiconductor AG presents a sun
angle sensor with a planar set-up (E910.86) for the
precise angle measurement of incidence of light. The
new ELMOS sensor needs no optics and is assembled in
a small package of just 4x4mm2. If this sensor is
placed sufficiently close to the dashboard surface,
a planar transition between sensor and environment
is possible for the first time. Samples as well as
demoboards will be available as of July 2008.Systems
for measuring the angle of incident light are
required for many applications in vehicles.
Certainly the most well-known among them is the
control of air-conditioning systems. For this
application, sensors are placed e.g. on top of the
dashboard behind the windshield to detect the energy
and the angle of incident sunlight for an optimized
control of air conditioning. The light reaches the
surface of the sensor directly, without optical
focusing or other manipulations. The sensor
principle is based on measuring the difference of
the photocurrents of two adjacent photo diodes. A
shadow mask placed on top of the diodes adequately
covers these photo diodes or leaves them exposed. As
shadow mask, one of the metallization levels
resulting from the IC manufacturing process is
utilized. Apart from the angle sensor, the IC
contains two photo diodes with a programmable linear
amplifier. The photo diodes have two different
spectral sensitivities (red and blue sensitive). The
amplification is programmed via the SPI interface
for both spectral sensitivities. The intensity
signal is released through an analog output. The
photo current is converted through the feedback
resistor into a voltage and then converted back into
a current by a second resistor. The resistance
relation thus determines the degree of
amplification. The amplification can be programmed
by the user over more than two decades. The
programming is made through the number of connected
diode segments (32 segments) and through the
resistor. This way the amplification can be adjusted
at 1% precision.A precise temperature sensor for
temperature compensation and for the control of the
additional application via an interface enhances the
application range of this IC.
The most important features in a nutshell:
Angle measurement range 15° to 165°
Operating temperature range –40°C to 105°C
Serial interface (SPI)
2-dimensional detection of angle of incidence
Measurement of angle of incidence with 3° resolution
2 photo diodes with different spectral sensitivities
implemented
Demoboard available as of July 2008
Potential applications
Air conditioning control
Automatic tinting of windshield/mirrors (glare
shield)
Illumination control (driving light/interior)
Blind control (building services engineering) |
◎05/19/2008 austriamicrosystems supplies AS5243, the
redundant 10-bit magnetic angular position IC, to
MEGA-Line RACING ELECTRONICS and Audi R10 for the Le
Mans 24 Hours 2008
AS5243 is a system-on-chip combining integrated Hall
elements, analog front end and digital signal
processing in a single device
austriamicrosystems (SWX: AMS), a leading global
designer and manufacturer of high performance analog
ICs for automotive, communication, industry and
medical applications, supplies AS5243, a redundant
10-bit magnetic rotary encoder IC, to MEGA -Line
RACING ELECTRONIC GmbH, a specialist in development
of high performance automotive racing applications.
The AS5243 is used to measure the absolute position
of the barrel shaft in the gearbox to ensure an
optimized gear change. AS5243 has been successfully
tested in the Audi R10 which is the first diesel
powered car inning the Le Mans 24 hours, one of the
most ambitious races in the world.The absolute
magnetic shaft encoder developed by MEGA-Line RACING
ELECTRONIC is based on austriamicrosystems’ AS5243
redundant magnetic angular position sensor device
which, due to its contactless measurement method,
makes the system highly reliable and resistant to
adverse environmental conditions such as dust,
moisture, vibration or extended temperature
conditions. With this sensor the abrasion over the
economic life-time of the gearbox can be monitored.
