Hitachi and TRW Join Forces to Develop Indium Phosphide Power Amplifier Modules for 3G Wireless Telecommunications.Business Editors REDONDO BEACH Redondo Beach (rĭdŏn`dō), city (1990 pop. 60,167), Los Angeles co., S Calif., on the Pacific Ocean; inc. 1892. Once a commercial port for Los Angeles, it is a residential and resort city with a protected harbor and an excellent marina. , Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 22, 2001; TOKYO, Japan May 23, 2001-- Industry Leaders Partner to Develop Next-Generation Power Amplifier Power amplifier The final stage in multistage amplifiers, such as audio amplifiers and radio transmitters, designed to deliver appreciable power to the load. Modules for 3G Wireless Handsets Hitachi Ltd. (NYSE NYSE See: New York Stock Exchange :HIT) and TRW's (NYSE:TRW TRW The Real World (TV reality show) TRW The Right Way TRW Tactical Reconnaissance Wing TRW The Retriever Weekly (University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD) TRW Thompson Ramo Wooldridge Inc ) new semiconductor company, Velocium, have signed a joint development agreement to design and develop very high-efficiency power amplifier modules for 3G wireless handsets and other wireless devices. Hitachi, the world leader in power amplifier modules for cell phones, will manufacture the modules using Velocium's technology-leading indium phosphide phosphide Any of a class of chemical compounds in which phosphorous is combined with a metal. Phosphides exhibit a wide variety of chemical and physical properties. Phosphides that are rich in metal have high melting points and are hard, brittle, and chemically inert; these (InP) semiconductors. The new power amplifiers are integral to the development of wideband 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. (W-CDMA See WCDMA. ) handsets for 3G, the next generation of wireless communications wireless communications System using radio-frequency, infrared, microwave, or other types of electromagnetic or acoustic waves in place of wires, cables, or fibre optics to transmit signals or data. enabling Internet access See how to access the Internet. , high-speed data communications and other high-data-rate applications. According to Gartner Dataquest, shipments of wireless handsets will exceed 700 million units by 2005. 3G is estimated to capture nearly 10 percent of these shipments. InP is an advanced compound semiconductor that offers a number of performance improvements over currently available semiconductors for power amplification in mobile handsets. These performance improvements result in excellent power efficiency of more than 50 percent and provide the signal quality improvements needed for W-CDMA applications. Together with Hitachi's module technologies, this will translate to a higher performance, cost-competitive power module. For consumers, this capability means longer talk time and improved service quality. "TRW is extremely pleased to be joining forces with Hitachi, a very successful market leader for handset components, in the development of power amplifier modules for the 3G wireless market," said Dwight Streit, Velocium's president. "Their manufacturing capability, coupled with our advanced InP technology, will enable the volume manufacture of wireless handsets with talk times and performance never before available." "Velocium provides us with InP technology that will enhance the leadership position of the Hitachi power amplifier modules," said Hideo Inayoshi, senior group executive, System Solution Division, Semiconductor & Integrated Circuits Group of Hitachi. "Combining our modules with Velocium's technology will realize high performance and reduce cost." Both companies will participate in the design and development of the modules, contributing existing proprietary designs and developing new designs. The first InP-based power amplifier modules should be available for handset OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) The rebranding of equipment and selling it. The term initially referred to the company that made the products (the "original" manufacturer), but eventually became widely used to refer to the organization that buys the products and sampling early next year. TRW's substantial investments in high-volume InP production and Hitachi's sophisticated module design and manufacturing capability will assure the availability and power amplifier module performance OEMs need for volume production of 3G handset in the second half of 2002. Velocium is located in Manhattan Beach, Calif. TRW Inc. provides advanced technology products and services for the global aerospace, telecommunications, information systems and automotive markets. TRW and Velocium news releases are available on the corporate Web site: http://www.trw.com. Hitachi Ltd., with headquarters in Tokyo, is one of the world's leading global electronics companies, with fiscal 2000 (ended March 31, 2001) consolidated sales of 8,417 billion yen ($67.9 billion(a)). The company manufactures and markets a wide range of products, including computers, semiconductors, consumer products and power and industrial equipment. For more information on Hitachi Ltd., visit Hitachi's Web site at http://global.hitachi.com. (a) At an exchange rate of 124 yen to the dollar. |
|
||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion