Siliconix Announces New Multi-Output, Sequence-Selectable Power-Supply Controllers Convert Power Efficiently in Mobile and Fixed Telecom and Computing Systems.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 9, 2002

Siliconix incorporated (Nasdaq: SILI), an 80.4 percent-owned subsidiary of Vishay Intertechnology (NYSE: VSH), Wednesday announced the release of two new multi-output power-supply controllers intended for communication and computing applications.

With up to 95 percent conversion efficiency achieved with synchronous rectification, the new low-noise PWM controllers will prolong battery life while reducing the number of external components required for a complete dc-to-dc solution.

The highly efficient Si9137 and Si9138 feature fixed 3.3-V and 5-V outputs and a 500-mA adjustable 5-V to 12-V output set by an external resistor divider. Additional features include a 3.3-V reference for precision analog circuits, a 5-V/30-mA linear regulator output for MOSFET gate voltage control, and output current limit and over/under voltage protection.

To minimize power consumption, the Si9137 and Si9138 operate in power-saving pulse skipping mode (PSM) at light loads. Operational frequency is fixed at a low-noise 300 kHz, and output voltage regulation is +/-3 percent over the combined line voltage, load current, and temperature extremes.

A wide input voltage range of 5.5 V to 30 V gives designers a flexible power conversion solution requiring minimal external control components.

The Si9137 provides a programmable output sequencing feature especially suited for network equipment, fixed telecom, and distributed power conversion applications. Individual ON/OFF control for its 3.3-V and 5-V outputs makes the Si9138 ideal for mobile power-supply applications, including notebook and subnotebook computers, PDAs, mobile communicators, and portable displays.

With either device, just three inductors are needed for a complete 75-W power conversion solution, eliminating the need for a transformer.

The Si9137 and Si9138 are packaged in the 28-pin SSOP and specified to operate over the extended commercial temperature range of 0 degrees Celsius to 90 degrees Celsius.

Siliconix, a company of Vishay Intertechnology Inc., is a leading manufacturer of power MOSFETs, power ICs and analog switches for computers, cell phones, fixed communications networks, automobiles and other electronic systems.

With 2000 worldwide sales of $473 million, the company's facilities include Class 1, 6-inch wafer fabs dedicated to the manufacture of power products in Santa Clara and Itzehoe, Germany. Power products are also manufactured by a subcontractor in Japan. Analog switches, analog multiplexers and low-power transistors are fabricated by subcontractors in Dresden, Germany and in Beijing, China.

Assembly and test facilities include a company-owned facility in Taiwan, a joint venture in Shanghai, China and subcontractors in the Philippines, China and the United States.

Vishay, a Fortune 1000 company with year 2000 sales of $2.5 billion, is the largest U.S. and European manufacturer of passive electronic components (resistors, capacitors, inductors). Vishay is the No. 2 manufacturer of discrete semiconductors worldwide and the No. 1 manufacturer of diodes and rectifiers worldwide.

Vishay is also the world's largest manufacturer of infrared data communication devices (IRDCs) and has a leading position in power and analog switching circuits. The company's components can be found in products manufactured in a very broad range of industries worldwide.

With headquarters in Malvern, Penn., Vishay employs over 20,000 people in over 70 plants in the United States, 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.