The high performance 10 bit resolution analog output
and the extended temperature range up to 150°C
(ambient) ideally meets the demands of many safety
critical automotive, industrial and robotics
applications."Our close collaboration with MEGA-Line
RACING ELECTRONIC helps us to be successful with
innovative solutions on the market," said Bernhard
Czar, Director Marketing Automotive at
austriamicrosystems. "austriamicrosystems’ wide
portfolio of magnetic angular position sensors meet
a broad range of customer demands. We look forward
to seeing further creative products emerging out of
our partnership with MEGA-Line RACING
ELECTRONIC.”“We are excited to be working with
austriamicrosystems and their new AS5243 absolute
angular position sensor technology,” said Erwin
Gassner, CEO of MEGA-Line RACING ELECTRONIC. “This
magnetic encoder technology enables us to get an
absolute feedback about the most important gearbox
parameter. The barrel position is used to optimize
the whole gear change sequence. This sensor has to
be absolutely reliable and using the freely
programmable AS5243 we do not even need any
calibration procedure in the car.” The AS5243 is a
contactless magnetic angle position sensor for
accurate measurement up to 360° and includes two
AS5143 devices in a punched stacked lead frame. It
is a system-on-chip combining integrated Hall
elements, analog front end and digital signal
processing in a single device. The AS5243 provides
two separated programmable analog outputs which can
be configured in many ways, including user
programmable angular range, adjustable output
voltage range, voltage or current output, etc.An
internal voltage regulator allows operation of the
AS5243 from 3.3V or 5.0V supplies. The AS5243 can
detect 1,024 absolute positions over a full turn,
180 and 90 degrees which correspond to a resolution
of minimum 0.087 degrees. Additional features
include a user programmable zero position and a
safety feature that constantly monitors the presence
of the magnet. The AS5243 is available in a 7x7mm
QFN32 package. |
◎05/16/2008 austriamicrosystems presents AS5134, a
high precision angle position sensor offering
excellent performance in automotive applications
New AS5134 rotary encoder particularly designed to
support commutation of brushless DC motors
austriamicrosystems (SWX: AMS), a leading global
designer and manufacturer of high performance analog
ICs for communications, industrial, medical and
automotive applications, today expanded its
successful magnetic rotary encoder family with the
AS5134. This innovative rotary encoder IC is fully
qualified to AEC-Q100 and specifically designed for
brushless DC sensing in automotive applications in
an ambient temperature range up to 150°C.With an
8.5-bit resolution, the AS5134 can recognize 360
positions within one 360° turn and is accessible
with either a serial or a PWM (Pulse-Width
Modulation) interface. In addition, there are three
differently programmable incremental outputs
available, one of which delivers a three-phase
commutation signal for brushless DC motors. Another
special feature is the programmability of 1 to 6
pole pairs. The AS5134 provides a "power saving
mode" with a power consumption of less than 1.5mA
and a fast start-up time to normal operation of less
than 250µs.Several features of the AS5134, including
user-specific zero programming, a diagnostic
function for correct positioning of the magnet, or
the ability to recognize interruptions of the power
supply are already standard in austriamicrosystems'
entire encoder product family. The AS5134
additionally offers a "daisy chain" mode to read
position data serially over a two wire bus. "The
proportion of brushless DC motors (BLDC) in
automotive propulsion technology as well as in the
industrial sector is increasing rapidly because the
benefits of BLDC are as numerous as convincing. In
addition to higher efficiency and longer service
life, drives can be designed offering higher
precision, better dynamic properties and more
flexibility. The AS5134 was specifically developed
to improve the performance of these BLDC motors,"
says Berhard Czar, Marketing Director Automotive at
austriamicrosystems. |
◎05/07/2008 NemeriX's Lew Boore to Lead Key Debate
on GPS at IET & GSA International Semiconductor
Forum 2008
NemeriX VP Marketing to Head GPS Panel Session at
Major Industry Forum for Global Semiconductor
Industry
Manno Switzerland - NemeriX, a leading fabless
semiconductor company specializing in ultra low
power, high-performance A-GPS solutions for GPS and
location-based service (LBS) products,today
announced that NemeriX's VP Marketing Lew Boore will
be moderating a key panel session on GPS at the IET
& GSA International Semiconductor Forum 2008 (ExCel
London, UK, 14 & 15 May 2008). Boore will head up a
panel of leading industry professionals - including
senior executives from Air Semiconductor and CSR -
in a discussion entitled "GPS - What's your Global
Position?". The session, which will be held on
Thursday 15th May, will focus on the key challenges
and opportunities arising from the growth of
consumer navigation and location-based service
markets, addressing both business and technology
perspectives. Now in its fifth year, the IET & GSA
International Semiconductor Forum attracts
participation
from some of the world's major semiconductor
companies, and its leading industry figures. The
2008 event will provide two days of education
sessions plus a complimentary exhibition.Members of
the media interested in scheduling a briefing with
NemeriX can do so by contacting Nicky Davis at
nicky[at] evokedset.com. |
05/07/2008 austriamicrosystems’ announces dual
simultaneous sampling 1MSPS 12-bit ADC
The 12-bit AS1545 offers two independent 1MSPS ADCs,
each with 6 input channels, combined with low power
consumption austriamicrosystems (SWX: AMS), a
leading global designer and manufacturer of high
performance analog ICs for communications,
industrial, medical and automotive applications, has
introduced the AS1545, a dual high-speed
successive-approximation ADC with low power
consumption, excellent DC performance and
outstanding dynamic specifications, expanding
austriamicrosystems high-speed ADC portfolio.The
AS1545 offers 12-bit resolution on each of the two
ADCs and uses advanced design techniques to achieve
low power dissipation at high throughput rates. At a
conversion speed of 1MSPS and including the internal
2.5V reference, the AS1545 uses only 5.5mA. In full
power-down mode the supply current drops to less
than 1µA.Two complete and independent ADC channels
allow simultaneous sampling and conversion of two
channels. The 12 input channels are software
configurable allowing each ADC to offer six
single-ended channels or three fully or pseudo
differential pairs, as programmed. The conversion
result of both ADCs is simultaneously available on
separate data lines or in succession on one data
line if only one serial port is available.
