Clare Launches Next Generation Phone Line Interface Integrated Circuit -DAA- With Voice Optimization; LITELINK III Evaluation Board And Samples Now Available

Business Wire, July 22, 2002

Business/Technology Editors

BEVERLY, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 22, 2002

Clare, Inc., an IXYS company (NASDAQ: SYXI), today announced the immediate availability of its LITELINK III (CPC5620 and CPC5621) silicon phone line interface (PLI)/data access arrangement (DAA) designed to enhance voice telephony performance. Clare's LITELINK III is the first commercially available phone line interface IC designed specifically for both voice and high-speed data applications in the computer telephony market.

LITELINK III is a single-package, all-silicon solution used in a wide variety of voice and data applications such as computer telephony, voice gateways, PBX, Internet Access Devices (IADs) and low- and high-speed modems to connect host equipment to telephone networks. It contains a unique on-chip optical isolation barrier which gives designers the ability to build telephone line interface circuits without bulky transformers, allowing them to simplify their design, gain greater channel density and lower the overall component count and development cost. LITELINK III is a superior solution to traditional transformer-based telephone line interfaces and competitive silicon DAA solutions with higher parts counts and printed circuit board space requirements. Clare's solution offers the lowest passive component count in the industry.

"Our third-generation LITELINK device is the most versatile phone line interface/DAA single-package solution for a broad range of telephony and modem applications," said Steve Andrezyk, Clare's Director of Marketing for CPE products. He added, "LITELINK III offers the lowest phone line quiescent operating current, at 8 mA, of any competitive solution. This is increasingly important in an age where multiple devices are often connected to one phone line."

The CPC5620 (half-wave ring detect) and CPC5621 (full-wave ring detect) feature 3.0V or 5.0V operation, providing for an easy connection to high performance SLAC, CODEC and modem chipsets offered by the industry's leading Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs). Compared to competitive DAA solutions, LITELINK III is much simpler to implement from the system standpoint. Because LITELINK III does not have complex setup registers, it does not require the use of a controller for evaluation, testing and use.

Clare's distinctive design uses a new method of factory gain trim, eliminating the need for an on-board automatic gain control circuit and its attendant settling time. Other features of the design ensure low noise and low insertion loss, helping designers meet EIA/TIA 464 specifications for system loss. A mode pin has been added to simplify reactive termination applications such as in Europe and Australia. Phone line power consumption has been reduced by one-third over previous LITELINK versions. Taken in combination, these improvements provide better voice performance without compromising data performance.

LITELINK III is also backward compatible with Clare's previous LITELINK II solution. The only requirement is the change of 4 external resistor values and the addition of a capacitor.

Designs using LITELINK can be made compliant with a wide range of requirements, including TIA/EIA/IS-968 (FCC part 68), UL1950, UL60950, EN60950, IEC60950, EN55022B, CISPR22B, EN55024, EIA/TIA 464, and TBR-21.

Pricing And Availability

LITELINK III (CPC5620/CPC5621) is now available in production OEM quantities of 25,000 and is priced at $2.26 with standard lead-time of 6 weeks after receipt of order. Product samples are currently available. Evaluation boards are available for $150.00.

About Clare

Clare, Inc., a leader in the design and manufacture of high voltage integrated circuits, is a wholly owned subsidiary of IXYS Corporation. IXYS Corporation develops and markets primarily high performance power semiconductor devices that are used in controlling and converting electrical power efficiently in power systems for the telecommunication and internet infrastructure, motor drives, medical systems and transportation. IXYS also serves its markets with a combination of digital and analog integrated circuits. Additional information about Clare and IXYS may be found at www.clare.com and www.ixys.com.

LITELINK is a trademark of Clare, Inc.