Xicor Announces Precision Voltage Reference Technology Breakthrough; Proprietary Floating Gate Analog -- FGA -- Technology Enables Unprecedented Voltage Reference Performance.Business Editors/High-Tech Writers MILPITAS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 22, 2003 Xicor(R), Inc. (Nasdaq:XICO), a leading supplier of high performance analog and mixed-signal integrated circuits A mixed-signal integrated circuit combines analog circuits with digital signal processing (DSP) circuits on a single semiconductor die. An integrated circuit that includes both analog and digital circuitry (but no DSP), like a 555 timer, is generally not considered a mixed-signal , today previewed a new Floating Gate Analog (FGA FGA Field Goals Attempted (basketball statistic) FGA Food Grinder Attachment FGA Fibrinogen, A alpha polypeptide FGA Feature Group A FGA Florida Geographic Alliance FGA Fighter Ground Attack (TM)) technology. FGA(TM) technology is an extension of an existing Xicor proprietary nonvolatile technology that capitalizes on the extraordinary capabilities of thick oxide oxide, chemical compound containing oxygen and one other chemical element. Oxides are widely and abundantly distributed in nature. Water is the oxide of hydrogen. Silicon dioxide is the major component of sand and quartz. Fowler-Nordheim Tunneling tunneling, quantum-mechanical effect by which a particle can penetrate a barrier into a region of space that would be forbidden by ordinary classical mechanics. devices to retain a precision charge level on floating gate devices. The technology is being used for development of a family of ultra low power An ultra low power, or ULP device, is an electronic gadget that has milli- or micro-watt power consumption. Some examples of ultra-low power devices:
Utilizing this technical strength, Xicor achieves overall voltage reference performance far beyond that of existing conventional analog technologies. By storing the reference voltage on a floating gate, Xicor is able to produce precision voltage references that feature exceptional initial accuracy, temperature coefficient The temperature coefficient is the relative change of a physical property when the temperature is changed by 1 K. In the following formula, let R be the physical property to be measured, let T be the temperature of at which the property is measured. and long-term stability The long-term stability of an oscillator, the degree of uniformity of frequency over time, when the frequency is measured under identical environmental conditions, such as supply voltage, load, and temperature. with extremely low supply current. The performance of these products surpasses many of the most accurate voltage references currently available. The initial accuracy is as low as 250 uV ("A" Grade) which demonstrates the ability of the FGA(TM) technology to set the floating gate charge precisely. The impact of temperature variations is as low as 1 ppm/(degree)C ("A" Grade) due to the low temperature coefficient of the FGA(TM) devices. Very low drift over time is a direct result of the extremely low charge loss from the thick oxide floating-gate. Special analog techniques allow circuit operation with only 500 nA supply current and consequently provide an ideal solution for precision and battery powered applications. "Precision voltage references manufactured using conventional approaches such as buried-zener and band-gap devices have difficulty achieving 1 mV initial accuracy and 5 ppm/(degree)C temperature coefficient," commented Davin Lee, Xicor's Vice President of Marketing. "As a result, voltage reference products that exceed this performance are expensive and limited, potentially restricting system performance. Unlike more conventional nonvolatile memory See non-volatile memory. technologies that use thin tunnel oxides, Xicor's proprietary FGA(TM) technology allows larger voltages on the floating-gate and in turn improves the initial accuracy and temperature coefficient and reduces drift over time." The first devices in the voltage reference product line are pin-compatible with industry standard products and feature very high initial accuracy, very low temperature coefficient, excellent long term stability, low noise, excellent line and load regulation and the lowest power consumption currently available (ISUPPLY = 500 nA typical). These voltage references enable advanced applications for precision industrial & portable systems operating at significantly higher accuracy and lower power levels than can be achieved with conventional technologies. Engineering samples are currently available for the X60008CS8-5 ("C" Grade, SO-8 Package) voltage references. Production volumes will be available later in the second quarter. The Company expects additional product introductions throughout the year including the X60003 (SOT-23) along with the X60038 and X60033 products that are targeted at applications requiring fast transient response In electrical engineering and Mechanical Engineering, a transient response or natural response is the response of a system to a change from equilibrium. Specifically, transient response in Mechanical Engineering is the portion of the response that approaches zero after a . A variety of other voltage options down to 0.9000 V will also be available.
SUMMARY of X60008CS8-5 FEATURES
Reference Voltage: 5.000V
Initial Accuracy Options: +/- 250 uV A Grade
+/- 500 uV B Grade
+/- 1000 uV C Grade
+/- 2000 uV D Grade
Temperature 1 ppm/(degree)C A Grade
Coefficient Options: 3 ppm/(degree)C B Grade
5 ppm/(degree)C C Grade
10 ppm/(degree)C D Grade
Power Supply Current: 500 nA
Voltage Noise: 30 uV p-p (0.1 to 10 Hz)
Long Term Stability: 10 ppm/1000hrs
Dropout Voltage: less than 300 mV
Sink/Source Current: +/- 10 mA
Operating Temp Range: -40(degree)C to +85(degree)C
About Xicor Xicor designs, develops and markets high performance analog mixed-signal integrated circuits used in communications, computing computing - computer , networking and industrial applications. Xicor's Mixed-Signal Products include data conversion products, power management integrated circuits Integrated circuits Miniature electronic circuits produced within and upon a single semiconductor crystal, usually silicon. Integrated circuits range in complexity from simple logic circuits and amplifiers, about 1/20 in. (1. , and application specific standard products and interface devices. Xicor's programmable analog mixed-signal components regulate, control, convert and manage various voltages and currents through the use of a serial interface and internal EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM) A rewritable memory chip that holds its content without power. Although EEPROMs spawned flash memory, EEPROMs are byte addressable at the write level, whereas flash chips must erase a block of bytes before rewriting. . Xicor product, corporate and financial information are readily available on the World Wide Web at http://www.xicor.com Safe Harbor Safe Harbor 1. A legal provision to reduce or eliminate liability as long as good faith is demonstrated. 2. A form of shark repellent implemented by a target company acquiring a business that is so poorly regulated that the target itself is less attractive. Statement Except for historical information contained herein, the matters set forth in this press release are forward looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. These risks may include the impact of competing products and pricing, timely design acceptance by our customers, timely ability to ramp new products into volume production, industry wide shifts in supply and demand for semiconductor products, and other risks detailed from time to time in Xicor's SEC filings. "Xicor" is a registered trademark and "XDCP" is a trademark belonging to Xicor Inc. All other trademarks are the properties of their respective owners. |
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