SiTime Launches the Emerald Platform, a Game-changing MEMS Timing Solution for 5G Infrastructure

SiTime Launches the Emerald Platform, a Game-changing MEMS Timing Solution for 5G Infrastructure

Enables 5G Equipment to be Deployed Anywhere, in Any Environment

  • Solves critical timing challenges for 5G infrastructure
  • Sets new performance benchmarks–20 times better–in the $1.5 billion telecom and networking timing market
  • Unprecedented ease-of-use and programmability reduces design complexity and accelerates time to revenue

SANTA CLARA, Calif., November 5, 2018 — SiTime Corporation, a leading provider of MEMS timing, today announced the Emerald Platform™, a revolutionary precision timing solution that solves critical timing challenges for 5G infrastructure equipment. With the Emerald Platform, operators can deploy 5G equipment in harsh environments and reliably offer mission-critical services.

“Timing is potentially the single biggest point of failure in 5G systems and can impact performance, reliability, and revenue. 5G timing is a complex challenge for system OEMs, and requires a new approach beyond traditional, component-level methods that are in use today. To solve this, SiTime pioneered a systems approach with Emerald to help our customers achieve their highest level of performance and capability. By combining our revolutionary MEMS with programmable analog, innovative packaging and high-performance algorithms, we have created a solution that is up to 20 times better than what is currently available,” said Rajesh Vashist, CEO of SiTime.

SiTime’s Emerald Platform is the first MEMS oven controlled oscillator (OCXO) in the industry. OCXOs offer the pinnacle of performance in timing and are critical to the reliable operation of all communications networks. However, quartz-based OCXOs are extremely sensitive to environmental stressors such as vibration, temperature changes and shock, which can degrade network performance, reduce uptime, and impact mission-critical services such as advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). SiTime’s Emerald OCXOs solve these problems.

Emerald PR Graphic

“As mobile operators move into 5G and edge computing, they will require much tighter time synchronization in the radio equipment, which necessitates the use of OCXOs. Prior to 5G, this OCXO was deployed in a well-controlled environment. Now, the computing, core network, and radio will be collapsed into a system that may be deployed in an uncontrolled environment such as a tower, rooftop, or lamppost. In this environment, the OCXO will be exposed to vibration and temperature extremes,” explained Joe Madden, Principal Analyst at Mobile Experts Inc. “This change in deployment architecture requires new thinking and an evaluation of the benefits of MEMS and quartz timing technologies.”

“Our unique systems approach is driving SiTime’s success in 200 applications at 10,000 customers,” continued Vashist. “For example, our products are always programmable, which ensures 100% availability with short lead times. Our innovative temperature compensation algorithms, in conjunction with our MEMS and analog components, ensure that 5G equipment can be deployed anywhere, in any environment. In the future, we will continue to use our systems expertise to expand our leadership in the $1.5 billion networking and telecommunications timing market.”

Solving the Usability Challenges of Quartz OCXOs
Because of the sensitivity of legacy quartz OCXOs, customers have to take many precautions to ensure reliable operation. A key challenge is the board placement of the OCXO, which needs to be located far away from stressors such as heat and airflow-induced thermal shock. This results in increased routing complexity and potential signal integrity problems. Designers have also tried using specialized plastic OCXO covers for thermal isolation, which introduces additional manufacturing steps and production complexity. Emerald MEMS OCXOs eliminate all of these problems; they simplify design, reduce development time, accelerate revenue, while improving system performance.

Flexibility Through Programmability
Legacy quartz OCXOs are custom built, from the ground up. There are severe limitations on the availability of features, such as frequencies, output types, operating temperature, and in-system control. SiTime’s Emerald Platform MEMS OCXOs do not have these limitations. Using a programmable analog architecture, the Emerald OCXO offers any frequency between 1 and 220 MHz, ensuring that the customer can select the optimal frequency for their application. The device also offers two output types, LVCMOS and clipped sine-wave, for optimal board performance. In the near future, the Emerald OCXO will also offer extended temperature operation (-40 to +95C, -40 to +105C) and an I2C serial interface for in-system programmability.

