CONTENTS August 2007
 
Cover Story 
Taking a bite out of power: techniques for low-power-ASIC design
By Michael Santarini, Senior Editor, EDN
Even if you are designing an ASIC or SOC that doesn’t target a low-power application, you need to become familiar with low-power-design techniques, because the newest generation of silicon-process technologies inherently leaks power.
 
Design Feature 
PCI Express prompts quiet evolution
By Richard A Quinnell, Contributing Technical Editor, EDN
The PC’s next-generation internal peripheral bus has been quietly overturning both the PC and the embedded-computing industries with its performance and expansion potential.
Extreme low-power design
By Dean Andersen, St Jude Medical
Modern implantable medical devices, such as pacemakers and cardioverter defibrillators, use aggressive power-management techniques to reduce SOC power.
 
Special Report 
Technology and lateral thinking
By Bruno Murari, Scientific Advisor, STMicroelectronics
Silicon is no longer used just for its electrical characteristics. The most innovative ICs integrate electronic, mechanical, fluid dynamic and other functions. Designers must have a sound multidisciplinary background and use their creativity and lateral thinking. Europe has all the necessary requirements to take on a leading role.
 
Pulse 
TI’s highest-performance dual and quad ADC family
Zetex' self protecting MOSFETs add diagnostics
Micropower comparator with 400mV reference brings precision to low voltage designs
16-bit microcontrollers with 64Kbytes of Flash in 28-pin packages
“Industry's first” PECI-to-I2C/SMBus translators
Wraptor wire ID printer applicator
Renesas Technology and ZMD to collaborate on 900MHz band ZigBee chipset
Thin core flip chip package provides 199 micron via-to-via core pitch
Total power device solutions for low-noise LCD TV power designs
Harris Chooses Altera Stratix II GX FPGAs for multi-format broadcast router line
Synopsys Design Compiler 2007 boosts designer productivity and IC performance
Companies develop advanced video development platform
Ramtron intros +125C automotive FRAM
Self-contained amplifier for high-end portable audio products
World’s first single-package FXO solution
 
EDN Asia.Comment 
Ushering in 45nm
by Kirtimaya Varma
 
Interview 
“I envisage a merger among the top five memory makers”
By Kirtimaya Varma
 
Design Ideas 
Microcontroller functions as voltmeter
By Noureddine Benabadji, University of Sciences and Technology, Oran, Algeria
Amplifier cancels common-mode voltage
By W Stephen Woodward, Chapel HIll, NC
Photodiode amplifier exhibits one-third the output noise f conventional transimpedance amp
Glen Brisebois, Linear Technology Corp, Milpitas, CA
 
New Products 
Comprehensive support for ARM Cortex-M1 processor for FPGAs
EMC adopts Mentor’s analog/mixed-signal IC design flow
First parallel fast-SPICE simulator
Synthesis support for Xilinx Spartan-DSP series
Optimal Corp. SiP analysis suite: Vendor adds features to suite
Ciranova releases Pycell Studio V4.0
Synopsys launches Liberty NCX characterization solution
Automated solution for logic designers
High power density 2A battery charger requires less PCB space
Custom battery pack for military/aerospace market
Tiny 350W power supply with flexible mechanical architecture
AC-DC front-end power supplies
Battery charger for Lithium-based battery cells
High power lithium battery for military/aerospace applications
Configurable power supply
Low profile 900W power supply
Single-chip solution drives GPS into mainstream mobile phones
Pickering Interfaces intros PXI solid state multiplexers
Dual-channel ADC provides front-end processing
8-diode ESD protection array in compact LLP1713 package
Optimized AVR Flash MCUs for USB full-speed peripherals
Serial EEPROM families tiny 2 x 3mm MLP8 packages
Highly integrated switching solution for video apps
Boost converter enables solar innovation in portable electronics
First LVDS buffers with equalization and pre-emphasis for signal integrity
Low-cost Spartan DSP series
Single-axis DC servo motor controller
Highly integrated digital transistors in tiny packaging for portables
Four-channel LDD for driving LEDs directly from battery
Diode-OR Controller provides fault monitoring for high availability systems
Transceivers for high-density metro telecom equipment
GSM/GPRS PA module for dual-band handsets
Power analyzers for Energy Star testing
AWG5000 for testing mixed signal devices
Auto-Test software increases speed, accuracy of radio testing
WiMAX manufacturing test software for Beceem's mobile WiMAX chipsets
16-bit A/D transient recorder PCI cards with differential input termination
R&S FSH family of handheld spectrum analyzers expanded
Radio test set adds distance-to-fault and graphical VSWR tests
NI improves instrument control with LabVIEW SignalExpress
 
Power Supplement 
Powering up digital
by Kirtimaya Varma
Motion control semiconductors are key to efficient appliance designs
By Aengus Murray, Director of iMOTION Products, International Rectifier
Digital Power: Where’s the Money?
By Jeremiah P. Bryant
Digital control begins expansion
By Linnea Brush
Advances in microcontroller peripherals facilitate current-mode for digital power supplies
By Keith Curtis, Microchip Technology Inc.
New Chips: Enabling digital solutions
By Richard Ruiz Jr
 
Prying Eyes 
Hybrids mark the end of the stinky city bus
By Margery Conner, Technical Editor
KNOWLEDGE CENTER
Panasonic Key Devices Guide 2008 :
 
Fairchild Semiconductor :
 
Texas Instruments: DaVinci™ Technology
 
Texas Instruments: Safe Bet Series
 
 
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