Oki Develops Industry's First Long-wave Time Code Receiver LSI using SOI-CMOS Technology

"Oki succeeded in volume production of watch-use LSIs using the SOI-CMOS technology last year, and we have now become the industry's first provider of long-wave time code receivers using this technology," said Masao Sasaki, Manager of SOI Business Development in Silicon Solutions Company at Oki Electric. "As a leading vendor in SOI technology, we will continue to offer ultra-low power consumption LSIs, to meet our customers' requirements."

The ML6190A uses fully depleted SOI-CMOS technology, which involves forming a CMOS on an SOI substrate in which an insulated film is buried, instead of a silicon substrate. As transistors are created on an insulation film, the chip consumes quite low power current, which in turn, decreases the concomitant thermal noise. Noise transmitted from a substrate is also decreased, as transistors are completely isolated from the substrate by an insulation film. This mechanism realizes high sensitivity.

As the power current is one third or better compared with the existing time code receivers, the ML6190A is most suitable for small, portable devices. It is also applicable for time correction of audiovisual equipment, home appliances, PCs and car clocks.

SOI-CMOS technology also excels in the level of integration of digital and analog circuits into a chip, because transistors are completely isolated from a substrate by an insulation film, which reduces the noise transmitted to analog circuits from digital circuits via substrate. Based on this technology, Oki plans to integrate a receiver circuit with a decoder circuit, a driver circuit, or a watch-use LSI and enhance the product line-up.

Major characteristics and features:

• Radio signal sensitivity: Typ. 0.7µVrms
• Input voltage: 0.7µVrms to 100mVrms
• Supply current: Typ. 17µA (@3V)
• Supply voltage range: 1.1V to 3.6V
• Reception frequency range: 40KHz to 100KHz
• Operating temperature range: -40°C to 85°C

Shipment schedule:

• Sample shipment: Now
• Volume shipment: December 2003

Glossary

Silicon-on-insulator (SOI):

Substrates with a thin silicon layer on an insulation film, or devices built on these substrates. MOS transistors produced with SOI have superior performance in low operation voltage. There are fully depleted SOIs and partially depleted SOIs. Fully depleted SOIs realize both low operation voltage and low load capacitance simultaneously, but require a very thin silicon layer for forming transistors, which is 50 nm or less.

Notes:

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About Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd.
Founded more than a century ago in 1881, Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd. is Japan's first telecommunications manufacturer, with its headquarter in Tokyo, Japan. With the corporate vision, "Oki, Network Solutions for a Global Society," Oki Electric provides top-quality products, technologies and solutions to its customers through its telecommunications systems, information systems and electronic devices segments. All three segments are integrated into one effective organization that functions as a collective force to create exciting new products and technologies, including information and telecom converged solutions. Through its business activities, Oki Electric satisfies a spectrum of customer needs in various markets.