Atmel Introduces New High-Performance Silicon Germanium Down-Conversion Mixer ICs.Business Editors/High-Tech Writers HEILBRONN, Germany--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 19, 2002 Atmel(R) Corporation (Nasdaq:ATML ATML Automatic Test Markup Language ATML Automated Test Markup Language ) announced today the availability of two new active down-conversion mixer ICs for infrastructure, instrumentation and WLAN See wireless LAN. WLAN - wireless local area network applications. Atmel provides the essential building blocks for the main RF standard functions, including mixers, modulators, demodulators and converters. These building blocks can be used for multi-purpose applications in RF systems such as wireless infrastructure systems. The T0780 and the T0781 are manufactured using Atmel's advanced Silicon Germanium (SiGe) A semiconductor material made from silicon and germanium. Germanium is very similar to silicon, but when one layer is grown on top of the other to form the base of the transistor, the resulting transistor can switch faster and yield higher performance. (SiGe) process enabling maximum performance. Due to this, they are excellently suited for applications where performance is the key issue such as base transceiver stations (GSM, CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) A method for transmitting simultaneous signals over a shared portion of the spectrum. The foremost application of CDMA is the digital cellular phone technology from QUALCOMM that operates in the 800 MHz band and 1.9 GHz PCS band. , UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) The GSM implementation of the 3G wireless phone system. Part of IMT-2000, UMTS provides service in the 2 GHz band and offers global roaming and personalized features. ; see footnote). The T0780 covers the 800 to 1000 MHz (MegaHertZ) One million cycles per second. It is used to measure the transmission speed of electronic devices, including channels, buses and the computer's internal clock. A one-megahertz clock (1 MHz) means some number of bits (16, 32, 64, etc. operating range, whereas the T0781 is designed for 1700 to 2300 MHz. Atmel's innovative SiGe process also ensures that the devices are thermally insensitive. This feature makes them highly reliable and guarantees maximum quality. Most conventional mixers are passive solutions, which have a higher risk of spurious emissions. As the new T0780 and T0781 are active components, they provide a conversion gain between 10 to 11 dB for drastic reduction of external influences. Moreover, they require only a low Local Oscillator Noun 1. local oscillator - an oscillator whose output heterodynes with the incoming radio signal to produce sum and difference tones heterodyne oscillator (LO) input driving level (0 dBm), which helps to prevent spurious emissions. The parts are highly linear to ensure maximum performance for broadband applications such as UMTS and CDMA2000. The port return loss is also low and the carrier as well as the side band suppression are excellent (down to -40 dB) whilst all I/O ports have a 50 Ohm impedance. The LO and the RF port can also be driven single ended if needed, thus helping to simplify the application. Due to the high integration, there is no need for further external filters in most cases, so only few external components are needed. This allows easy and fast design-in while keeping the board space consumption to a minimum. "With these highly reliable, high-quality devices, there is now a cutting-edge alternative to passive mixer solutions most manufacturers used up to now. Moreover, these active parts are easy to use and enable small, uncomplicated designs," stated Carsten Friedrich, marketing manager for Cellular RF Applications. Samples of the T078x (TSSOP TSSOP Thin Shrink Small Outline Package TSSOP Thin Scale Small Outline Package 16 package) are available now. Footnote GSM = Global System for Mobile Communications (communications) Global System for Mobile Communications - (GSM, originally "Groupe de travail Sp?ciale pour les services Mobiles") One of the major standards for digital cellular communications, in use in over 60 countries and serving over one billion subscribers. CDMA = Code-Division Multiple Access UMTS = Universal Mobile Telephone System About Atmel Founded in 1984, Atmel Corporation is headquartered in San Jose, Calif. with manufacturing facilities in North America and Europe. Atmel designs, manufactures and markets worldwide, advanced logic, mixed-signal, nonvolatile memory and RF semiconductors. Atmel is also a leading provider of system-level integration semiconductor solutions using CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) Pronounced "c-moss." The most widely used integrated circuit design. It is found in almost every electronic product from handheld devices to mainframes. , BiCMOS, SiGe, and high-voltage BCDMOS process technologies. Note to Editors: Atmel, the Atmel logo and combinations thereof and others contained herein, are trademarks of Atmel Corporation. Terms and product names in this document may be the trademarks of others. Information Atmel's SiGe receive mixer family T0780 and T0781 information may be retrieved at: http://www.atmel.com/atmel/acrobat/doc3b79263b028d3.pdf and http://www.atmel.com/atmel/acrobat/doc3b7928c20f513.pdf. |
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