News & Events
Intersil Introduces New Laser Driver Family for DVD Writer Disk Drives

-- Intersil's fourth generation laser diode drivers are tailored for disk drives supporting all popular CD and DVD formats

MILPITAS, CA, April 17, 2003 – Intersil Corporation (NASDAQ: ISIL), a world leader in the design and manufacture of high performance analog and wireless networking solutions, today introduced a new family of high speed laser driver integrated circuits (ICs) designed specifically to enable read and read/write functions in DVD Writer disk drives that support all popular CD and DVD formats. Intersil’s Elantec® EL623X family includes dual output three- and four-channel laser diode drivers (LDDs) that offer the performance, flexibility and power efficiency needed in innovative DVD Writer disk drive systems.

"As the world's leading supplier of LDDs for CD and DVD recordable drives, Intersil continues to expand its portfolio with products that enable our customers to develop complete drive solutions," said Zhong Li, director of marketing for Intersil's Elantec optical storage products. “Our latest laser driver offering, the Elantec EL623X family, is specifically designed for new all-in-one DVD Writer drives. This LDD family gives our customers the performance and flexibility needed to design a single product for all industry CD and DVD formats with a longer lifecycle and a higher value than currently available products.”

This new generation of Elantec laser diode drivers is tailored for DVD Writer drives that support formats including DVD+R/W, DVD+R, DVD-RW, DVD-RAM, CD-R/W, CD-R and CD-ROM. The EL623X family adds conventional LDD customer solutions to Intersil’s existing EL629X and EL691X Write Strategy DVD LDD offering.

Each device in the family has an on-chip 600 MHz oscillator to allow frequency and amplitude control by use of external resistors to ground. The EL623X devices also include a disable feature for power-up protection and power savings. The EL6239, tailored for 8X DVD writers, incorporates low-voltage differential signal (LVDS) inputs on the fast switching lines.

EL6237C, 62328C and 6239C Key Features

• Three-channel (one read and two write levels) and four-channel (one read and three write levels) devices provide controlled current to grounded laser diode
• On-chip 600 MHz oscillator allows output current modulation in any mode
• Oscillator amplitude to 100 milliamps peak to peak
• Switching speed of 0.8 nanosecond typical rise/fall time
• Single +5V supply (+/-10%)
• Disable feature for power-up protection and power savings

Availability and Pricing
Intersil's Elantec EL6238C dual four-channel driver is available now in a 24-pin leadless plastic package and is priced at $1.50 each in 10,000-unit quantities. The EL6237C dual three-channel driver and EL6239C dual four-channel driver with LVDS will be available this quarter. To learn more about Intersil’s optical storage devices and solutions, visit the Intersil Web site at http://www.intersil.com/design/elantec/opticalStorage.asp About Intersil
Intersil Corporation is a global semiconductor leader in the design and manufacture of high performance analog and wireless networking solutions. Intersil’s product portfolios address four fast growing markets – flat panel displays, optical storage (CD and DVD recordable), power management and wireless networking. Intersil brings added customer value in providing complete silicon, software and reference design solutions to new products that enhance the computing experience for people wherever they live, work or travel. For more information about Intersil or to find out how to become a member of our winning team, visit the company's web site and career page at: www.intersil.com.

This release may include "forward looking statements" that are subject to risks and uncertainties. For information identifying economic, political, climatic, currency, regulatory, technological, competitive and some other important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward looking statements, see Intersil’s Safe Harbor Forward Looking Statement disclaimer found at http://www.intersil.com/legal.asp, as well as Intersil’s SEC filings as updated from time to time, found at http://www.sec.gov. Elantec is a registered trademark of Intersil Corporation or one of its subsidiaries.