Technology Highlights | Emerald Platform SiT5711 & SiT5712 OCXOs
All comparisons are with quartz-based Stratum 3E OCXOs

  • 10 times better performance in the presence of airflow and thermal shock
  • oΔF/ΔT dynamic stability: ±50 ppt/°C typical (ppt = parts per trillion)
  • oAllan deviation (ADEV): 2e-11 under airflow
  • Unmatched ease-of-use
  • oNo restrictions on PCB placement
  • oNo mechanical shielding is required for thermal isolation
  • oOn-chip regulators, no need for external LDOs or ferrite beads
  • oResistant to humidity
  • Size: 9 x 7 mm, 75% smaller. Adapter boards are available to match common OCXO footprints
  • Height: 6.5 mm, 40% thinner, eliminates obstruction in a chassis-based system
  • 20 times better vibration resistance, ideal for outdoor pole mounted equipment
  • Resistant to microphonic and/or board bending effects, ideal for large telecom PCBs
  • Supports -40 to +85°C temperature range today, -40 to +95°C and -40 to +105°C support available in the near future
  • The only programmable OCXO platform, supports any frequency up to 220 MHz and LVCMOS / clipped sine-wave outputs
  • Semiconductor-level quality and reliability, batch to batch consistency
  • No activity dips

Availability
Samples of the Emerald MEMS OCXO SiT5711/12 are available now for qualified customers. Production quantities will be available in Q2 2019 and stocked at catalog distributors such as Digi-Key and Mouser.

More Information
SiTime Programmable OCXOs

About SiTime
SiTime Corporation, the leader in MEMS timing and a wholly owned subsidiary of MegaChips Corporation (Tokyo Stock Exchange: 6875), offers MEMS-based silicon timing solutions that replace legacy quartz products. SiTime’s configurable solutions enable customers to differentiate their products with higher performance, smallest size, lowest power, and best reliability. The rich feature set and flexibility of SiTime’s solutions allow customers to consolidate their supply chain, reducing the cost of ownership and time to market. By using standard semiconductor processes and high-volume packaging, SiTime offers the best availability and shortest lead times in the industry. With 90% market share and over 1 billion devices shipped, SiTime is driving the electronics industry to use 100% silicon-based timing. www.sitime.com.

Contact:
Jeremy Hyatt
Green Flash Media for SiTime
+1-949-357-0141
jeremy@gflashmedia.com

About MegaChips Corporation (“MegaChips”)
MegaChips Corporation (1st section of the TSE (Tokyo Stock Exchange): 6875) was established in 1990 as the first innovative fabless semiconductor company in Japan. MegaChips exploits expertise in analog, digital and MEMS technology and globally provides LSIs and solutions that are crucial for advancing technology innovation.

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PLDA and MegaChips announce a cooperation to design PCIe controllers and PCIe PHY IP on TSMC’s 16nm Process Technology

PLDA and MegaChips announce a cooperation to design PCIe controllers and PCIe PHY IP on TSMC’s 16nm Process Technology

The combination of PLDA’s PCIe controller and MegaChips’ PHY will deliver a complete PCIe subsystem solution.

PLDA Press Release

San Jose, Calif., – Oct 29, 2018 — PLDA, the industry leader in PCI Expressister® IP solutions and MegaChips, a global semiconductor company specializing in ASIC Solution Services, today announced their collaboration to design a combined PCIe Controller IP and PHY IP solution. While the combination is currently targeting the TSMC 16nm process, the PCIe Controller/PHY solution will be easy to port to additional fabs and processes.

PLDA’s XpressRICH4 IP is a high performance, low latency, highly-configurable PCI Express Endpoint, Root port, Dual Port and Switch IP, compliant to the PCI Express Rev 4.0 specification and backwards-compatible to PCIe 3.1, PCIe 2.0 and PCIe 1.1. It is also available with a built-in DMA and an industry-standard AMBA AXI4 interconnect under its XpressRICH4-AXI version.

Megachips is focused on concentrating their managing resources on R&D and new applications to create original technologies for value-added products. Megachips is the only Japanese company ranked among the world top fabless IC suppliers and has developped numerous world-first technologies.

“We are seeing increasing interest in PCIe Controller/PHY combinations from third party IP suppliers because they give designers choices on ways to address their unique product design needs,” stated Arnaud Schleich, CEO of PLDA. Schleich added “Today’s announcement expands the available PCIe controller and PHY solutions for our valued, joint customer base.”

“The MegaChips PHY product is the best solution for the TSMC 16 nm process and ready to port to additional nodes and processes, making the combined PCIe 4.0 Contoller/PHY solution the most flexible on the market today,” said Kazunari Akaogi, General Manager of MegaChips.

Availability
PLDA XpressRICH4 and XpressRICH4-AXI IPs are available now from PLDA. The SerDes PHY IP is available now from MegaChips.

