"I have first hand knowledge of just how dominant ADI's converter group is. Earlier this year I retired from working in the converter group of an ADI competitor. I've found that ADI is in most cases the innovator when developing the next generation products that OEMs are looking for." (http://thesavvyanalyst.tripod.com/adi.htm)
Conclusion: BUY, BUY, BUY.
Nice find, BV.
More SOI info:
SOI bandwagon picks up steam, possibly Intel
By David Lammers, EE Times
Oct 13, 2000 (5:15 AM)
URL: eetimes.com
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Silicon-on-insulator (SOI) technology stepped farther out of the shadows at the Microprocessor Forum, as Motorola Inc. unveiled a G4 PowerPC design ported to a 0.18-micron SOI process and as Intel Corp. engineers hinted that the company may reverse course and support SOI technology, initially for mobile processors and communications ICs. "We are looking pretty hard at SOI right now," said Intel strategic planning manager Bob Jackson, citing the improved junction leakage possible with SOI technology. Advanced Micro Devices, IBM, Samsung and now Motorola are among those that have already turned to SOI both for performance and power-saving processor designs.
Motorola's Somerset Design Center (Austin, Texas) took an existing G4 design, modified it slightly and ported it to a 0.18-micron SOI technology. David Bearden, leader of the Apollo design team, said that "not every circuit was optimized" for SOI technology. Nevertheless, Motorola claims SOI will enable either a 22 percent performance boost or about a 30 percent reduction in power compared with bulk silicon.
SOI processing starts out with a silicon wafer that includes an implanted layer of silicon dioxide, which insulates the individual transistors in far different ways than the buried wells of insulation used in conventional bulk silicon processing. Bearden said junction capacitance "can be reduced by a factor of two" in SOI technology. The elevated voltage of the body of the circuit can be used to manipulate a circuit's leakage current, either to drive more current for improved performance or to curb power dissipation in ICs aimed at mobile products.snip<>
Jim |
