Intersil's Core Controllers Improve Power Dissipation Reporting Accuracy and Transient Response for Intel(R) Santa Rosa Platform

Market Wire, September, 2006

Intersil Corporation (NASDAQ: ISIL), a world leader in the design and manufacture of high-performance analog semiconductors, today introduced a new family of core controllers for meeting Intel's next-generation (Core Duo and Core 2 Duo) mobile platform. These devices offer improved accuracy in power dissipation reporting and industry-leading transient response and efficiency enabled by Intersil's patented R3 (Robust Ripple Regulator) Technology(TM).

Intersil's new family of controllers reports the CPU power consumption through a highly accurate continuous analog output signal. Compared with conventional controllers, Intersil's R3 controllers stabilize current flow and allow less time between wave peaks in a regulator circuit.

"The ability to report power dissipation to the CPU is an important step towards optimizing the operation of the CPU and enhancing overall efficiency and battery usage, as well as overall system thermal performance," said Majid Kafi, director of Intersil's Notebook Power products group. "Intersil's new family of controllers also offers flexible solutions for customers who are transitioning from Intel Napa platforms to the Santa Rosa platform. They can use their similar layout and still have the improved performance that our new controllers offer."

"Improved efficiency and faster transient response," Kafi explained, "will result from being able to use higher tolerance inductors in DC resistance measurement settings and reduce the total cost."

Intersil's Core Controllers for Intel Santa Rosa Platform

To boost battery life, the ISL6260C , ISL6261A and ISL6262A support DPRSLRVR (deeper sleep) functions and maximize efficiency by automatically changing operation modes. At heavy loads in the active mode, these controllers command the continuous conduction mode (CCM) operation. When the CPU enters a deeper sleep mode, the controllers enable diode emulation to maximize the efficiency at light loads.

The ISL6260C, ISL6261A and ISL6262A are part of Intersil's growing profile of Santa Rosa-compatible parts for Intel reference designs. These core controllers feature Intersil's R3 Technology to enable faster transient response.

The ISL6260C multiphase controller -- together with ISL6208 external gate driver -- provides a complete solution to power Intel's mobile microprocessors. It offers an up to three-phase solution for CPU core power. The ISL6262A has two integrated drivers and powers CPUs of up to 44A. The ISL6261A offers single-phase operation with an internal driver for LV/ULV applications up to 25A of CPU current. The ISL6260C and ISL6262A are also able to add and drop phases for improved efficiency and flexibility.

This family of devices features power management innovations from the Notebook Power group. These parts are designed to meet the exacting specifications of laptop and mobile device manufacturers.

Key Features

--  Precision core voltage regulator with enhanced load line accuracy and
    0.5% system accuracy over temperature
--  User-programmable switching frequency
--  Microprocessor voltage identification 7-bit VID input
--  Supports multiple current sensing approaches
--  Differential remote voltage sensing
--  CPU power monitor
    

Target Applications

--  All notebook PCs powered with Intel's Core Duo or Core 2 Duo
--  Blade servers powered with Intel's Core Duo or Core 2 Duo
--  Embedded applications powered with Intel's Core Duo or Core 2 Duo
    

About Intersil's Power Management Portfolio

Intersil's high-performance analog ICs provide innovative power management solutions for applications in the computing, communications, peripherals, display, networking, telecommunications, industrial, instrumentation and battery-powered products markets. Intersil is a leading supplier of PWM controller ICs with over two billion units shipped. Intersil offers a broad portfolio of power management ICs, including single and multiple output switching regulators, integrated FET DC/DC controllers, battery management ICs, hot plug controllers and power MOSFET drivers. To learn more, visit Intersil's Power Management page at http://www.intersil.com/power .

Pricing and Availability

The ISL6260C is available now in a 40-lead, 6x6 QFN package and is priced at $3.25 each. The ISL6261A is available now in 40-lead, 6x6 QFN (tape and reel option available) packages or 48-lead, 7x7 QFN packages (tape and reel option available) and is priced at $3.50 each. The ISL6262A is available now in a 48-lead, 7x7 QFN package and is priced at $3.75 each. All prices are in 1,000-unit quantities.

More information on the ISL6260C is available at http://www.intersil.com/cda/deviceinfo/0,1477,ISL6260C,0.html , more information on the ISL6261A is available at http://www.intersil.com/cda/deviceinfo/0,1477,ISL6261A,0.html and more information on the ISL6262A is available at http://www.intersil.com/cda/deviceinfo/0,1477,ISL6262A,0.html .

Note to editors: To view a high-resolution downloadable photo of the ISL6260C, ISL6261A and ISL6262A, visit Intersil's photo room at: http://www.intersil.com/pressroom/photoarchives.asp .