Press Releases
Intersil Power Factor Correction Solution Meets Revised EMC Directive Requirements

— Intersil solution optimizes power and addresses new European standard
— Low cost, high power density design features evolutionary PFC efficiency

IRVINE, Calif., November 20, 2000 — Intersil (NASDAQ: ISIL), a leader in power management solutions for desktop PCs and file servers, today announced the development of an easy and efficient solution that meets the recently approved Boost Power Factor Correction (PFC) requirements in Europe. Combining Intersil’s switch mode power supply (SMPS) insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) with the recently announced Stealth™ Diode, yields the lowest cost, most efficient and highest power-density design to pass the new testing requirements.

The European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization’s (CENELEC’s) revised Electro-magnetic Capability (EMC) Directive has resulted in Amendment A14 to the EN 610002:1995 standard that specifies limits for harmonic current emissions. Alternatively called the EMC Directive, the standard imposes new regulations on electromagnetic interference (EMI). The directive is a response to Europe’s trade barriers against products featuring low power factors and high harmonic emissions. Applied to electrical and electronic equipment with input currents up to 16 amps (A), the standard targets products that are intended for connection to public, low-voltage distribution systems such as household and commercial electrical outlets.

"Intersil recognizes that efficient power usage continues to concern everyone, from electronic designers to homeowners who pay electric bills, " said Alex Craig, product line manager at Intersil. "As the European community adopts these harmonic emissions and power factor standards, many U.S. O.E.M.s are specifying them as well. Our solution allows power supply designers to greatly improve power factor resulting in high power density designs at the lowest cost. "

Excessive harmonic emissions indicate inefficient use of power as they limit the power available from an electrical outlet. More importantly, harmonic emissions create EMI that can potentially impede or disturb sensitive electronic equipment as it is radiated through the air or conducted throughout a building’s power cables. Considered "electronic pollution, " EMI is regulated by the FCC in the U.S. and by CENELEC in Europe.

PFCs found in computers and telecom equipment combat EMI by enabling more efficient use of power, boosting power factors and closing the gap between the apparent power that sustains the electromagnetic field and the working power that performs the actual work of creating output such as heat and light motion. Higher power factor levels indicate more efficient use of electrical energy. The maximum power available from a given wall socket is almost doubled by using a PFC switcher.

About SMPS IGBTs
Intersil’s SMPS series IGBTs improve power factor by enabling high speed switching with minimal power loss. The device is capable of operating at five times the current density of a standard high voltage metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET), the alternative power device in high speed switching. Increased current density allows the network designer to utilize a smaller and less expensive piece of silicon.

About Stealth Diode
The Stealth Diode is designed for use in high power, high frequency power supply applications and combines high speed and soft recovery characteristics for low electromagnetic interference (EMI). The soft recovery diode improves the efficiency of switch mode power supplies. A diode facilitates current flow in a single direction. In high frequency, high power applications, the diode may be required to suddenly permit current flow in the opposite direction. Intersil’s Stealth Diode meets these challenges by reducing recovery current. Power circuits also generate severe EMI if the response of the diode is too sudden. Intersil’s Stealth Diode helps soften this response, reducing EMI and improving system reliability. Intersil’s Stealth Diode is soft and fast and was designed to improve EMC, facilitating higher frequency operation. The device reduces reverse recovery current, IGBT turn-on losses, EMI and stress on input capacitors.

Matched Solutions
By combining the SMPS IGBT with the Stealth Diode, Intersil offers power supply designers with a highly efficient and high power-density design option. This combination is the most cost-effective solution to meeting the new EMC Directive. For optimum PFC design, the power supply engineer may now choose matched IGBT and Stealth Diodes. Matched Boost PFC solutions are as follows:

For more information, visit Intersil’s Web page at www.intersil.com, or call 1-888-INTERSIL ext. 8005.

About CENELEC
CENELEC was founded in 1973 as a non-profit organization under Belgian Law. The organization is officially recognized by the European Commission in Directive 83/189/EEC as the "European Standards Organization" in its field. CENELEC works with 35,000 technical experts from 19 European countries to publish standards for the European market.

About Intersil Corporation
Irvine, California-based Intersil is a leading supplier of semiconductors, reference designs and software for wireless access and communications markets. Intersil applies analog, mixed-signal and radio frequency (RF) expertise to produce products that enable wireless access to broadband media; provide reliable power management for PCs, files servers and portable information appliances; and convert analog and digital signals in cellular and Internet infrastructure. For more information about Intersil, visit the company's Internet homepage at www.intersil.com.

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