SiGe Semiconductor’s New Silicon Design Platform Enables the World's Lowest Power and Most Int

Added: (Mon Nov 05 2001)

Pressbox (Press Release) - Proven technology optimises designs for DOCSIS cable telephony equipment, cable modems and digital set-top boxes that support services such as Voice over Internet Protocol and Video on Demand

Ottawa, Ontario, 5 November 2001 – SiGe Semiconductor today announced StreamChargerÔ, a silicon platform that enables the world’s lowest power, most integrated downstream tuners for DOCSIS (Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification) cable telephony equipment, cable modems and digital set-top boxes.

Based on advanced silicon germanium process technology, the StreamCharger silicon platform cuts power consumption by 50 percent compared to currently available solutions, and shrinks the bill of materials for a typical tuner module from 300 to less than 30 components. The technology also delivers superior RF performance over a wide temperature range to ensure reliable transmission of 256-QAM digital formats. This optimises the use of bandwidth into the home, increasing reliability of new “Always-On” interactive services including Video on Demand (VoD) and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP).

The StreamCharger silicon platform has been proven through the development of a tuner IC for outdoor cable telephony equipment, which is currently sampling to SiGe’s lead customer. The technology forms the base for SiGe’s emerging family of standard tuner products, including DOCSIS indoor cable modems, DOCSIS outdoor customer premise equipment (CPE), and cable and terrestrial wireless digital set-top boxes. Scheduled for launch in early 2002, these tuners are very competitively positioned through best-in-class performance, attractive pricing, and availability.

“The first product based on StreamCharger was designed in concert with our lead customer and major broadband service providers to ensure a solution that addresses the critical equipment requirements,” said Cormac O’Connell, vice president, broadband cable, SiGe Semiconductor. “The innovative use of our silicon germanium process technology has enabled breakthroughs in integration with superior performance that will secure us a leading position among broadband tuner providers with our first entry into this market.”

The market for digital tuner ICs is projected by iSuppli Corp to grow approximately 175 percent annually during the next 4 years, representing a US $211 million opportunity by 2005. SiGe Semiconductor attributes this growth in part to the acceptance of broadband cable access in favour of DSL (Digital Subscriber Line), FTTH (Fibre to the Home), and LMDS (Local Point Multi-Distribution Systems). Cable and wireless multi-service operators (MSOs) are now entering a market traditionally served by telecommunications companies. This means new challenges for equipment and semiconductor vendors to optimise performance, power consumption and cost, which are integral to the profitable deployment of new bundled services.

Highly integrated architecture reduces bill of materials, eases manufacturing
StreamCharger offers a highly linear architecture that integrates all of the major components in the RF receive chain, including the low noise amplifier, mixer, IF amplifiers, crystal oscillators, phased locked loops, and IC interfaces. The architecture serves as a complete end-to-end solution between the diplexer and the baseband, and is optimised to interface with and directly drive all major baseband processors and demodulator. This eliminates the requirement for matching and intermediate amplifiers, thereby minimizing the bill of materials, manufacturing and inventory to substantially lower the cost of broadband hardware. The highly integrated architecture reduces the number of components typically required in a front-end module from 300 to less than 30.

Lowest power consumption critical for indoor and outdoor broadband equipment
The StreamCharger silicon platform enables tuner IC solutions with 50 percent less power consumption than other tuners on the market. The technology consumes 500mW of power, operates on a single-supply voltage of 3.3V, and incorporates programmable multiple power down modes.

Minimising power consumption is critical for both indoor and outdoor broadband access equipment. For indoor units, such as cable modems and set-top boxes, which often contain multiple tuners, excess heat degrades performance and reliability, which increases provider costs associated with equipment repairs and returns. StreamCharger’s low power consumption and extended indoor temperature range solves this challenge, and reduces the need for larger boxes or expensive fans for heat dissipation.

For outdoor equipment, low power is essential to the remote powering infrastructure for lifeline telephony services. Most MSOs specify a power budget between three and four Watts. StreamCharger enables tuners that account for less than 15 percent of the total power budget. This is substantially lower than most tuners today, which have power consumption of 1-1.9 W, consuming approximately 25-50 percent of the power budget.

Highest RF performance enhances reliability of bundled services
StreamCharger has superior RF performance with industry leading noise figure, phase noise and distortion specifications. Able to support both analogue and digital signals plus 256-QAM digital formats, StreamCharger enhances the capacity and use of bandwidth into the home, increasing the reliability of interactive, simultaneous data streams that are required for emerging bundled applications.

Extreme temperature range variants, operating over –40 to +85 degrees Celsius, will provide StreamCharger’s superior RF performance for rugged outdoor applications.

About SiGe Semiconductor Inc.
SiGe Semiconductor is leading the development of radio frequency and mixed-signal integrated circuits for next-generation broadband cable and wireless devices. Using advanced silicon germanium technology, the company delivers high-performance, low-power and low-cost cable tuners and power amplifiers to customers designing system-level products for cable and terrestrial access, Bluetooth, 802.11a and 802.11b markets. For more information, please visit: www.sige.com.

