Infineon Introduces Single-Chip Multiband UHF Transmitter with Integrated 8-Bit Microcontroller; Targets a Wide Range of Wireless Control Applications

Neubiberg, Germany – September 24, 2008 – Infineon Technologies AG (FSE/NYSE: IFX) today announced mass production availability of the SmartLEWIS™ MCU PMA7110, a single-chip transmitter IC with integrated microcontroller that provides virtually all functions needed in a wireless remote control device. The new, highest-integration member of the SmartLEWIS MCU family of low-power ASK/FSK multi-band transmitter ICs for the sub 1GHz ISM (Industrial, Scientific, and Medical) frequency bands, covers the four frequency bands 315 MHz, 434 MHz, 868 MHz and 915 MHz on a single chip. The advanced power control system makes the PMA7110 ideal for use in battery operated remote controls and wireless sensing applications.

Combined with only a few external components, such as capacitors, resistors or the crystal, the PMA7110 enables system designers to build devices for a vast range of wireless control applications, such as remote control, security and alarm systems, automatic meter reading (AMR), home automation systems, active LF tagging, as well as Low Bit Rate (LBR) communication systems.

“Due to the PMA7110’s high level of integration, many sophisticated low-power wireless applications can be easily implemented,” said Rolf Hertel, Head of Marketing for Wireless Control and Radar at Infineon Technologies. “This leads to significant performance, reliability and flexibility advantages compared to traditional RF transmitter systems based on discrete Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) or Infrared (IR) devices.”

Based on the advanced power control system with an ultra-low standby current of less than 0.5 μA the battery life can be significantly extended. An embedded software function library is located in ROM saving Flash memory and as such also reducing the Flash programming time during production. The software library provides powerful functions like AES encryption and an API (Application Programming Interface) with high-level commands to enable easy usage of all implemented functions and faster software development.

The SmartLEWIS MCU PMA7110 integrates an 8-bit microcontroller, 6 kB of Flash memory and a PLL-based multiband transmitter. The low power transmitter consists of a fully integrated VCO, a PLL synthesizer, an ASK/FSK modulator and an efficient power amplifier with selectable output power of 5, 8 or 10 dBm on 50 ohms load. On-chip peripherals, which include a 10-bit ADC with three differential input channels, LF receiver, 16-bit CRC generator/checker, Manchester/BiPhase encoder/decoder and multiple interfaces like I²C, SPI or 10 general purpose I/Os (GPIO), enable an easy implementation of customer-specific applications.

The multi-channel 10-bit ADC with its flexible high-gain settings can be used as interface for a broad variety of analog sensors, while the integrated 125 kHz LF receiver enables wireless wake-up in battery operated applications or even contactless configuration of the device. The LF receiver wakes up with inducted energy, therefore the standby current of the device is minimal, allowing ultra-long-battery lifetime.

The 10 programmable GPIOs enable connection of up to 30 buttons on a wireless control device directly to the PMA7110 transmitter. Signals read from analog inputs (e.g. from external analog sensors) and measurements via the internal embedded temperature and voltage sensors are preprocessed by the microcontroller and optimized for RF-transmission.

The PMA7110 operates with supply voltages from 1.9 V to 3.6 V and at a temperature range from -40 °C to +85 °C.

Availability

The PMA7110 is available in high-volume quantities. For design support Infineon offers a quick start development kit with USB interface and rechargeable battery.

For further information please visit www.infineon.com/PMA. Infineon’s Wireless Control complete product portfolio including transmitters, transmitters with integrated microcontroller, receivers and transceivers is available at www.infineon.com/WLC

Glossary

ADC: Analog to Digital Converter
ASK: Amplitude Shift Keying
CRC: Cyclic Redundancy Check
FSK: Frequency Shift Keying
GPIO: General Purpose Input/Output
I/O: Input/Output
ISM-band: Industrial, Scientific, and Medical band
LF: Low Frequency (125 kHz)
PLL: Phase Locked Loop
VCO: Voltage Controlled Oscillator

Infineon Technologies AG, Neubiberg, Germany, offers semiconductor and system solutions addressing three central challenges to modern society: energy efficiency, communications, and security. In the 2007 fiscal year (ending September), the company reported sales of Euro 7.7 billion (including Qimonda sales of Euro 3.6 billion) with approximately 43,000 employees worldwide (including approximately 13,500 Qimonda employees). With a global presence, Infineon operates through its subsidiaries in the U.S. from Milpitas, CA, in the Asia-Pacific region from Singapore, and in Japan from Tokyo. Infineon is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and on the New York Stock Exchange (ticker symbol: IFX).