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Atmel's DC Motor Control IC with Enhanced PWM Functionality Reduces Noise  (Japan ) (Simple Chinese)

    Heilbronn, Germany, January 9, 2007  

    Atmel® Corporation (Nasdaq: ATML), a global leader in the development and fabrication of advanced semiconductor solutions, announced today the availability of the new ATA6831 driver IC with enhanced PWM performance for smooth DC motor control with reduced noise. The ATA6831 is designed to control, via a microcontroller, two DC motors or up to three different loads in automotive and industrial applications such as flap control for a cash dispenser. Thanks to the device's high voltage capability (up to 40V), the ATA6831 can also be used in 24V-supplied truck applications. Since the device is manufactured using Atmel's high-voltage BCD-on-SOI technology (SMARTIS™), the IC provides a broad range of protection features and a very attractive price.

    The small, low-cost ATA6831 is a fully-protected, triple half-bridge driver with integrated power stages. Each of the three high-side and three low-side drivers are capable of driving currents up to 1.0A. The ATA6831 supports the application of H-bridges to drive DC motors. The device's PWM functionality allows smooth motor control: With an enhanced PWM frequency of up to 25 kHz, which is outside the human acoustic range, the DC motor control is carried out without any audible noise caused by the PWM signal. The reverse, brake, and high impedance operation modes are controlled by the SPI interface.

     The ATA6831 provides several protection features such as overtemperature warning and shutdown, overload, overvoltage protection, and full protection against short circuits. Several diagnostic bits are set in the SPI output register and can be read by the microcontroller. In case of undervoltage at the supply pin, the power-supply fail bit in the output register is set and all outputs are disabled. If the overtemperature pre-warning bit is set, the system developer can implement software routines on the microcontroller to decrease the power dissipation and temperature. Further temperature increases beyond a certain level will cause the IC to shut down to prevent destruction. The device also meets strict automotive qualification demands (protection against conducted interference, EMC and ESD protection) and can withstand transients as specified in ISO/TR 7637.

Pricing and Availability

     Samples of the ATA6831 driver IC are available now in Pb-free QFN18 packages with pricing starting at US $0.99 for 10k-piece quantities. An application board for development support can be ordered for US $131. For applications with ambient temperatures of up to 150 degrees Celsius, the high-temperature derivative ATA6832 is available.

Footnote

    BCDMOS = Mixed-signal technology with Bipolar, CMOS and DMOS components
    DC = Drain Current
    EMC = Electro Magnetic Compatibility
    ESD = Electronic Static Discharge
    PWM = Pulse Width Modulation
    SOI = Silicon On Insulator technolog

Atmel Extends its Rad-Hard Memory Family with 16-Mbit SRAMs for Space Applications  (Japan ) (Simple Chinese)

    Nantes, France, January 9, 2007  

    AtmelR Corporation (Nasdaq: ATML), announced today the introduction of the AT68166, a 16-Mbit SRAM packaged in a hermetic Multi-Chip Module (MCM) for space applications. MCM packaging technology offers the advantages of reducing PCB real estate, the number of individual components and improves overall electronic effectiveness. This allows a reduction of the PCB area by 50% with a weight savings of 75% compared to four 4-Mbit packages.

    The AT68166 Multi-Chip Module incorporates four 4-Mbit AT60142 SRAM dice which are produced on Atmel’s radiation-hardened 0.25um CMOS process.

    The AT68166 is a very low-power CMOS asynchronous SRAM. It can be organized as either one bank of 512K x 32, two banks of 512K x 16 or four banks of 512K x 8. It combines rad-hard capabilities – a latch-up threshold of 80 MeV.cm2/mg and a total dose of 300-Krad – with a fast access time.

    The AT68166 operates at 3.3V and is available in two versions: the AT68166FT with 5V-tolerance inputs and the AT68166F for 3V operation. The access times are respectively 25 ns and 20 ns over the full military temperature range. The AT68166 MCM offers low power consumption: 540 mW per byte at 25 ns and 620 mW per byte at 20 ns.

    The AT68166F/FT are available in a 68-lead flat pack; they weigh 8.6 grams thus meeting the rigorous size and weight requirements of the space industry. Also, thanks to the small size of the 4-Mbit SRAM, Atmel has been able to accommodate the assembly of the four dice on one side of the package which facilitates the power dissipation.

    The AT68166 is a cost-attractive alternative to existing 16-Mbit SRAM offerings. The compatibility with other products allows designers of space applications to easily migrate their designs to the Atmel AT68166 memories.

Pricing and Availability

    Samples and production parts are available for both variants. The AT68166 is QML Q and V qualified and supported by the SMD 5962-06229. The AT68166 is priced at $1,710 each, in QML Q, for 100 pieces. In early 2007, the access times will be improved from 20-25 ns to 18-20 ns.

Atmel and SkyeTek Partner to Offer Industry Leading Secure RFID Technology  (Japan ) (Simple Chinese)

    San Jose, CA, and Westminster, CO, January 8, 2007  

    Atmel® Corporation (NASDAQ: ATML), a global leader in the development and fabrication of advanced semiconductor solutions, and SkyeTek, Inc., the leading provider of embedded RFID reader technology, announced today they have entered into a technology partnership. The combination of Atmel's advanced cryptographic RF circuits, CryptoRF®, and SkyeTek's Advanced Universal Reader Architecture (AURA) will give customers one of the highest performing, most secure HF reader / tag platforms available in the market.

    "We selected SkyeTek because the company's Advanced Universal Reader Architecture is a tremendous complement to our secure RFID semiconductor technology," stated Kerry Maletsky, Crypto Products Business Unit Director, Atmel. "The combination of CryptoRF and AURA will allow Atmel to offer its customers the optimum combination of security, performance, and investment protection that is at least one generation ahead of the current HF marketplace."

    The partnership between Atmel and SkyeTek will provide customers with an ultra-secure option for embedded RFID applications. Resulting solutions leverage CryptoRF's security features and the enterprise-class reliability and price-performance of the SkyeTek ReaderDNA and ReaderWare technology. This combination will provide customers with the ability to adapt RFID technology into existing applications and is well positioned to provide valuable solutions addressing ePedigree, patient safety, consumables authentication, item-level inventory management, and ticketing. SkyeTek's ReaderWare also provides the capability to upgrade the reader to support future tags, protocols, and cryptography via a firmware upgrade.

    "Security and privacy have emerged as major factors in RFID adoption," said Rob Balgley, CEO of SkyeTek. "As a result, customers evaluating RFID-enabled applications today are looking beyond existing HF technology for a solution that is capable of meeting the critical needs of enterprise and internet class applications. The solutions jointly developed by Atmel and SkyeTek as a result of this partnership will ensure that customers will be able to meet the IT industry's most stringent security standards without sacrificing performance."

    The agreement ensures support for Atmel's CryptoRF tag family in SkyeTek's Advanced Universal Reader Architecture as well as an upgrade of SkyeTek's ReaderWare and ReaderDNA, the key components of AURA, optimized around Atmel silicon.

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