Cypress Adds UTMI Interface Tri-State Mode to MoBL-USB(TM) TX2 Transceiver Optimized for Intel's XScale Technology.

Low-Power Device, Now in Production, Allows Mobile Handset Makers to Add High-Speed USB Without Sacrificing Other Functions

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Cypress Semiconductor Corp. (NYSE:CY), the market leader in USB, today announced that its high-speed MoBL-USB[TM] TX2 transceiver for mobile handsets now offers a mode that allows all input/output (I/O) pins on its UTMI (USB 2.0 Transceiver Macrocell Interface) interface to be tri-stated. The device, which is in full production, is optimized for Intel Corporation's newest handheld applications processor family (codenamed Monahans) based on the third generation Intel XScale([R]) architecture. The device is compliant with the UTMI standard, and has been tested in collaboration with Intel Corporation.

The new feature allows handset manufacturers to share baseband or application processor general-purpose I/O (GPIO) pins between high-speed USB and other features, such as the camera module, GPS, DVB-H, etc. The MoBL-USB TX2 device is put into a "suspend" state when USB is not in use, dropping the typical power consumption to just 8 microamps and allowing the UTMI I/O pins to be tri-stated. This allows the processor to reuse and share the limited GPIO pins for other functions across two or more devices, while extending battery life with the industry's lowest standby power consumption for a USB transceiver.

This effective sharing of the limited number of GPIOs is performed today with costly tri-state buffers, which also increase board space requirements. The MoBL-USB TX2 integrates this feature, thereby removing the need for external tri-state buffers. Further details on this feature can be found in a Cypress application note available at www.cypress.com/handsets/MoBL-USBTX2/AN6065.pdf.

"We received feedback from our customers that too many I/O pins were needed for the UTMI interface," said Ray Casey, product marketing manager for Cypress's MoBL-USB product line. "By adding the new tri-state mode to the MoBL-USB TX2, we are now offering a solution that delivers the performance of high-speed USB to mobile handset designs, without having to sacrifice any additional features."

"The small footprint and power efficiency of the Cypress MoBL-USB TX2 well complements the Intel Monahans family of XScale technology-based Application Processors. Together, with strong ecosystem vendors such as Cypress, the Intel Monahans Platform solution enables rich content on exciting new battery powered consumer devices," said Barry Evans, general manager of Intel's Application Processor Business Unit. "We are excited that the Intel Monahans Platform family continues to receive broad support among a vibrant ecosystem."

The new MoBL-USB TX2 transceiver is offered in a 56-ball VFBGA (Very Fine Pitch Ball Grid Array) package that measures only 5 mm x 5 mm with 0.5-mm ball pitch. With its small package and low power consumption, the device is ideally suited for a wide range of battery-powered applications such as mobile phones, PDAs, smart phones, portable media players (PMP), and handheld global positioning systems (GPS).

"Cypress is 100% committed to providing the broadest portfolio of USB solutions for the mobile handset market," said Rajiv Nema, senior product marketing manager of Cypress's High Speed USB Product Line. "Building on our No. 1 USB market share position enables us to understand customer needs and bring to market products and solutions that will ensure a fast and easy transition to high-speed USB for our mobile handset customers."

The MoBL-USB TX2 transceiver offers a wide array of features and functions, including:

* UTMI-compliant/USB 2.0-certified for device operation

* Supports both USB 2.0 high-speed (480 Mbits/second) and full-speed (12 Mbits/second)

* Optimized for seamless interface with the Intel Monahans Platform family

* Tri-state Mode allows sharing of UTMI bus with other devices

* Serial-to-parallel and parallel-to-serial conversions

* 8-bit unidirectional, 8-bit bidirectional, or 16-bit bidirectional external data interface

* Synchronous field and EOP detection on receive packets, and generation on transmit packets

* Data and clock recovery from the USB serial stream

* Bit stuffing/unstuffing, bit stuff error detection, staging register to manage data rate variations

Pricing and Availability

The new MoBL-USB TX2 transceiver (CY7C68000A) is available now in both 56-ball VFBGA and 56-lead QFN packages. Pricing in 10,000-unit volumes for the MoBL-USB TX2 transceiver starts at $1.49. A high-resolution photo of the VFBGA package can be downloaded at http://www.cypress.com/mobl-usb-tx2-photo.

About Cypress

Cypress solutions perform: consumer, computation, data communications, automotive, industrial, and solar. Leveraging proprietary silicon processes, Cypress's product portfolio includes a broad selection of wired and wireless USB devices, CMOS image sensors, timing solutions, specialty memories, high-bandwidth synchronous and micropower memory products, optical solutions and reconfigurable mixed-signal arrays. Cypress trades on the NYSE under the ticker symbol CY. Visit us at www.cypress.com.

Cypress and the Cypress logo are registered trademarks and MoBL-USB is a trademark of Cypress Semiconductor Corporation. Intel XScale is a registered trademark of Intel. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.