MISCELLANEOUS
Extendable platform kit to ease adoption of
FPGA-Based RISC-V designs
Microsemi Corporation and Imperas Software partnered on
the development of what they believe to be the first commercially
available instruction set
simulator (ISS) for Microsemi’s
Mi-V ecosystem, the Extendable
Platform Kit for Microsemi Mi-V
RISC-V soft central processing
units (CPUs). The program is
designed to boost the adoption
of Microsemi’s RISC-V soft CPU
product family utilizing RISC-V
open instruction set architectures
(ISAs). Imperas’ Virtual Extendable
Platform Kit provides a software simulation environment for the
development, debugging and testing of software running on
Microsemi’s RISC-V soft core. This environment, with improved
controllability, visibility, repeatability and ease of automation,
accelerates software development. This enables higher quality
software, particularly for applications demanding reliability,
safety and security. As the first commercially supported ISS
for RISC-V processors, with debug integrated with SoftConsole,
the kit is also an example platform running the FreeRTOS
operating system. Customers can now choose commercially
supported ISS for their software development tasks versus an
open source, self-support-style ISS.
Microsemi
www.microsemi.com
I2C-programmable crystal oscillators have
ultra-low jitter in the 95fs range
The Si54x Ultra Series of I2C-Programmable crystal oscillators
(XOs) announced by Silicon Labs maximize jitter margin for
clocking high-speed 28 Gbps
and 56 Gbps transceivers
used in 100/200/400G communications
and data center
applications. With a typical jitter
performance as low as 95
femtoseconds (fs), the Si544/
Si549 Ultra Series are capable
of generating any frequency
from 200kHz to 1.5GHz with no frequency gaps and 4 partsper
trillion (ppt) tuning resolution, enabling a single device to
be used across a broad spectrum of applications. The Si544/
Si549 XOs support up to four preset, pin-selectable start-up
frequencies. After power-up, the device operating frequency
can easily be changed via an I2C interface. This configuration
flexibility enables a single oscillator to replace multiple single,
dual and quad-frequency XOs and multiplexer (mux) devices
with a single oscillator. The device can be powered from a
single 1.8, 2.5 or 3.3 V supply, eliminating the need for different
XO part numbers for different supply voltages. The Si54x XO’s
I2C interface supports update rates as high as 1 MHz (Fastmode
Plus), maximizing compatibility with a broad range of
ASSPs, ASICs, SoCs and FPGAs. The chips come in 3.2x5mm
and 5x7mm packages, they support all popular output formats.
Silicon Labs
www.silabs.com
OLED circular polarizer is 45μm thin, flexible
Silicon Valley startup Light Polymers has announced what it
claims to be the industry’s thinnest circular polarizer to equip
next-gen flexible OLED displays. Based on lyotropic liquid
crystal technology, Light Polymers’
proprietary nanochemistry
creates a circular polarizer just
45μm thick. The company is now
working on a foldable version of
this circular polarizer for a possible
commercial introduction
in 2018. The circular polarizer
is an essential part of an OLED
display, it reduces the reflections of light off the mirror-like surface
of an OLED panel. Without the circular polarizer, an OLED
panel would act just like a mirror, reflecting all of the light back
and rendering the OLED display unreadable. Because Light
Polymers’ polarizer chemistry is water-based, it can be coated
using industry standard coating equipment at nearly room
temperature without high drying temperatures. “The polarizer
industry’s current technology is nearly forty years old and
based on PVA or polyvinyl alcohol which requires significant
capital expense. One production line is over $50M and makes
30-40M m2 per year. Our polarizer nanochemistry enables the
industry to use production lines at 1/10th the cap-ex costs and
utilizes much less energy and processing additives”, explains
Marc McConnaughey, President and CEO of Light Polymers.
Light Polymers
www.lightpolymers.com
Thermoelectric module delivers precise
laser diode cooling
Designed for laser diodes, infrared detectors, pump lasers and
optical transceivers, the OptoTEC thermoelectric module offers
superior heat
pumping capability
in a footprint
of less than
13x13mm.
The thermoelectric
module (TEM)
accommodates a
laser diode butterfly
package and is primarily used to stabilize the temperature
of sensitive optical components for applications that have
lower cooling requirements of 10 watts or less. The OptoTEC
Series is used to keep the laser diode operating temperature
stable at around 25+/-0.5ºC, it dissipates heat generated by
the active optical component, which is around 1 to 2 Watts.
Reverse polarity enables the thermoelectric module to heat
or cool dependent on outdoor temperature. The OptoTEC
TEM is available in multiple configurations and surface finishing
options. Assembled with Bismuth Telluride semiconductor
material and thermally conductive Aluminium Oxide ceramics,
the TEM units are designed for lower current and lower heat
pumping applications. Custom designs are available to accommodate
metallization, pre-tinning, ceramic patterns, and solder
posts, however MOQ applies.
Laird
www.lairdtech.com
www.eenewseurope.com eeNews Europe January 2018 News 47
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