ICs & Semiconductors

The Embedded Microprocessor Benchmark Consortium (EEMBC) has announced that Silicon Labs has joined the consortium"s working group developing a benchmark for ultra-low power microcontrollers (MCUs). This working group is a subset of the EEMBC Automotive/Industrial subcommittee, which is also developing benchmarks that target low-power automotive applications.

Atmel Corporation has begun shipping production quantities of the Atmel SAMA5D3 series, its highest performance, low-power microprocessor units (MPUs) based on the ARM Cortex-A5 core. The SAMA5D3 series is designed for embedded applications in the industrial space, including factory and building automation, smart grid, medical and handheld terminals, along with consumer applications such as smart watches, outdoor GPS, DECT (digital enhanced cordless telecommunications) phones.

Hamamatsu Photonics K.K. has developed three new image sensors that feature a high-speed charge transfer structure in each pixel to enable high-precision TOF (time-of-flight) distance measurements. The S11961-01CR is said to be the industry’s first linear image sensor for TOF distance measurement, and the S11962-01CR and S11963-01CR are area image sensors for 3D distance-measuring cameras.

Xilinx has announced three major milestones in the execution and introduction of its next generation 20nm All Programmable Devices. The 20nm portfolio builds upon Xilinx breakthroughs proven at 28nm to provide an extra generation of system performance, lower power and programmable system integration. The 20nm portfolio will address a wide range of next generation systems and provides the most compelling programmable alternative ever to ASICs and ASSPs.

Altera’s Stratix V GT FPGA is being used in JDSU’s next-generation Optical Network Tester (ONT) solutions. JDSU supplies optical products and test and measurement solutions for the communications industry, and is leveraging Altera’s high-end 28 nm FPGA in its ONT-600 series to deliver the first test solution targeting CFP2 100G optical transport network (OTN) environments.

The new A1359 from Allegro MicroSystems Europe is a programmable linear Hall-effect sensor IC with a dual analogue/PWM output that makes it suitable for applications requiring output redundancy.

XMOS has announced a significant extension in L Series range of general-purpose multicore microcontrollers. The company is adding 6-, 10- and 12-core variants, plus new memory size options, to the existing 8- and 16-core products in its xCORE family, which now includes over 50 devices. With the new introductions XMOS is now capable of delivering a range of solutions that can be scaled to customers’ requirements in terms of capability, price and performance. The new products join the recently announced xCORE-USB devices, and existing members of the general purpose L series (formerly known as L1 and L2).

In a move designed to continue the rapid expansion of its standard logic product line, Diodes Incorporated has announced the availability of more package options added to its four families of high-speed and advanced high-speed CMOS parts.

New from Melexis the MLX75030 is a universal active light sensor interface which has been designed to allow easy implementation of multi-channel, close range optical sensing systems into difficult operational environments. It incorporates four independent simultaneously operating light measurement channels; two taking care of reflection and the other two for ambient light measurement.

Omron Electronic Components Europe has added a new piezo-resistive gauge pressure sensor featuring an extended pressure range as well as low power consumption and very small size. The new Omron 2SMPP-03 MEMS based pressure sensor is suited for medical applications such as negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) as well as leak detection, movement control, level indicators, home appliances and industrial control instruments.