Power Management:: Power Management and LED Driver in One Last week, Linear Technology released a combined digitally programmable, high-efficiency multi-output power supply and dual-string LED driver IC. The dual purpose LTC3675 is designed specifically for high-power, single-cell Li-Ion-Polymer applications, which may indicate that it is aimed at mobile or other rechargeable battery industry segments. Several other analog semiconductor makers, including National Semiconductor and STMicroelectronics have offered similar products. This may be an indication of continued demand in these markets. The LTC3675 features I2C (Inter-IC) controls, taking advantage of the now 30-year-old board-level communications bus that was originally developed at Philips. The device's four monolithic synchronous Buck DC/DCs and 40V LED driver can be programmed via this I2C bus, which should make designing the device in a little easier. >>

Automotive:: Class D Automotive Audio Amplifier MOSFETs "Cheaper, faster, better" has long been a semiconductor industry axiom and, in some way, one of the best strategies for participating in growing market segments. To see this axiom at work, one doesn't have to look too hard. For example, last week International Rectifier (IR) announced three new automotive DirectFET2 power MOSFETs for high-frequency switching applications like the new Class D amplifier audio solutions often found in automotive information and entertainment (infotainment) systems. The new IR MOSFETs are specifically designed to reduce total harmonic distortion for better audio fidelity and squeeze every possible ounce of efficiency out of an amplifier design that is already more than 90 percent efficient in most cases. The new MOSFETs also take up less board space than earlier audio MOSFET designs. >>

Solid State:: PCIe SSD at the Flash Memory Summit This week, Integrated Device Technology (or IDT as it is better known) will demonstrate what may be the first flash memory controller based on the Enterprise Non-Volatile Memory Host Controller Interface (NVMHCI) specification at the Flash Memory Summit in Santa Clara, California. Intel, Dell, and Microsoft first formed the NVMHCI working group in 2007 to develop a specification for a register-level hardware-to-software interface for flash (non-volatile) memory devices. One apparent aim of the working group is to encourage the production of PCIe-based SSDs. >>