Infineon Technologies Announces Short-Range Crystal-Controlled RF Transmitter and Receiver for Remote Control of Low-Cost, Auto/Home Applications.

Business Editors

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 27, 2000

As an alternative to discrete SAW- (Surface Acoustic Wave) based systems for short-range transceiver systems, Infineon Technologies today announced a crystal-controlled RF transmitter and receiver chipset that combines maximum integration, universal applicability, high efficiency and value pricing. The highly integrated RF ICs apply HF PLL (high-frequency, phase-locked loop) principles to achieve a frequency stability that is 10 times better than SAW resonators, and at a lower cost. With improved frequency stability, the design enables the implementation of high-performance receiver/transmitter solutions that are highly interference tolerant.

Targeted for low-powered remote keyless entry (RKE) systems, the new chipset also meets the needs of a growing number of short-range, home-based radio RF applications including security, control, and detection. Industrial applications include alarm systems and lighting control.

&uot;To exploit new opportunities in the highly price-sensitive consumer market, manufacturers are demanding both reliable performance and low cost,&uot; said Joseph Pietrowicz, Infineon's product marketing manager for RF semiconductors. &uot;This target can only be achieved for simple and inexpensive radio subassemblies by designing new, higher levels of integration into ICs, allowing them to work with just a few peripheral components.&uot;

Standard short-range devices are available from Infineon for both the European frequency bands of 868-870 MHz and 433-435 MHz (TDA 5100 transmitter and TDA 5200 receiver). For the U.S. Infineon offers the TDA 5101 and TDA 5201 at 315 and 345 MHz.

The transmitter, a single-chip ASK/FSK (Amplitude Shift Keying/Frequency Shift Keying) device, is crystal controlled with an on-board filter to limit the number of external components. The TDA 5100 transmitter features a fully integrated VCO, a PLL synthesizer, a crystal oscillator with a divided clock output to drive a microcontroller and a power amplifier to drive a loop antenna. With a supply voltage range from 2.1V to 4V, the TDA 5100 is ideally suited for use with a single 3.6V lithium-ion battery.

The receiver, TDA 5200, is a single-chip ASK super heterodyne (SHR) device that contains a low-noise amplifier (LNA) and a double balanced mixer at the front end. An integrated VCO (voltage control oscillator) is included on the IC to provide the local oscillator signal for the mixer. A PLL synthesizer, a crystal oscillator, a limiter with RSSI generator, a data filter, a data comparator and a peak detector are also on the silicon. Power supply is 5V +/- 10 percent with a low supply current of 4.7mA. Both the receiver and the transmitter include a power down mode that limits consumption to 50nA.

Packaging, Price and Availability

The TDA 5100 is available in a standard TSSOP-16 plastic package for PCB mounting and the TDA 5200 is offered in a TSSOP 28-pin plastic package.

In 50K production quantities of the TDA 5100 transmitter is listed at $.85 and the TDA 5200 receiver at $1.50. Sample quantities are also available on request.

About Infineon

Infineon Technologies AG, Munich, Germany offers semiconductor solutions for applications in the wireless and wired communications markets, for the automotive and industrial sectors, for security systems and chip cards as well as memory products. With a global presence, Infineon operates in the US from San Jose, CA, and in the Asia-Pacific region from Singapore. In the fiscal year 1999 (ending September), the company achieved sales of EUR 4.24 billion (US $4.51 billion) with 25,800 employees worldwide. Further information at www.infineon.com.

Infineon Technologies Corporation is the company's North American subsidiary, with headquarters at 1730 North First Street, San Jose, CA 95112. For more information, contact [phone]; [phone].

Infineon and the stylized Infineon Technologies design are trademarks and servicemarks of Siemens AG. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Any statements in this document that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties; actual results may differ from the forward-looking statements. Infineon Technologies AG undertakes no obligation to publicly release the results of any revisions to these forward-looking statements that may be made to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.