Temic Samples SiGe Devices
Staff -- Semiconductor International, 4/1/1998
Temic (Heilbronn, Germany)
is sampling two silicon-germanium (SiGe) heterostructure bipolar transistor chips. One is
a front-end, broadband radio frequency amplifier device for cordless telephones (Fig. 1),
while the other is a low-noise amplifier for mobile telephone handsets. They are seen as
low-cost direct replacements for gallium arsenide devices where minimum power consumption
and compact dimensions are important for extremely high-frequency use.
Temic will sample a third SiGe chip, a power amplifier that does not require a negative supply voltage or a high side switch, in the second quarter of this year. It can therefore be used to reduce the number of external devices and hence the system cost.
Temic, a company owned by the Daimler Benz motor manufacturer (Ulm, Germany), is also providing SiGe foundry services to various large telecommunications companies that are designing chips to be fabricated in its SiGe line at Heilbronn. The Temic SiGe line operates as an upgrade of its existing UHF silicon line and will be able to produce high-device volumes economically.
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| 1. This Temic SiGe amplifier chip is designed for sensor technology and information processing. |