- ends -

SiGe Semiconductor Contact:
Bev Chartrand, Marketing Communications, SiGe Semiconductor Inc.
Tel: +1 613 820 9244 ext. 290, Email: mailto:bev_chartrand@sige.com


For more information contact:
Bev Chartrand, Marketing Communications
SiGe Semiconductor
Tel: +1 613 820 9244 ext. 290
Email: mailto:bev_chartrand@sige.com

Allan Edwards
Neesham Public Relations
Tel: +44 (0) 1442 879222
Email: mailto:allane@neesham.co.uk



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Proven technology optimises designs for DOCSIS cable telephony equipment, cable modems and digital set-top boxes that support services such as Voice over Internet Protocol and Video on Demand

Ottawa, Ontario, 5 November 2001 – SiGe Semiconductor today announced StreamChargerÔ, a silicon platform that enables the world’s lowest power, most integrated downstream tuners for DOCSIS (Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification) cable telephony equipment, cable modems and digital set-top boxes.

Based on advanced silicon germanium process technology, the StreamCharger silicon platform cuts power consumption by 50 percent compared to currently available solutions, and shrinks the bill of materials for a typical tuner module from 300 to less than 30 components. The technology also delivers superior RF performance over a wide temperature range to ensure reliable transmission of 256-QAM digital formats. This optimises the use of bandwidth into the home, increasing reliability of new “Always-On” interactive services including Video on Demand (VoD) and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP).

The StreamCharger silicon platform has been proven through the development of a tuner IC for outdoor cable telephony equipment, which is currently sampling to SiGe’s lead customer. The technology forms the base for SiGe’s emerging family of standard tuner products, including DOCSIS indoor cable modems, DOCSIS outdoor customer premise equipment (CPE), and cable and terrestrial wireless digital set-top boxes. Scheduled for launch in early 2002, these tuners are very competitively positioned through best-in-class performance, attractive pricing, and availability.

“The first product based on StreamCharger was designed in concert with our lead customer and major broadband service providers to ensure a solution that addresses the critical equipment requirements,” said Cormac O’Connell, vice president, broadband cable, SiGe Semiconductor. “The innovative use of our silicon germanium process technology has enabled breakthroughs in integration with superior performance that will secure us a leading position among broadband tuner providers with our first entry into this market.”

The market for digital tuner ICs is projected by iSuppli Corp to grow approximately 175 percent annually during the next 4 years, representing a US $211 million opportunity by 2005. SiGe Semiconductor attributes this growth in part to the acceptance of broadband cable access in favour of DSL (Digital Subscriber Line), FTTH (Fibre to the Home), and LMDS (Local Point Multi-Distribution Systems). Cable and wireless multi-service operators (MSOs) are now entering a market traditionally served by telecommunications companies. This means new challenges for equipment and semiconductor vendors to optimise performance, power consumption and cost, which are integral to the profitable deployment of new bundled services.

Highly integrated architecture reduces bill of materials, eases manufacturing
StreamCharger offers a highly linear architecture that integrates all of the major components in the RF receive chain, including the low noise amplifier, mixer, IF amplifiers, crystal oscillators, phased locked loops, and IC interfaces. The architecture serves as a complete end-to-end solution between the diplexer and the baseband, and is optimised to interface with and directly drive all major baseband processors and demodulator. This eliminates the requirement for matching and intermediate amplifiers, thereby minimizing the bill of materials, manufacturing and inventory to substantially lower the cost of broadband hardware. The highly integrated architecture reduces the number of components typically required in a front-end module from 300 to less than 30.

Lowest power consumption critical for indoor and outdoor broadband equipment
The StreamCharger silicon platform enables tuner IC solutions with 50 percent less power consumption than other tuners on the market. The technology consumes 500mW of power, operates on a single-supply voltage of 3.3V, and incorporates programmable multiple power down modes.

Minimising power consumption is critical for both indoor and outdoor broadband access equipment. For indoor units, such as cable modems and set-top boxes, which often contain multiple tuners, excess heat degrades performance and reliability, which increases provider costs associated with equipment repairs and returns. StreamCharger’s low power consumption and extended indoor temperature range solves this challenge, and reduces the need for larger boxes or expensive fans for heat dissipation.

For outdoor equipment, low power is essential to the remote powering infrastructure for lifeline telephony services. Most MSOs specify a power budget between three and four Watts. StreamCharger enables tuners that account for less than 15 percent of the total power budget. This is substantially lower than most tuners today, which have power consumption of 1-1.9 W, consuming approximately 25-50 percent of the power budget.

Highest RF performance enhances reliability of bundled services
StreamCharger has superior RF performance with industry leading noise figure, phase noise and distortion specifications. Able to support both analogue and digital signals plus 256-QAM digital formats, StreamCharger enhances the capacity and use of bandwidth into the home, increasing the reliability of interactive, simultaneous data streams that are required for emerging bundled applications.

Extreme temperature range variants, operating over –40 to +85 degrees Celsius, will provide StreamCharger’s superior RF performance for rugged outdoor applications.

About SiGe Semiconductor Inc.
SiGe Semiconductor is leading the development of radio frequency and mixed-signal integrated circuits for next-generation broadband cable and wireless devices. Using advanced silicon germanium technology, the company delivers high-performance, low-power and low-cost cable tuners and power amplifiers to customers designing system-level products for cable and terrestrial access, Bluetooth, 802.11a and 802.11b markets. For more information, please visit: www.sige.com.

- ends -

SiGe Semiconductor Contact:
Bev Chartrand, Marketing Communications, SiGe Semiconductor Inc.
Tel: +1 613 820 9244 ext. 290, Email: mailto:bev_chartrand@sige.com


For more information contact:
Bev Chartrand, Marketing Communications
SiGe Semiconductor
Tel: +1 613 820 9244 ext. 290
Email: mailto:bev_chartrand@sige.com

Allan Edwards
Neesham Public Relations
Tel: +44 (0) 1442 879222
Email: mailto:allane@neesham.co.uk