austriamicrosystems
(SIX: AMS), a leading global designer and manufacturer of analog ICs for
communications, industrial, medical and automotive applications is proud to
announce the shipment of their one billionth high performance analog IC for
the successful SiSonic™ series of MEMS microphones. A major MEMS success
story, SiSonic™ MEMS microphones are the leading product family in this
rapidly developing market with major global OEMs relying on Knowles Acoustics'
unmatched expertise.
Built on Knowles' CMOS / MEMS technology platform, which was originally
launched in 2002, the SiSonic™ silicon-based microphone series is entering
its fifth generation of development, with the overall product family shipping
in excess of 1 billion units, to date. The proven, and evolving, design series
supports high-performance, high-density innovation in applications such as cell
phones, notebooks, digital still cameras, portable music players, and other
portable electronic devices.
“We are proud to be associated with a company that has been so successful
in introducing this leading technology. It is our objective to continually support
Knowles with compelling solutions to reduce costs and improve performance of
the integrated preamplifier and modulator circuits,” stated Franz Faschinger,
Senior Vice President at austriamicrosystems.
“Finding the right IC was an important element to the success of the
SiSonic MEMS microphone. austriamicrosystems was one of the few semiconductor
suppliers who were able to meet our demanding requirements," stated Mike
Adell, General Manager of Knowles Acoustics. "With unique capabilities,
depth, and reliability, we believe our relationship with austriamicrosystems
will allow us to extend our leadership position in MEMS microphone technology
for years to come.”
MEMS (micro electro mechanical system) microphones consist of two die, the
MEMS sensor element and the CMOS circuit. Acoustic signals are converted inside
the MEMS into a change in capacitance. The CMOS IC converts the capacitance
changes into a digital or analog output voltage, which can then be processed
by the other components in the mobile device. austriamicrosystems' high
performance analog ASIC is a very low noise, low power, low voltage MEMS interface
system which offers small die area and low cost and also meets the requirements
of high manufacturing quality and high voltage capability.