New Buck or Boost Controller IC, High-Voltage PWM Controller IC, and Power MOSFETs from Siliconix, an 80.4% Subsidiary of Vishay.

Business Editors/High-tech Writers

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 7, 2000

Siliconix Incorporated (Nasdaq NMS:SILI), an 80.4%-owned subsidiary of Vishay Intertechnology, Inc. (NYSE:VSH), has released a buck or boost controller IC, a high-voltage PWM controller IC, and LITTLE FOOT(R) power MOSFETs.

The new controller IC for buck or boost converters in mobile phones, wireless modems, notebook and palmtop computers, and other systems powered by dual lithium ion cells is the Vishay Siliconix Si9168BQ. It can be used to step down or step up input voltages, allowing manufacturers to rely on a single IC for both types of applications. Prolonging talk times and run times in the end products where it is used, it offers one of the highest operating efficiencies of any such solution on the market: typically in the 95% range under full load, and in the 80% range for light-load conditions. When used in a buck configuration, the Si9168BQ converts input voltages between 5 V and 10 V to an output voltage as low as 1.3 V. Used in a boost configuration, the Si9168 boosts input voltages as low as 5 V to as high as 12.6 V.

The new high-voltage PWM controller IC simplifies transformer design and reduces the need for external components. The Vishay Siliconix Si9113DY provides multiple output dc-to-dc conversion for ISDN applications while meeting CCITT and ETR-080 requirements. Intended for systems requiring as much as 10 W of power, it will be used in power supplies for feature phones, PBX systems, modems, NT1 and NT1+ equipment, subscriber line interface circuits, and dc-to-dc conversion modules. Packaged in a 14-pin SOIC, it allows designers to implement a single-switch PWM circuit with a minimum of external parts. A wide input voltage range, from 23.5 V to 200 V, eliminates the need for an external start-up circuit. A dedicated internal comparator enables very accurate programmable start and stop input voltage thresholds, as required by various telecom standards.

The new LITTLE FOOT power MOSFETs include the Vishay Siliconix Si3420DV (TSOP-6 package) and Si2320DS (SOT-23 package). The 200-V devices are optimized for dc-to-dc power conversion applications in ISDN terminals, commercial phone sets, line cards, and other low power communication devices, where their reduced gate charge characteristics and low on-resistance ensure efficient handling of standard -48-V telecom voltages. The on-resistance for the TSOP-6 device is 3.7 ohms at a 10-V gate drive with typical gate charge of just 2.2 nC. Comparable specifications for the SOT-23 device are 7 ohms on-resistance and 1.1 nC. The TSOP-6 Si3420DV handles up to 0.5 A, while the Si2320DS handles up to 0.28 A. An additional 200-V device in the TSOP-6 is the Si3422DV. Ideal for highly cost-sensitive designs, it features on-resistance of 5 ohms and typical gate charge of 2.1 nC.

Siliconix (Nasdaq NMS:SILI) is a leading manufacturer of power MOSFETs, power ICs and analog signal processing devices for computers, cell phones, fixed communications networks, automobiles and other electronic systems. The Company utilizes Class 1, six-inch wafer fabs dedicated to the manufacture of power products in Santa Clara, California and Itzehoe, Germany. Analog switches and multiplexers are fabricated by a subcontractor in Dresden, Germany, and small-signal transistors are manufactured by a subcontractor in Beijing, China. Assembly and test facilities include a Company-owned facility in Taiwan, a facility in Shanghai, China, and subcontractors in the Philippines, China and the United States.

Vishay Intertechnology, Inc. (NYSE:VSH), a Fortune 1,000 Company with an annual sales rate of $2.2 billion, is the largest U.S. and European manufacturer of passive electronic components (resistors, capacitors, inductors) and a major producer of discrete semiconductors (diodes, optoelectronics, transistors), IrDCs (infrared communication devices), and power and analog switching integrated circuits. The Company's components are vital to electronic operations and can be found in products manufactured in a very broad range of industries worldwide. With headquarters in Malvern, Pennsylvania, Vishay employs over 20,000 people in more than 60 plants in the U.S., Mexico, Germany, Austria, the United Kingdom, France, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Israel, Taiwan, China and the Philippines. Vishay can be found on the Internet at http://www.vishay.com.