About PLDA
PLDA is a developer and licensor of Semiconductor Intellectual Property (SIP) specializing in high-speed interconnect supporting multi-gigabit rates (2.5G, 5G, 8G, 16G, 25G, 32G, 56G, 112G), and protocols such as PCI Express, CCIX, and Gen-Z. PLDA has established itself as a leader in that space with over 3,200 customers and 6,800 licenses in 62 countries. PLDA is a global technology company with offices in Silicon Valley, France, Bulgaria, Taiwan, and China.

About MegaChips Corporation (“MegaChips”)
MegaChips Corporation (1st section of the TSE (Tokyo Stock Exchange): 6875) was established in 1990 as the first innovative fabless semiconductor company in Japan. MegaChips exploits expertise in analog, digital and MEMS technology and globally provides LSIs and solutions that are crucial for advancing technology innovation.
www.megachips.wpengine.com

PCI-SIG, PCI Express and PCIe are trademarks or registered trademarks of PCI-SIG. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

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HD-PLC Communications System Enables Next Generation of Smart Meters in Taiwan

HD-PLC Communications System Enables Next Generation of Smart Meters in Taiwan

Tokyo, Japan, – October 12, 2018— MegaChips, a global semiconductor company specializing in ASICs and Application-Specific Standard Products (ASSPs), and HD-PLC Alliance today announced that Taiwan Power Company has adopted HD-PLC as a communications system for its next-generation smart meters.

After evaluating several wireless and powerline communications technologies, Taiwan Power Company selected HD-PLC for its ability to provide high-speed and robust communications over existing wireline infrastructure. Thanks to these capabilities, smart meters are able to collect more data, more frequently, and support advanced applications and security functionality. Taiwan Power Company plans to introduce smart meters to approximately 260,000 households in Taiwan from the beginning of December 2018.

Masahiro Konishi, General Manager of the Networking Infrastructure Division at MegaChips, said: “As a member of the HD-PLC Alliance, we are excited about the momentum HD-PLC is gaining in Taiwan and elsewhere. Smart homes, smart buildings, smart cities—as our world gets smarter, the demands for fast, robust communication with low install cost is rapidly increasing. In multiple independent evaluations, HD-PLC has proven its ability to meet these requirements. MegaChips is proud to be contributing to a smarter society with HD-PLC Alliance by providing innovative wired communication solutions for the Industrial IoT.”

HD-PLC technology is a wired communication technology compliant with the IEEE 1901 and ITU-T G.9905 international standards. It provides robust communication with megabit throughput over long distances of any type of cable, including power, coaxial and twisted-pair line. In 2016, MegaChips released the world’s first HD-PLC LSI for the Industrial IoT in its “BlueChip PLC Multi-hop” product line.

About MegaChips Corporation (“MegaChips”)
MegaChips Corporation (1st section of the TSE (Tokyo Stock Exchange): 6875) was established in 1990 as the first innovative fabless semiconductor company in Japan. MegaChips exploits expertise in analog, digital and MEMS technology and globally provides LSIs and solutions that are crucial for advancing technology innovation.
MegaChips Corporation Home Page.

Press Contact (MegaChips Technology America Corporation):
Michael Navid
Vice President of Marketing and Business Development
MegaChips Technology America Corporation
(408)-570-0555
mnavid@megachips.wpengine.com

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SiTime and Bosch Accelerate Innovation in MEMS Timing for 5G and IoT

SiTime and Bosch Accelerate Innovation in MEMS Timing for 5G and IoT

  • A billion MEMS timing solutions from SiTime enable synchronization and connectivity of electronic devices
  • Since 2009, Bosch has supplied MEMS wafers and implemented new process technologies that have helped enhance SiTime’s timing solutions
  • SiTime and Bosch are strengthening their process and manufacturing partnership to provide innovative timing solutions for future 5G, IoT and automotive applications

SANTA CLARA, Calif., September 4, 2018 —SiTime Corporation, a leading provider of MEMS timing, and Bosch, a global supplier of technology and services, announced a strategic technology partnership to accelerate innovation in micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) timing. SiTime will work with Bosch to develop processes for next-generation MEMS resonator products. These MEMS resonators are the heartbeat of 5G, IoT and automotive electronics, and will enable the higher speeds of 5G, long battery life of IoT devices and increased reliability of driver assistance systems in automotive. Bosch will utilize its expertise in MEMS manufacturing to produce these resonators for SiTime and ensure availability of high-volume capacity.

Mobile phones, high-speed trains and stock markets have one thing in common – they must stay on time. And they do thanks to accurate MEMS timing devices found in millions of telecom, enterprise, and consumer electronic products.

