Analog Avenue

SiGe Amp for Cell Phones
Paul O'Shea looks at a silicon-germanium-based (SiGe) power amplifier for cell phones. SiGe hasn't been used in this application before, O'Shea notes, because it wasn't able to meet the industry's ruggedness specification. But this vendor has added circuit protection to prevent very high voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR) problems from occurring and the result is a CDMA version SiGe power amp (soon to be followed by TDMA and PCS versions).

VCXO Clock Generators
Paul O'Shea's product of the week is designed to improve crystal oscillator performance. The VCXO (voltage controlled crystal oscillator) clock generator IC has numerous data transmission applications including handsets, routers, hubs, PCs, telephony and/or cable modems and set-top boxes.

ASIC News

Concurrent Routing and Physical Optimization
Murray Disman has found a system-on-chip design tool that performs routing and physical optimization concurrently within a single product. According to the vendor the new tool is based on the industry's first graph-based routing technology, which they say results in a more than 10x speed-up and capacity improvement over the fastest grid-based routers.

Memory

Flash Memory Controller
Jon Gabay reviews a controller for 1-Gb to 8-Gb flash disk systems. The ATA-5 compliant controller, with its 8.5 Mb/s maximum write speed, is four times faster than previously available, and its random sector read speed of 14 Mb/s (max.) is seven times faster than previous parts.

Networking

Benefits of Virtual Concatenation
A nuts-and-bolts tutorial from Agilent Technologies explains the basics of the SONET equipment running the Virtual Concatenation (VC) and Link Capacity Adjustment Scheme (LCAS) protocols, and shows how they can be used to produce improved transport efficiencies in real-world applications.

Power and Power ICs

First 10-Volt Schottkys
Nasser Kutkut reports on six 10-volt Schottky power rectifiers, the industry's lowest voltage Schottky devices. Kutkut notes that the parts offer less than 0.225V forward drop at 4A, giving designers the ability to further improve circuit efficiencies.

Controlling the Output Voltage of DC-DC Converters
An applications note from Vishay Siliconix discusses means to vary the output voltage in PWM controlled DC-DC converters using a simple op-amp circuit.

Enhanced Power Handling Capability
Nasser Kutkut looks at a DMOS FET in a new package permitting use in a wide range of power switching and amplifying applications. Kutkut reports the part has a high breakdown (400V) voltage, low threshold voltage (2.0V max.), low 5.0 on- resistance and a low 225pF input capacitance. It is targeted at low power DC-DC converters and high-voltage class D amplifiers.

Programmable Logic

Low Power CPLD Family
Murray Disman examines a new family of CPLDs available in densities ranging from 32 to 512 macrocells. A notable feature, Disman points out, is its low power: the part has a specified static current drain of 100uA while the actual devices exhibit typical static currents of about 25uA, he says.

Test and Measurement

Power Analyzer
Alex Mendelsohn reviews a rack-mounted, DSP-based power analyzer capable of handling single- and three-phase power measurements. According to Mendelsohn, it can measure and display frequency, crest factor, peak values of voltage and current, and power factor for large motors and transformers.

Optical-to-Electrical Converter
Alex Mendelsohn examines an all-in-one test set that can measure such optical signal parameters as rise time, fall time, extinction ratio (ER), optical modulation amplitude (OMA), average optical power, and all jitter components.

Spectral Analysis with Deep Memory O-scopes
Agilent Technologies' Marty Grove explains why performing spectral analysis with today's deep-memory oscilloscopes can help boost the accuracy, frequency resolution, and dynamic range of a measurement.

EE EXPERTS

Automotive Electronics

Detroit Auto Show
Matt LaDuke, ChipCenter's Automotive Electronics EE Expert reports on the recently concluded 2002 North American International Auto Show. From LED headlights to electronic brake systems, lots of innovations in the world of vehicle electronics were on display in Detroit.

Digital and Analog Product Design

Security Policy
Industrial security preceding a new product launch used to consist primarily of measures taken to protect against the theft of trade secrets and product counterfeiting. Brian Elfman suggests that security against industrial high-tech intrusion should now also take into account national security concerns, including a closer look at orders from nontraditional customers.

Intellectrual Property

Attention Patent Holders
Our Intellectual Property EE Expert Brian Elfman has been closely following the legal wrangling surrounding doctrine of equivalents (DOE) cases. Essentially, the purpose of DOE is to prevent patent copiers from conveniently substituting or changing components to obviate the appearance of infringement. Elfman reports on a Supreme Court case that, some experts say, could impact virtually every patent in preparation and at least half of all patents in force.

Product Engineering

The Pyro-Engineer Returns
After a proper hiatus brought on by the tragedy of 9/11, Darren Ashby puts his Nomex overcoat back on and returns "to light the hidden fires of pyromania lying deep within the engineer's soul." In the third installment of his series linking engineers and the desire to incinerate, Ashby shares comments from readers.

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