New Energy Efficient RF Transistors from Infineon Provide High-Reliable ESD Protection

Neubiberg, July 8, 2010 – Infineon Technologies launched new RF transistors with electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection for design of reliable, high sensitivity wireless communications devices. Offering the most effective ESD protection currently available, the new low noise bipolar transistors are offered in the same packages as previous generation devices to ensure an easy upgrade path, and in a very slim package variant to reduce board space.

When used as the Low Noise Amplifier (LNA) stage of the RF signal chain, the new transistors reduce the risk of electrostatic discharge that can lead to failure or damage of the wireless system. The new energy efficient and cost-effective RF transistors from Infineon are ideal for various wireless communication applications like mobile phones, WLAN routers, WiMAX and GPS modules, set-top boxes, active antenna or WiFi data cards.

The devices feature a high maximum RF input power with a very low noise figure (NF), high gain and high intermodulation robustness that allow system sensitivity to be increased significantly. The new transistors provide effective ESD protection of up to 2kV HBM (human body model) which is 10 times better than previous devices. The maximum input power was increased from 10dBm to 20dBm while the Noise Figure (NFmin) is specified at 0.6dB at 2.4GHz.

"With the introduction of the new ESD protected RF transistors we offer our mobile communication customers the best protection currently available on the market," said Michael Mauer, Senior Marketing Director of RF and Protection Devices at Infineon Technologies. "Leveraging from the broad product portfolio of Infineon, our customers easily find the optimized solution for their application with the right mixture of noise figure, linearity and gain."

Availability and Pricing

Production start of the ESD protected transistors BFP640ESD, BFP720ESD and BFP740ESD in SOT343 and TSFP-4 packages is July 2010. The transistors are available in high-volume quantities.

For sampling units the single unit prices range from 0.40 to 0.50 US Dollar.

Further information on the ESD protected transistors from Infineon is available at: www.infineon.com/ESDTransistors

Infineon Technologies AG, Neubiberg, Germany, offers semiconductor and system solutions addressing three central challenges to modern society: energy efficiency, communications, and security. In the 2009 fiscal year (ending September), the company reported sales of Euro 3.03 billion with approximately 25,650 employees worldwide. 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 (ticker symbol: IFX) and in the USA on the over-the-counter market OTCQX International Premier (ticker symbol: IFNNY).