News & Events
Xicor Expands 256-Tap Product Offering For Nonvolatile, Digitally Controlled Potentiometer Family
-- High-resolution XDCPs provide nonvolatile, solid state replacement for mechanical potentiometers and save system manufacturing costs
MILPITAS, California, December 5, 2000 - Xicor Inc, (NASDAQ: XICO) today announced a family of eight new nonvolatile, 256-tap digitally programmable potentiometer ICs that broadens its industry leading offering of general purpose, mixed signal building block devices. The devices, the X92xx, offer 8 bit resolution and are ideal replacements for any application presently using mechanical potentiometers that may require higher resolution for more accurate adjustments or calibration, such as laser diode control, data acquisition systems and process control. With 256 levels of gain control and offset correction required in control loops or calibration settings, these products eliminate the need for time consuming and expensive manual adjustments, and reduce overall manufacturing costs.
The flexible programmability of these XDCPs allow them to be used in closed loop or open loop modes for automated system calibration in manufacturing systems. This simple implementation of programmable settings does not require a processor when used in "set & forget" mode. This operation offers reduced manufacturing costs to the user by automating a set of system operating points and results in a repeatable, accurate, tamper-proof setting. These devices will also allow a system to adapt itself to different operating conditions while under power and then remember those settings in the event of loss of power. This is very valuable in process control applications where resumption of system parameters is vital for system safety and consistency in the process itself.
"These devices substantially enhance and simplify control capability in precision analog applications," said Tony Ochoa, marketing manager for Xicor's Mixed Signal Products. "By further enhancing our programmable mixed signal product line with the X92xx devices, designers are now offered the broadest line of 256 tap nonvolatile digitally controlled potentiometers in the industry."
The X92xx family offers nonvolatile retention of the wiper position and very low standby currents of less than 5µA for each package. The ability to recover its last wiper position after a power down cycle is valuable in many applications. They are capable of operating in either a 2 terminal mode of variable resistance or in a 3 terminal mode or potentiometric mode as a voltage divider. The devices can be used in control systems to set zero operating points or used to calibrate the full-scale operation of the control loop.
All eight devices have internal nonvolatile registers associated with each potentiometer. One register for each pot is used to store the value of the wiper position. This value is used to restore the tap position of the potentiometer on power up. The remaining three registers associated with each pot can be used to store predetermined tap positions or system data that will be needed after system power cycle. The 256 tap resolution offers 8 bits of resolution or accuracy of < 0.4%. The wiper position can be serial programmed or selected in an up/down mode.
Availability and Price
The parts are sampling now and production quantities will be available in Q1, 2001. The XBGA packages will be available in March, 2001.
Product Summary
| Part Number | Rtotal | Interface | Configuration | Packages | 1000 Unit Price |
| X9251 | 50K/100K | SPI | Quad | SOIC & XBGA | $4.53 |
| X9259 | 50K/100K | 2-wire | Quad | SOIC & XBGA | $4.53 |
| X9260 | 50K/100K | SPI | Dual | SOIC | $3.40 |
| X9268 | 50K/100K | 2-wire | Dual | SOIC | $3.40 |
| X9261 | 50K/100K | SPI | Dual | SOIC | $3.40 |
| X9269 | 50K/100K | 2-wire | Dual | SOIC | $3.40 |
| X9271 | 50K/100K | SPI | Single | TSSOP | $2.72 |
| X9279 | 50K/100K | 2-wire | Single | TSSOP | $2.72 |
Safe Harbor Statement
Except for historical information contained herein, the matters set forth in this press release are forward looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. These risks may include the impact of competing products and pricing, timely design acceptance by our customers, timely ability to ramp new products into volume production, industry wide shifts in supply and demand for semiconductor products, and other risks detailed from time to time in Xicor's SEC filings.
About Xicor
Xicor, Inc. designs, develops, manufactures and sells nonvolatile in-the-system programmable products which retain information even when the system is turned off or power is inadvertently lost. Xicor's product line includes digitally controlled potentiometers (XDCPs), programmable analog products, system management and power management ICs, and secure and standard memory ICs.
Xicor product, corporate and financial information is readily accessible on the worldwide web at http://www.xicor.com.
"Xicor" is a registered trademark and "XDCP" is a trademark belonging to Xicor Inc.All other trademarks are the properties of their respective owners.
