Fairchild Semiconductor's Breakthrough uSerDes(TM) Serializer/Deserializer Technology Achieves Industry's Lowest Current Consumption.

Second-Generation FIN324C Offers up to 65% Less Current Consumption Than First-Generation Technology, Eliminates External Clock and Offers Dual-Display Capability

SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine -- Fairchild Semiconductor (NYSE:FCS), the leader in serializer/deserializer solutions for small displays and image sensors, marks a significant milestone in the evolution of its mSerDes[TM] technology. The second-generation FIN324C mSerDes-uLP (Ultra Low-Power) series offers the industry's lowest current consumption (approximately 4mA at 5.44MHz), eliminates the need for external timing reference devices and supports dual-displays--helping designers to save battery power, increase design flexibility and reduce part count in the latest cell phones, MP3 players and other small form-factor display applications. The new FIN324C is available in ultra-small BGA and MLP packages for space-constrained applications.

"Fairchild co-designed the new Ultra Low Power uSerDes with key cell phone manufacturers to meet their specific application requirements including optimizing energy consumption and minimizing noise for increasingly slim, compact applications," said Michael Fowler, one of Fairchild's technical staff members on the mSerDes design team. "The FIN324C represents a major advancement to the industry-leading first-generation mSerDes products that dramatically impacted the market when they were introduced three years ago.

"In addition to lowering current consumption up to 65 percent, this second-generation device has the flexibility to support the latest flip cell phone designs incorporating both external and internal displays," Fowler continued. "As a further boon to designers, the FIN324C retains the same small form factor and robust I/O characteristics of the previous generation, enabling smaller designs that are easier to implement. As a testament to the success of its design, a majority of top cell phone manufacturers are now in production with uSerDes devices."

Key feature enhancements of the second-generation uSerDes include:

* Elimination of internal Phase-Lock Loop (PLL) to dramatically reduce current consumption and eliminate the need for an external clock;

* Dual interface capability (R/W microcontroller, pixel and/or SPI) for increased design flexibility;

* Robust I/O solution for RF environments resulting in low EMI; and

* Wide LVCMOS supply voltage range (1.60V-3.0V) for flexibility in a range of applications.

Fairchild Semiconductor's uSerDes products are based on proprietary CTL[TM] I/O technology that reduces the 24 or 12 LVCMOS signals typically required in ultra-portable designs to high-speed differential serial signals. This lowers wire count up to 6:1. Fairchild's truly unique approach greatly decreases the size of costly flex cables usually used to transfer data, therefore reducing part count and simplifying designs. The FIN324C offers high ESD protection (15kV) and the industry's lowest levels of EMI (at -110dBm) for noise reduction and enhanced reliability.

In addition to the second-generation FIN324C, Fairchild's uSerDes family includes a wide selection of devices that are easily adapted to specific portable technologies, including 12-bit and 24-bit versions for optimizing image sensors and LCDs, respectively. For more information about the complete uSerDes product portfolio, please go to http://www.fairchildsemi.com/userdes.

The FIN324C is a lead (Pb)-free product that meets or exceeds the requirements of the joint IPC/JEDEC standard J-STD-020C and is compliant with European Union regulations now in effect.

Price (each, 1000 pcs):US$ 1.74--FIN324CGFX (BGA)
                       US$ 1.66--FIN324CMLX (MLP)

Availability:          Now

Delivery:              8 weeks ARO

Contact Information:   To contact Fairchild Semiconductor about this
                       product, please go to:
                       http://www.fairchildsemi.com/cf/sales_contacts/

For information on other products, design tools and sales contacts, please visit: http://www.fairchildsemi.com.

Note to Editor: For a datasheet in PDF format, please go to: http://www.fairchildsemi.com/ds/FI/FIN324C.pdf.

About Fairchild Semiconductor:

Fairchild Semiconductor (NYSE: FCS) is the leading global supplier of high-performance power products critical to today's leading electronic applications in the computing, communications, consumer, industrial and automotive segments. As The Power Franchise[R], Fairchild offers the industry's broadest portfolio of components that optimize system power. Fairchild's 9,000 employees design, manufacture and market power, analog & mixed signal, interface, logic, and optoelectronics products. Please contact us on the web at www.fairchildsemi.com.