News & Events
Intersil Releases Dual PWM Controller for Mobile Applications

-- New Endura™ controller to power I/O, chip sets and DDR memory in notebooks~-- Feature rich dual controller offers high efficiency, space and cost savings and application flexibility

IRVINE, CA, January 24, 2002 – Intersil Corporation (NASDAQ: ISIL), a leading provider of power management solutions for PCs, file servers and portable information appliances, today announced the new Endura ISL6225, a highly efficient next-generation dual PWM controller IC targeted towards mobile applications. The ISL6225 offers designers space savings, lower parts count and a new dimension in application flexibility. Applications include those requiring dual independent PWM control, current sharing, dual-stage conversion, or DDR memory power control with zero-cost on-chip tracking for the termination voltage and a buffered reference voltage.

“Our ISL6225 represents the next plateau for innovation in mobile power management,” said Dean Henderson, Intersil’s director of Portable Power Solutions. “We developed a highly efficient power management IC that offers a wide range of application flexibility including total power conversion and management for present and future generations of high speed memory. Additionally, the ISL6225 offers a significant space savings and lower parts count which simplifies designs and reduces inventory for our customers.”

Today’s notebook PC systems operate from battery and battery charger voltages that typically range up to 20 V in normal operation. The voltages used in these systems are derived directly from these relatively high-voltage sources whenever possible in order to maximize the power efficiency of the total system. The ISL6225 is capable of operating from these higher voltages in all modes of operation, and when used as a DDR memory controller, it further enhances system efficiency by operating in a cascaded mode. The ISL6225 also incorporates a hysteretic mode of operation that enables high efficiencies when operating at light loads, such as when the system is in a sleep state.

Intersil Endura ISL6225 Power Solution
The outputs of this flexible controller can be configured as two independent, out of phase switching supplies, as a current-sharing controller with two-phases converting from different supplies, and as a Double Data Rate (DDR), DDR-II, or Quad Data Rate (QDR) memory power supply. In all configurations, the ISL6225 can be used with input voltages as high as 24 V. By utilizing the hysteretic mode of operation in the ISL6225, designers can further reduce the complexity of their mobile power architecture and eliminate large, expensive and power hungry linear controllers.

The ISL6225 brings numerous benefits to designers of mobile products as well as the end users of products incorporating an ISL6225. All consumers are interested in extending the time their mobile systems can operate on a battery charge as well as reducing audible noise. The ISL6225 enables longer operating and standby times by providing higher efficiency in all operating modes and reducing the need for noisy, power hungry fans to remove heat.

Loss-less current sensing and a hysteretic mode of operation enable the ISL6225 to generate less heat than other power supply controllers. Designers of DDR memory based products can realize further improvements in efficiency by using the ISL6225 in a cascaded arrangement. This topology provides a significant improvement in efficiency over other architectures, and the ability to convert directly from the higher battery voltages totally eliminates an intermediate stage of power conversion.

In all modes of operation, the ISL6225 offers 1% or better voltage accuracy, protection from over-voltage, under-voltage, and over-current events, programmable power sequencing, and independent power good signals. In addition to reducing the physical size of a product, these internal features help to eliminate additional external circuitry and improve overall system reliability.

ISL6225 Technical Features
Manufacturers and end users of notebook PCs and other portable systems with higher-voltage supplies will benefit from the following ISL6225 features.

• The flexibility of the ISL6225 makes it an ideal controller for multiple applications, which may result in improved time to market as well as reduced inventory requirements.
• The ISL6225 automatically adapts the switching of each channel resulting in reduced ripple and cross talk between the two PWM channels.
• Loss-less current sensing and hysteretic operation of the ISL6225 results in improved total system availability, reduced heat and reduced audible noise.
• 1% voltage regulation over the specified temperature range is achieved without additional parts and circuit complexity because of IC design technology improvements incorporated in the ISL6225.
• On-chip protection for over-voltage, under-voltage, over-current, and programmable soft start improve overall system and circuit reliability while reducing parts count and total cost.
• The small 28-lead SSOP package offers savings in board space.
• The ISL6225 is second-sourced by Fairchild’s FAN5236.

To investigate this and other solutions further, visit these Intersil Web sites:

• Notebook PC Power: http://www.intersil.com/notebook
• Portable PC Power: http://www.intersil.com/design/powermanagement/pwrmanagement.asp

Intersil Power Management Technology
The Intersil Endura product family consists of leading power management solutions for desktop and mobile PCs, workstations, Internet appliances, I/O cards, RAID systems and high-availability servers. The Endura family includes high-efficiency solutions that are used in portable PCs and mobile information appliances as well as residential gateway products. Intersil’s leadership position has grown, capturing over 50 percent of the AMD Athlon™ and Intel® Pentium® 4 processors and providing power management solutions for next generation desktop, portable and wireless communications devices. The company is the first to introduce a complete cost effective power solution for new and next generation PCs that uses a multiphase power configuration to achieve unparalleled precision and efficiency. Learn more about Intersil’s Endura products at: http://www.intersil.com/endura About Intersil
Intersil is a global leader in designing innovative wireless networking and high performance analog solutions that enable wireless access to video, data and voice in homes, offices and public places. Creating advanced power management products, Intersil provides reliable solutions for file servers, portable information appliances and over half of all computer microprocessors manufactured today. With a rich high performance analog and mixed signal portfolio, Intersil brings added value in providing complete silicon, software and reference design solutions to new products that bring portable connectivity to people wherever they live, work or travel. Headquartered in Irvine, California, Intersil has offices in cities throughout the US, Europe and Asia. 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 press release contains information relating to certain projections and business trends concerning the power management market that are forward-looking statements as defined in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Such forward-looking statements are based upon management’s current expectations, estimates, beliefs, assumptions, and projections about our business and industry. Words such as "anticipates," "expects," "intends," "plans," "believes," "seeks," "estimates," "may," "will" and variations of these words or similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. In addition, any statements that refer to expectations, projections or other characterizations of future events or circumstances, including any underlying assumptions, are forward-looking statements. Furthermore, any forward-looking statements and projections made by others in this press release are not adopted by Intersil Corporation (“Intersil”), and Intersil is not responsible for the forward-looking statements and projections of others. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Therefore, our actual results could differ materially and adversely from those expressed in any forward-looking statements as a result of various risk factors. Important risk factors that may cause such material differences for Intersil in connection with the power management market include, but are not limited to: the recent economic slowdown; the rate at which consumers adopt small handheld Internet appliances and portable computing devices; the rate of purchases of PC’s and file servers; the rate at which our present and future customers and end-users adopt Intersil’s power management technologies and products; the timing, rescheduling or cancellation of significant customer orders; the loss of a key customer; the qualification, availability and pricing of competing products and technologies and the resulting effects on sales and pricing of our products; silicon wafer pricing and the availability of foundry and assembly capacity and raw materials; the effectiveness of Intersil’s expense and product cost control and reduction efforts; intellectual property disputes, customer indemnification claims, and other litigation risks; Intersil’s ability to develop, market, and transition to volume production new products and technologies in a timely manner;as well as other risk factors. Intersil’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, and other Intersil filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) (which you may obtain for free at the SEC’s Web site at www.sec.gov) discuss some of the important risk factors that may affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition. These forward-looking statements are made only as of the date of this press release and Intersil undertakes no obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements. Endura is a trademark of Intersil Americas Inc.
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