Atmel Introduces New Power and Battery Management Standard Product for 3G Wireless Platforms

ROUSSET, France, Jan. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Atmel(R) Corporation announced today the release of its AT73C203 Power Management standard product for 3G wireless platforms. Manufactured on Atmel's low-cost mainstream CMOS process, the AT73C203 has been developed to provide an integrated solution for portable and handheld applications based on microprocessors that require "smart" power management functions, such as 3G phones, PDAs, Palmtop computers, point-of-sales terminals, 3G modems and others.

The AT73C203 features the complete set of power supplies and interfacing systems that is used in a device based on Intel(R) XScale(TM) processors. Three sets of step-down switching converters supply application cores, memories and analog blocks each with up to 1.2A. Output voltage ranges are 0.87 to 1.2V, 1.0 to 1.80V and 1.70 to 2.60V with dynamic adjustment in order to optimize current consumption inside the application core. An additional 520 mA step-up/down switching converter with output voltage range 3.0 to 3.4V supplies RF components and peripherals allowing the system to benefit from very low Li-Ion battery voltage, down to 2.8V.

The device includes an integrated dual battery charger designed to supply both internal and external batteries, allowing pre-charge, fast charge and top-off charge with programmable current and voltage thresholds. Dual battery operation is extremely important because it allows customer to double operating time for a high current consumption device, especially a PDA.

Power from upstream USB can also be used to recharge batteries; the AT73C203 manages the negotiation with the host processor for charge current selection. A real time charge inhibit option allows charge suspension during radio transmit periods. In addition, the AT73C203 integrates an 8-bit ADC with embedded temperature and voltage supervision.

The AT73C203 also provides the full voltage supply range (1.8 or 3.0V), the level shifters for a SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) interface compatible with ETSI standard GSM11.12 & 11.18 and the ISO7816 UART compatible interface macro.

"We are enthusiastic about being one of the first single-chip suppliers for 3G power management applications," commented Michele Casetta, Marketing Manager for Atmel's Power Management Product Line. "This highlights Atmel's power management strategy in targeting markets where power consumption, flexibility and portability are key issues for making successful products. The AT73C203 enables Atmel to become a market leader in the smart phone and PDA power supply market. We also aim to leverage this leadership to a broader market. By reusing the IP blocks developed for the mobile phone market with AT73C202 and the datacom market with AT73C203, we want to make Atmel's power management product line prominent in a wide range of handheld products such as digital cameras, MP3 readers, Bluetooth(R) modules and GPS handheld devices."

Atmel offers the AT73C203 in a 9 x 9 mm, 100-ball ultra-thin BGA in order to satisfy portable device manufacturers' minimum space requirements. It is available now mounted on a reference design board or as engineering samples. Suggested resale price is US$5.25 per unit in the quantity of 1,000.

About Atmel

Founded in 1984, Atmel Corporation is headquartered in San Jose, California with manufacturing facilities in North America and Europe. Atmel designs, manufactures and markets worldwide, advanced logic, mixed-signal, nonvolatile memory and RF semiconductors. Atmel is also a leading provider of system-level integration semiconductor solutions using CMOS, BiCMOS, SiGe, and high-voltage BCDMOS process technologies.

(C) Atmel Corporation 2004. All rights reserved. Atmel, the Atmel logo and combinations thereof are registered trademarks and others contained herein, are trademarks of Atmel Corporation or its subsidiaries. Intel and XScale are registered trademarks and trademarks of Intel Corporation. Other terms and product names in this document may be the trademarks of others.

Information:

For further information on the AT73C203, go to: http://www.atmel.com/dyn/products/product_card.asp?part_id=3010

Requests may be sent via e-mail to literature@atmel.com or by visiting Atmel's website at http://www.atmel.com/

   Press Contacts:
   Peter Bishop, Communications Manager - Atmel Rousset, France
   Tel: +33 4 42 53 61 50, Email: pbishop@atmel.com
   Clive Over, Director of Press Relations - USA and Asia
   Tel: +1 408 451 2855, Email: cliveover@atmel.com
   Veronique Sablereau, Corporate Communications Manager - Europe
   Tel: +33 1 30 60 70 68, Email: veronique.sablereau@atmel.com

CONTACT: Peter Bishop, Communications Manager, Atmel Rousset, France,
+33 4 42 53 61 50 or pbishop@atmel.com; Clive Over, Director of Press
Relations - USA and Asia, +1-408-451-2855 or cliveover@atmel.com; or Veronique
Sablereau, Corporate Communications Manager - Europe, +33 1 30 60 70 68 or
veronique.sablereau@atmel.com

Web site: http://www.atmel.com/