Integrated Circuits: March 1, 1996

V.35 transceiver IC saves power. Fully compliant with the CCITT V.35 specification, the LTC1346A 10-Mbps transceiver consumes 400 mW, less than half that of other V.35 devices. In shutdown mode, the supply current is 0.2 µA, and the driver outputs are forced to high impedance, enabling data-line sharing. The single-chip transceiver provides all V.35 differential clock and data signals using 5 and -5V supplies and can be software-configured as either a DTE or DCE device. Housed in a 24-pin surface-mount package, the commercial version costs $6.75 (1000). Linear Technology Corp, Milpitas, CA. (408) 432-1900.

Flash-logic device packs on-chip RAM. Joining the Flash-logic family of PLDs, the EPX880 offers 1600 usable gates, 80-MHz performance, and predictable 10-nsec pin-to-pin delay. The device is fabricated with a 0.6-µm electrically erasable CMOS flash process and is fully compatible with the EPROM-based EPX780. The EPX880 includes on-chip RAM and allows in-system programmability. Housed in a 132-pin QFP, the 10-nsec commercial version costs $60 (100). Altera Corp, San Jose, CA. (408) 894-7000.

Clock IC works with Pentium processor. Taking a 14.31818-MHz reference signal as its input, the CY2260 clock-synthesizer and driver chip generates 14 clock outputs for Pentium-based PCs. The device uses a PLL to meet PC jitter requirements, resulting in a jitter specification of [less than or equal to]200 psec. The CY2260 provides four pin-selectable CPU outputs at 66.66, 60, and 50 MHz; six PCI clocks at half the CPU clock frequency; one USB clock at 48 MHz; and three buffered-reference clocks at 14.318 MHz. The device is offered in either a 28-pin SOIC or SSOP, with prices starting at $3.10 (10,000). Cypress Semiconductor, San Jose, CA. (408) 943-2600.

4-Mbit EDO DRAM accesses in 50 nsec. Organized as 256k×16 bits, the KM416C254B extended-data-out (EDO) DRAM has an access time of 50 nsec. The device transfers 2 bytes of data per clock cycle across its 16-bit-wide bus. The EDO architecture provides an added boost by eliminating delays between memory reads. The 4-Mbit part is available in plastic SOJ and TSOP II versions. Samsung Semiconductor Inc, San Jose, CA. (408) 954-7000.

FSRAMs include L2 cache. Two 64k×18-bit synchronous fast static RAMs (FSRAMs), the MCM69P618 pipelined FSRAM and the MCM69F618 flow-through device, provide a burstable L2 cache for systems using 68K, PowerPC, 486, and Pentium processors. Each of the BurstRAMs operate from a 3.3V supply and fit input registers, a 2-bit address counter, and very high-speed SRAM onto a single monolithic circuit. The pipelined device also includes an output register for address streaming and offers access times of 5, 6, and 7 nsec. The flow-through device has access times of 9, 10, and 12 nsec. Both devices come in TQFPs and cost $50 (1000). Motorola Microprocessor and Memory Technologies Group, Austin, TX. (512) 993-7726.

Chip decompresses MPEG audio streams. The CS4921, a single-chip MPEG audio subsystem, provides CD-quality audio for desktop, notebook, and embedded multimedia computer applications. The device, which supports all MPEG sample and bit rates, decompresses mono, dual-mono, stereo, and joint-stereo digital-audio streams. Equipped with an MPEG audio processor, supplementary analog and digital building blocks, and a 768-byte FIFO buffer, the CS4921 requires no external program memory and provides audio self-synchronization. Housed in a 44-pin PLCC, the device costs $13.10 (10,000). Crystal Semiconductor Corp, Austin, TX. (512) 422-7555.

DSP-based chip set controls synchronous motors. A family of motion-control chips mates an ADMC20x motion-control coprocessor with an ADSP-21xx DSP for digital control of ac induction and permanent-magnet synchronous motors. The 16-bit fixed-point DSP executes control algorithms. The coprocessor, with an 11-bit sampling ADC, performs signal interfacing, conditioning, and conversion. Devices in the ADMC21xx-series chip set operate from a 5V supply over a temperature range of -40 to +85°C. Prices start at $25.93 (10,000). Analog Devices Inc, Wilmington, MA. (617) 937-1428.

2-MHz half-bridge driver withstands 100V. A half-bridge driver IC with a breakdown voltage of 100V lets 48V input dc/dc converters run at switching frequencies of up to 2 MHz. The HIP2100 enables faster switching rates and also reduces the size of power magnetics. Compared with 500-kHz pulse-transformer half-bridge drivers, the HIP2100 provides a 3.5 to 7× smaller footprint. The driver has a maximum propagation delay of 35 nsec (turn-on or turn-off). Housed in an 8-lead SOIC, the HIP2100 costs $1.80 (1000). Harris Semiconductor, Melbourne, FL. (800) 442-7747, ext 7426.

