Atmel Corporation announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Temic Semiconductors, has introduced the first 3-volt Silicon Germanium (SiGe) power amplifier TST0912 for mobile phones based on the Global System for Mobile communications (GSM). Using SiGe technology, the power amplifier exhibits the best tradeoff of power, efficiency, size and cost available today. The TST0912 is designed for single-band operation in the 900-MHz frequency range (GSM 900). SiGe technology provides the best price-performance ratio available. The 3-volt operation supplies enable handset designers to utilize single-cell Lithium-Ion or 3-cell Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) battery technologies for smaller and lighter handsets. Since SiGe does not require negative supply voltage as needed by competing devices using Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) technology, both system and production costs can be reduced.

The new power amplifier offers 35 dBm maximum output power as required for GSM handsets. Its Power- Added Efficiency (PAE) value is 50%, allowing for longer talk times.

The device is the first member of a family of GSM power amplifiers based on the SiGe technology. Other dual- band (GSM 900 and 1800/1900) as well as single-band (GSM 1800/1900) devices to complete Temic's product family are in development.

There are continuing surprises with process technologies, and presumably more to come. If you had asked me a week ago whether I thought SiGe was a suitable process for power amplifier applications I would have replied "absolutely not." All the work that has been done so far indicated that SiGe was a wonder for simpler fabrication, with lower costs -- compared to GaAs -- and considerably lower noise (than either GaAs or silicon), but that power was not on the agenda. Temic is trying very hard to prove that attitude wrong. This part meets the GSM output power requirements at 900 MHz just fine, although the power-added efficiency is not as high as some GaAs claims. However, the TST0912 is considerably easier to fabricate and will be easier to implement in circuit. Although there are developments in hand and announced to eliminate -- or self-generate -- the negative bias for GaAs parts they still add cost to the ICs.

Although the mess that resulted from Temic going every which way is not the end-user's fault, there is going to be great confusion all around if the Temic name is not fully resolved in the market. Not many people will associate Atmel with the Temic name, and certainly not with RF parts. Atmel needs to resolve this, but issuing news releases almost like a third-party is probably not the right way to go.