SAN JOSE, Calif., Nov. 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Micrel Inc., , an industry leader in analog, high bandwidth communications and Ethernet IC solutions, today launched the MIC2159, a synchronous buck controller featuring high efficiency, less components, small size and thermal capability point-of-load DC-to-DC conversion. The IC is targeted at networking, telecom/datacom, server, graphic card, and storage applications. The MIC2159 is released to volume production and priced at $1.69 in 1,000-piece quantities.

"The MIC2159 addresses our customer's need for simple, cost-effective, small and thermal-capable high current solutions for their point-of-load DC-to-DC applications," says Ralf Muenster, Micrel's marketing director for power products. "The MIC2159 has a typical minimum on-time of 30ns, which is significantly lower than the competition. It allows very low PWM duty ratio required by datacom applications that need to convert 12V to 1V in a single step, increasing the overall efficiency by eliminating intermediate voltage rails and reducing the system cost."

The MIC2159 operates from a wide 3V to 14.5V input voltage range, thereby allowing the device to deploy step down voltages for systems using 3.3V, 5V, and 12V power busses. With a programmable minimum output voltage of 0.8V, the MIC2159 can power the latest generation CPUs, DSPs, FPGAs, and ASICs. Powerful internal gate drivers allow the device to power external MOSFETs that can provide up to 30A of output current. The MIC2159 operates at 400 KHz, allowing the smallest possible external components and highest level of efficiency, especially in high output current applications. With a proprietary adaptive gate drive technique that reduces MOSFET shoot-through current, the MIC2159 is capable of efficiencies of greater than 95 percent. Significant cost savings are achieved by eliminating the need for an expensive current sensing resistor by instead sensing current through the high-side N-Channel MOSFET. Current limit accuracy is maintained by a positive temperature coefficient that tracks the increasing on-resistance of the external MOSFET. Additionally, with the built-in soft-start, the MIC2159 reduces in-rush current while eliminating the need for an external soft-start capacitor.

The MIC2159 is offered in a low-pin count, small and thermally capable ePAD MSOP-10 package. This package option reduces design complexity and external components, and its small size and high thermal capability saves valuable board space when compared to bigger SOP-packaged solutions and allows the device to operate at high ambient temperatures at the same time. The device can also operate from -40C to +125C junction temperature.

About Micrel, Inc.

Micrel Inc., is a leading global manufacturer of IC solutions for the worldwide analog, Ethernet and high bandwidth markets. The Company's products include advanced mixed-signal, analog and power semiconductors; high performance communication, clock management, Ethernet switch and physical layer transceiver ICs. Company customers include leading manufacturers of enterprise, consumer, industrial, mobile, telecommunications, automotive, and computer products. Corporation headquarters and state-of-the-art wafer fabrication facilities are located in San Jose, CA, with regional sales and support offices and advanced technology design centers situated throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia. In addition, the Company maintains an extensive network of distributors and reps worldwide. Web: http://www.micrel.com/ .

CONTACT: Julieanne DiBene, Marketing Communications, +1-408-474-1276, or
Julie.DiBene@Micrel.com

Web site: http://www.micrel.com/

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