Logic devices operate from 3V supply. The low-voltage-quiet (LVQ) CMOS family consists of two logic gates, one MSI function, and three octal functions, all of which are designed for systems in which 5V tolerance is not required. The devices' low static-supply current of just 10 µA reduces system power requirements, making them useful for notebook and laptop computers. All parts are specified for operation from a 2.7 to 3.6V supply. Packaging options include SOIC, SSOP, and TSSOP configurations. Prices range from $0.24 (quad two-input NAND gate) to $0.72 (transceiver) per 1000 units. Motorola Semiconductor Products Sector, Phoenix, AZ. (602) 244-4556.

Chip cuts LCD backlighting costs. The ML4878 reduces the number of components needed to produce the high ac voltage (up to 2000V) that drives fluorescent tubes used for backlighting LCD screens. The chip also extends battery life by up to 30 minutes through the use of a differential drive technique that minimizes parasitic leakage, thereby allowing more power to go through the fluorescent tube to produce light. Unlike other backlight chips that change lamp brightness by changing the frequency of operation, the ML4878 keeps its frequency fixed and changes the duty cycle of its waveform. The device comes in a 14-pin SSOP and costs $3.95 (1000). Micro Linear Corp, San Jose, CA. (408) 433-5200.

Ethernet controller has on-chip memory. In addition to 16 kbytes of on-chip SRAM, the GM82C910 Ethernet controller integrates an ISA bus interface and a 10Base-T transceiver in a 100-pin QFP. The CMOS controller meets the IEEE 802.3 protocol and also contains all the core-control logic and interface modules required for designing Ethernet-ready PC motherboards and 16-bit ISA-based daughterboards. The device costs about $7 (10,000). LG Semicon America, San Jose, CA. (408) 432-5000.

Controller IC provides plug-and-play capability. Fully compliant with the Plug and Play V1.0a specification, the MB86703 single-chip controller can be configured in a variety of modes to manage up to four logical devices. Intended for ISA bus add-in cards, the chip connects to an external serial EEPROM that stores information about the card's resource requirements, along with default parameters and user-defined data, such as Ethernet identification. The PQFP controller accepts four interrupts and four I/O-mapped chip selects. Prices start at $4.70 (10,000). Fujitsu Microelectronics Inc, San Jose, CA. (408) 922-9000.

Three-wire EEPROMs offer wide operating voltage range. With the addition of six 8- and 16-kbit serial EEPROMs, the 93LC three-wire family offers memory capacities ranging from 1 to 16 kbits and covering three operating voltage ranges. The 93AA76 (8-kbit) and 93AA86 (16-kbit) provide full write capability from 1.8 to 6.0V. The 93LC76 and 93LC86 offer similar densities and operate from 2.5 to 6.0V. The 93C76 and 93C86, which function over an extended temperature range, operate from 4.5 to 5.5V. Hardware write protection is standard and is implemented with the program enable pin. The devices come in 8-pin DIPs and SOICs, with prices starting at $0.95 and $1.32 for the 8- and 16-kbit versions, respectively (10,000). Microchip Technology Inc, Chandler, AZ. (602) 786-7200.

Macrocell device has 7.5-nsec fixed timing. Joining the Performance Plus family, the MACH221-7 is a 96-macrocell device with a guaranteed fixed timing of 7.5 nsec, allowing the device to run at frequencies of up to 95 MHz. The part also offers a low-power programmable mode, in which speed-critical paths run at maximum frequency, while the rest of the paths operate in low-power mode. The MACH221-7, which is PCI-compliant and operates over a temperature range of -40 to +85°C, costs $26 (1000). Advanced Micro Devices Inc, Sunnyvale, CA. (408) 737-2400.

Voltage-regulator ICs suit low-power applications. Offered in both TO-92 and SOT-223 packages, the ZR78L series of voltage regulators provides a quiescent current of 350 µA. The devices have a load current of 200 mA and operate over a temperature range of -55 to +125°C. Incorporating internal current limiting and thermal- shutdown functions, the regulators cost $0.24 (10,000). Zetex Inc, Commack, NY. (516) 543-7100.

16-bit DAC repackaged for surface mounting. In addition to a 32-pin DIP, the SPT5216 16-bit DAC is now offered in a 44-lead ceramic-quad surface-mount package specified for operation over the commercial temperature range of 0 to 70°C. The device boasts a settling time of only 150 nsec and comes with a band-gap reference and precision application resistors. Surface-mount versions cost $58.50 (1000). Signal Processing Technologies Inc, Colorado Springs, CO. (719) 528-2300.