Intersil's New Three-Phase PWM Controller IC Offers Best-in-Class Performance for CPU Core Power on VR 10.X Platforms.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

Intel Developer Forum Spring 2004

MILPITAS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 16, 2004

Intersil Corporation (Nasdaq:ISIL)

-- 3-Phase Controller Brings High Integration, High Precision and

Lowest Overall Solution Cost

-- 5 X 5 mm Near-Chip-Scale Package Offers Small Footprint and

High Thermal Efficiency

-- ICs Offer Choice of Cost-Saving Current Sensing Schemes

Intersil Corporation (Nasdaq:ISIL), a world leader in the design and manufacture of high performance analog solutions, today announced the new Endura(TM) ISL6565 three-phase synchronous-buck PWM controller IC targeted to power Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 processors on VR 10.X platforms. The ISL6565 offers higher integration, lower overall solution cost, both popular current sensing topologies, and the precision voltage control that is required for next-generation VR 10.X platforms to ensure stable upset-free operation of the CPU. This precision is partly attributed to the ISL6565's on-chip current sense temperature compensation, 0.5% system voltage accuracy, remote voltage sensing, Intersil's Dynamic VID(R) technology and voltage offset control.

A and B versions of these ICs offer designers the choice of either RDS(ON) current sensing (ISL6565A) or inductor DC resistance (DCR) current sensing (ISL6565B). These cost- and space-saving methods of current sensing make it possible to meet VR 10.X platform specifications for accurate load line programming, sometimes referred to as output voltage droop. Additionally, current sensing is used for phase-to-phase balancing and over-current protection. To help ensure the accuracy of droop, programmable internal temperature compensation is provided to compensate for the effect that changes in temperature have on the lower MOSFET's RDS(ON) and output inductor DCR current sense elements.

A unity-gain differential amplifier is provided for remote voltage sensing, which provides the advantage of avoiding any voltage potential difference between remote and local grounds that would otherwise introduce error and degrade voltage accuracy. The precision threshold-sensitive enable input is available to accurately coordinate the start up of the ISL6565A and ISL6565B with Intersil's MOSFET driver ICs. Intersil's Dynamic-VID(R) technology allows seamless on-the-fly voltage changes utilizing the voltage identification (VID) bus. The offset pin allows accurate voltage offset settings that are independent of VID bus setting.

The high 1.5-MHz maximum per-phase switching frequency of the ISL6565 ensures very low high-frequency ripple voltage that is easily filtered using smaller inductors and fewer than usual capacitors. This saves space and cost.

The ISL6565A & B are offered in the near-chip-scale 28-pad 5 X 5 mm quad flat no-lead (QFN) and the 28-lead TSSOP packages. The QFN package provides enhanced thermal efficiency by transferring heat directly to the printed circuit board via a copper land on the ICs underbelly and the perimeter contact pads. The ISL6565 can run three phases at maximum switching frequency without the need for additional and costly heat sinking.

ISL6565 Technical Summary

-- 2 or 3 phase power conversion

-- Precision VR 10.X core voltage regulation

-- Differential remote voltage sensing

-- +/-0.5% system accuracy over temperature and life

-- Adjustable reference-voltage offset

-- Precision RDS(ON) or DCR current sensing

-- Cost-saving and lossless

-- Integrated programmable temperature compensation

-- Accurate load-line programming

-- Accurate channel-current balancing

-- Input Voltage: 12-V or 5-V bias

-- Microprocessor voltage identification input

-- Dynamic VID(R) technology

-- 6-Bit VID input, 0.8375 V to 1.600 V in 12.5-mV steps

-- Threshold enable function for precision sequencing

-- Over-current protection and over-voltage protection

-- Digital soft start

-- Operation frequency up to 1.5 MHz per phase

-- Package options: 28-lead SOIC, 28-lead TSSOP, 28-pad 5 X 5 mm

QFN

ISL6565 Pricing and Availability

The ISL6565 is available now. The suggested resale price in 100- to 999-unit quantities is $2.15 for each IC.

Additional information on these and other high-performance power solutions can be obtained online from Intersil's Power Web site at: http://www.intersil.com/power/

Interested persons are invited to discuss their power needs with our marketing staff at the Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco, February 17-19, and at APEC 2004 in Anaheim, February 23-26. Contact Mark E. Hazen for briefings.

About Intersil

Intersil Corporation is a leader in the design and manufacture of high performance analog semiconductors. The company's products address three of the industry's fastest growing markets - flat panel displays, optical storage (CD and DVD recordable) and power management. Intersil products include power management devices for battery management, hot-swap and hot-plug controllers, linear regulators, supervisory ICs, switching DC-DC regulators and power MOSFET drivers; optical storage laser diode drivers; DSL line drivers; video and high performance operational amplifiers; data converters; interface ICs; analog switches and multiplexers; crosspoint switches; voice-over-IP devices; and ICs for military, space and rad-hard applications. For more information about Intersil or to find out how to become a member of our winning team, visit the company's web site and career page at: http://www.intersil.com

This release may include "forward looking statements" that are subject to risks and uncertainties. For information identifying economic, political, climatic, currency, regulatory, technological, competitive and some other important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward looking statements, see Intersil's Safe Harbor Forward Looking Statement disclaimer found at http://www.intersil.com/legal.asp, as well as Intersil's SEC filings as updated from time to time, found at http://www.sec.gov.

Endura is a trademark of Intersil Americas Inc.

Dynamic VID is a registered trademark of Intersil Americas Inc.

Intel and Pentium are registered trademarks of Intel Corporation.

All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners.