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Elantec Introduces New Low-Power DSL Driver

Low noise, high drive capability, low distortion and exceptionally low power dissipation of the EL1507C line driver enable higher port density for DSLAM vendors

MILPITAS, CALIFORNIA, May 23, 2001 -- Elantec Semiconductor, Inc. (NASDAQ: ELNT), a leader in high-performance analog ICs, today introduced the EL1507C, a very low-power line driver for high-density Central Office (CO) and Digital Loop Carrier (DLC) DMT ADSL applications. This latest member of Elantec's growing family of current mode feedback digital subscriber line (DSL) devices uses proprietary circuitry to achieve 10% lower power dissipation than any other competitive DSL line driver in use today.

The EL1507C provides a very large output swing and up to 360mA output drive capability while consuming only 7mA per amplifier supply current. A larger output swing at a lower quiescent current results in greater DSL power efficiency. It also incorporates two control pins to further reduce the quiescent power while maintaining better than -75dBm THD performance at 1MHz. In DSL modem designs, driver noise, as well as distortion, can affect maximum data rate and loop reach. Lower noise is particularly important for maintaining receive signal integrity for applications that use active termination line impedance matching. The EL1507C has a low noise voltage specification of only 2.8nV/rt Hz and an inverting input current noise of just 14 pA/rt Hz in the lowest power setting.

The EL1507 is a class A/B amplifier requiring fewer external components, thus offering a less complex, and less costly solution for system designers. Class A/B architecture requires only two supply rails, this compares favorably with competitive class G architectures that require four supply rails and four additional bypass capacitors.

The EL1507C is available in either a narrow-body 16-pin thermal SOIC or the tiny 4x4mm leadless plastic package (LPP) option, the smallest footprint available for any driver required in high-density DSLAM (DSL Access Multiplier) line card designs.

Kaveh Parsi, Director of Marketing for Communications Products at Elantec, said, "Since 1995 when Elantec introduced the EL1501C, the world's first DSL line transceiver, we have shipped over 12 million chips for DSL applications. The EL1507C, our fourth generation of the DSL driver, is designed to operate at lower power and to reduce the need for external components. In CO applications, this design enables more ports per line card and thus more revenue per chassis for the DSLAM vendor." Mr. Parsi added, "Our DSL chipset partners have been delighted with the tiny footprint, lower power and cost-effective advantages of using fewer external components and only two supply rails."

"Elantec offers a complete family of driver products for Central Office and Customer Premise applications," said Mr. Parsi, "we are focused on providing innovative products and very high capacity manufacturing for the line driver needs of xDSL technologies." Samples of the EL1507C in either the 4x4mm LPP or the16-pin thermal SOIC package are available now, with production volumes scheduled for June 2001. This new DSL driver is priced at $4.29 in 1,000-piece quantities.

For more information please contact Kaveh Parsi at Elantec's Corporate Headquarters in Milpitas, California, at (408) 945-1323 x 373, or visit the Company's web site at www.elantec.com. Elantec designs, manufactures, and markets high-performance analog integrated circuits primarily for the video, optical storage, communications and power management markets. The Company targets high-growth commercial markets in which advances in digital integrated circuit technology are driving increasing demand for high-speed, high-performance, and low-power consumption analog circuits.

Certain matters discussed in this press release pertaining to the market trends, product performance, cost effectiveness, and design-in time are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties include product introductions by the Company's competitors, competitive pricing pressures, fluctuations in manufacturing yield, changes in the mix or markets in which products are sold, availability and cost of raw materials, and other risks discussed in the Company's most recent Forms 10-K and 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.