"High speed dual converters like the AS1545 are
ideal for motor control applications," said Walter
Moshammer, Marketing Director Standard Linear at
austriamicrosystems. “The 1MSPS dual ADC channels
allow the simultaneous measurement of the difference
of inputs. Additionally, the AS1545 offers a
step-up/down counter for counting revolutions as
well as a direction bit and information on the
quadrature signal phases.”AS1545 operates from a
single 2.7 to 5.25 V supply and contains a Vdrive
(interface drive voltage) function which enables the
serial interface to connect directly to either 3 or
5 V processor systems independent of the ADC’s
supply voltage. The ADC can be interfaced via a high
speed SPI/QSPI/Microwire or DSP interface.The AS1545
offers a rail to rail analog input range and can be
selected to be a 0 V to VREF(or 2 × VREF), with
either straight binary or two’s complement output
coding. The common mode input range of the analog
inputs also goes from rail to rail. The internal
2.5V reference can be overdriven when an external
reference is preferred.The AS1545 is available in a
small 5x5mm 32-pin TQFN package suitable for
operating environments ranging from -40°C to +85°C.
Product-specific information and free samples via
austriamicrosystems’ online shop ICdirect are
available at www.austriamicrosystems.com/AS1545/description_AS1545.htm |
◎05/05/2008 austriamicrosystems presents AS7620,
industry’s first 32V 500mA buck regulator with
integrated dual power monitor
AS7620 high voltage buck regulator offers low 30µA
quiescent current, high partial load efficiency and
maximizes data integrity during power-fail
conditions austriamicrosystems (SWX: AMS), a leading
global designer and manufacturer of high performance
analog ICs for communications, industrial, medical
and automotive applications, today expanded its
DC-DC converter portfolio with the AS7620, a
hysteretic, high efficiency 32V step-down regulator
in a small 4x4mm MLPQ 12-pin package. Ideally suited
to maximize up-time of utility metering, sensor
interface and other industrial motion control and
battery-powered data-acquisition equipment, the
AS7620 provides both, early-power-fail warning and
power-good signals to microcontrollers that cannot
afford to lose critical data during a power failure
or brown-out condition. The AS7620 DC-DC regulator
is optimized for industrial 24V applications and
delivers up to 500mA. Available with a fixed 3.3V
output or adjustable output voltage between 1.2V and
VIN, the device features a wide input voltage
between 3.6V and 32V and offers a high efficiency
rate of up to 93%. Additionally, an integrated 100%
duty-cycle extends operation in low-dropout
conditions. A pin-selectable peak current limit
optimizes inductor selection, reducing component
size. Built on a hysteretic architecture, the AS7620
is a power miser when it comes to minimum and
partial load operation, operating on less than 37µA
when delivering 500µA of output current and
consuming approximately 100µA at 10mA output, which
allows for smaller hold-up capacitors or extends
operating battery life for portable analyzers.
“austriamicrosystems’ AS7620 is the first in a
series of high-voltage step-down converters that
addresses the peculiar needs of industrial 24V
applications, and is industry’s first 32V-stepdown
converter to provide simultaneously an
early-power-fail warning and power-good signal in a
compact, thermally efficient package, hereby
eliminating external comparators and reducing board
space” said Matjaz Novak, Marketing Director
Industry & Medical at austriamicrosystems. “When the
lights go out, the AS7620 shines with its low
operating current and extended supply voltage range
that includes a low-drop-out mode to keep that
microcontroller running until its supply voltage
falls below the 90% power-good threshold.” The
AS7620 DC-DC converter allows a wide range of low
profile inductors and ceramic capacitors and does
not require any compensation. Soft-start, current
limit and thermal shutdown make this converter
fail-safe. During shutdown the current draw is
reduced to only 1µA. The AS7620 DC-DC converter is
available now in a 4x4mm MLPQ 12-pin package and is
specified for the industrial temperature range of
-40°C to +85°C for ambient conditions. |
◎04/29/2008 Avnet Memec, austriamicrosystems Ink
North American Distribution Pact
PHOENIX , USA and Unterpremstaetten, Austria (April
29, 2008) – Avnet Memec, a specialty semiconductor
division of Avnet Electronics Marketing – an
operating group of Avnet, Inc.(NYSE: AVT) – and
austriamicrosystems, a leading global designer and
manufacturer of high performance analog integrated
circuits (ICs), have inked a North American
distribution agreement.As a global designer and
manufacturer, austriamicrosystems develops and
produces industry-leading standard analog
semiconductors for industrial, medical,
communications and automotive applications. Avnet
Memec specializes in offering a level of technical
depth that is unmatched in the industry. Together,
austriamicrosystems and Avnet Memec will deliver the
full line of austriamicrosystems’ high performance
analog solutions to customers throughout the United
States.“We are excited to partner with Avnet Memec,
given their leadership in service and support,
excellent market access and dynamic sales approach,”
commented David Olson, director of sales, Americas,
at austriamicrosystems. “We will utilize Avnet
Memec’s solutions expertise to promote our lines and
drive sales growth at a broad spectrum of customers
in North America.”“austriamicrosystems offers a
unique line of high performance standard product
solutions that are a strong compliment to the Avnet
Memec line card,” said Phil Sansone, senior vice
president of Avnet Memec. “Together we will deliver
cutting-edge products that translate to faster time
to market for today’s designers and engineers.” |
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