“Since 2009 SiTime has counted on Bosch to manufacture more than a billion MEMS resonators,” said Rajesh Vashist, CEO of SiTime. “Over the next decade, the 5G, IoT, and automotive markets will drive the growth of the timing industry by creating a 200 billion unit opportunity. Automation, communications, and computing applications in these markets will require more features, higher accuracy and reliability from timing components.”

SiTime has revolutionized the $6 billion timing industry with innovative MEMS timing solutions that offer unique benefits. SiTime has shipped over a billion units into all electronics markets, has over 90 percent share of the MEMS timing market, and has partnered with industry leaders, such as Intel, to drive timing innovation in 5G.

“Stable, reliable MEMS timing devices are needed for successful operation of new, high-bandwidth 5G, IoT and driver assistance systems,” said Jens Fabrowsky, executive vice president, Automotive Electronics at Robert Bosch GmbH. “Without ultra-precise timing, the benefits and opportunities for next generation systems will not be achieved. With Bosch’s MEMS leadership and manufacturing excellence, and SiTime’s groundbreaking MEMS timing technology, this partnership will make possible unique new features and mission-critical services in 5G, IoT, and automotive applications.”

Bosch has been both a pioneer and a global market leader in the MEMS sensor segment since 1995 and has sold more than 9.5 billion MEMS sensors. The company developed the manufacturing process behind MEMS technology nearly 25 years ago. More than every second smartphone worldwide uses a Bosch MEMS sensor.

“Bosch’s strong MEMS process capabilities are a foundation on which we can develop our next generation of higher performance MEMS resonators,” said Vashist. “Our partnership with Bosch will help extend our leadership into the coming decades.”

More Information

About SiTime
SiTime Corporation, the leader in MEMS timing and a wholly owned subsidiary of MegaChips Corporation (Tokyo Stock Exchange: 6875), offers MEMS-based silicon timing solutions that replace legacy quartz products. SiTime’s configurable solutions enable customers to differentiate their products with higher performance, smallest size, lowest power, and best reliability. The rich feature set and flexibility of SiTime’s solutions allow customers to consolidate their supply chain, reducing the cost of ownership and time to market. By using standard semiconductor processes and high-volume packaging, SiTime offers the best availability and shortest lead times in the industry. With 90% market share and over 1 billion devices shipped, SiTime is driving the electronics industry to use 100% silicon-based timing. www.sitime.com

About Bosch
Having established a regional presence in 1906 in North America, the Bosch Group employs nearly 34,500 associates in more than 100 locations, as of December 31, 2017. In 2017 Bosch generated consolidated sales of $13.7 billion in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. For more information, visit twitter.com/boschusa, twitter.com/boschmexico and www.bosch.ca.

The Bosch Group is a leading global supplier of technology and services. It employs roughly 402,000 associates worldwide (as of December 31, 2017). The company generated sales of 78.1 billion euros ($88.2 billion) in 2017. Its operations are divided into four business sectors: Mobility Solutions, Industrial Technology, Consumer Goods, and Energy and Building Technology. As a leading IoT company, Bosch offers innovative solutions for smart homes, smart cities, connected mobility, and connected manufacturing. It uses its expertise in sensor technology, software, and services, as well as its own IoT cloud, to offer its customers connected, cross-domain solutions from a single source. The Bosch Group’s strategic objective is to deliver innovations for a connected life. Bosch improves quality of life worldwide with products and services that are innovative and spark enthusiasm. In short, Bosch creates technology that is “Invented for life.” The Bosch Group comprises Robert Bosch GmbH and its roughly 440 subsidiary and regional companies in 60 countries. Including sales and service partners, Bosch’s global manufacturing, engineering, and sales network covers nearly every country in the world. The basis for the company’s future growth is its innovative strength. At 125 locations across the globe, Bosch employs some 64,500 associates in research and development.

Additional information is available online at www.bosch.com, www.iot.bosch.com, www.bosch-press.com, www.twitter.com/BoschPresse.

Media Contact:
Jeremy Hyatt
Green Flash Media
+1-949-357-0141
jeremy@gflashmedia.com

Tim Wieland
Bosch in North America
Phone: +1 248-876-7708
Tim.Wieland@us.bosch.com

About MegaChips Corporation (“MegaChips”)
MegaChips Corporation (1st section of the TSE (Tokyo Stock Exchange): 6875) was established in 1990 as the first innovative fabless semiconductor company in Japan. MegaChips exploits expertise in analog, digital and MEMS technology and globally provides LSIs and solutions that are crucial for advancing technology innovation.

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SiTime and Intel Announce Collaboration on MEMS Timing for 5G

SiTime and Intel Announce Collaboration
on MEMS Timing for 5G

Integration of SiTime’s Innovative MEMS Timing Solutions to Deliver Best Consumer Experience

  • SiTime solves critical timing challenges for 5G and helps to achieve high-performance throughput in Intel’s 5G multi-mode radio modem platforms.
  • SiTime’s industry leading MEMS timing solutions provide unique advantages such as smallest size and high immunity to vibration and ability to withstand fast temperature ramps.
  • Tiny, low power microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) timing solutions from SiTime maximize battery life.

SANTA CLARA, Calif., July 24, 2018 —SiTime Corporation, a leading provider of MEMS timing, and Intel today announced a collaboration to work together on integrating timing solutions for Intel’s 5G multi-mode radio modems, with additional applicability to Intel LTE, millimeter-wave wireless, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GNSS solutions.

“Our collaboration with SiTime on MEMS-based silicon timing solutions will help our customers build leading 5G platforms to best take advantage of the increased performance and capacity that the 5G NR standard brings,” said Dr. Cormac Conroy, corporate vice president and general manager of the Communication and Devices Group at Intel Corporation. “Intel’s modem technology and our collaboration with SiTime is helping to enable new mobile and consumer experiences, and enterprise and industrial use cases.”

SiTime’s MEMS timing solutions enhance system performance in the presence of stressors such as vibration, high temperature, and rapid thermal transients. Such stressors can disrupt the timing signal and result in network reliability issues, lower data throughput, and even connectivity drops. In providing MEMS solutions to Intel’s 5G modem business, SiTime’s patented MEMS timing technology helps meet the high performance requirements of emerging 5G radio modem platforms.

“Intel is already building 5G’s future and has the scale to meet 5G’s scope,” said Rajesh Vashist, CEO at SiTime. “Our collaboration enables SiTime to align our MEMS timing solutions roadmap with Intel’s 5G platforms. Intel’s expertise in 5G modems, with SiTime’s game-changing timing technology, is a potent partnership for future growth and one that enables successful deployment of 5G. As SiTime continues to lead the world in MEMS timing, the opportunities between our companies are growing and this agreement sets us both on a path for continued success.”

5G is a critical element of the new data economy. In the next few years, 5G will fundamentally transform our lives, enabling a smarter and more connected society. From smart cities and intelligent wind farms, to agriculture and hospitals, the Internet of Things and connected infrastructures will generate zettabytes of data from an estimated 50 billion devices—more than there are people on earth.

To realize this transformation, networks must become faster, more agile, and much denser, utilizing more equipment. Systems will be deployed closer to connected devices and in uncontrolled locations such as on streetlamps, traffic lights, rooftops, stadiums, and parking garages. In these settings, 5G devices will be subject to environmental stressors such as vibration, high temperature, and rapid temperature changes.

This creates new, complex, and very high-performance requirements for the timing heartbeat, which will necessitate novel implementations. SiTime’s transformative MEMS timing solutions have proven to offer up to 20 times better robustness, reliability, and performance in the presence of such stressors, and are crucial to the successful deployment of 5G.

More Information

About SiTime
SiTime Corporation, the leader in MEMS timing and a wholly owned subsidiary of MegaChips Corporation (Tokyo Stock Exchange: 6875), offers MEMS-based silicon timing solutions that replace legacy quartz products. SiTime’s configurable solutions enable customers to differentiate their products with higher performance, smallest size, lowest power, and best reliability. The rich feature set and flexibility of SiTime’s solutions allow customers to consolidate their supply chain, reducing the cost of ownership and time to market. By using standard semiconductor processes and high-volume packaging, SiTime offers the best availability and shortest lead times in the industry. With 90% market share and over 1 billion devices shipped, SiTime is driving the electronics industry to use 100% silicon-based timing. www.sitime.com

Media Contact:
Jeremy Hyatt
Green Flash Media
+1-949-357-0141
jeremy@gflashmedia.com

About MegaChips Corporation (“MegaChips”)
MegaChips Corporation (1st section of the TSE (Tokyo Stock Exchange): 6875) was established in 1990 as the first innovative fabless semiconductor company in Japan. MegaChips exploits expertise in analog, digital and MEMS technology and globally provides LSIs and solutions that are crucial for advancing technology innovation.

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