Infineon Introduces Low Noise Amplifier with Best-in-Class Noise Figure for GPS Applications

Neubiberg, Germany and Tokyo, Japan – July 22, 2008 – Today at the Expo Comm Wireless Japan, Infineon Technologies AG (FSE/NYSE: IFX) added to its broad portfolio with announcement of a high-sensitivity LNA (Low Noise Amplifier) with the best-in-class noise figure for GPS applications. The new BGA715L7 fulfills mobile phone design requirements for high-sensitivity and immunity to interference of cellular signals while contributing to increased battery lifetime with a very low power consumption of only 5.94 mW and the capability to operate at 1.8 V supply voltage. GPS functionality is expected to be a standard feature for the next generations of mobile phones. According to the market research company IMS Research, this market segment is growing with a compound average growth rate (CAGR) of 33.7 percent till 2011. This means GPS will be featured in at least one third of all mobile phones to be produced in 2011.

“With the new BGA715L7 Infineon expands its broad range of high-performance LNAs in cost effective SiGe:C technology for GPS and UMTS phones as well as mobile TV, FM-radio and WLAN applications,” said Michael Mauer, Senior Marketing Director, Discrete Semiconductors at Infineon Technologies. “With shipments of more than 100 million GPS LNAs to date, Infineon has established a leading position in the GPS market.”

The main challenges for the growing mobile GPS market are to achieve higher sensitivity and higher immunity against interference of cellular signals. For safety and emergency reasons, government regulations, for example in the USA and in Japan, require mobile phones to receive GPS signals at very low power levels. This means signal reception has to be ensured indoors and even in underground parking lots.

Technical Features of the BGA715L7 at a Glance

Based on Infineon’s cost-effective SiGe:C technology, the BGA715L7 offers the best-in-class noise figure of only 0.6 dB, which is a 0.2 dB improvement over the next SiGe competitor. The low current consumption of only 3 mA is about 20 percent lower compared to alternative devices, which results in longer battery lifetime. The broad power supply, ranging from 1.5 V to 3.6 V, and digital control ranging from1.0 V to 3.6 V assure compatibility with all GPS chipsets available in the market and enable low voltage designs for energy saving. The BGA715L7 shows a high gain of 20 dB and high linearity (input compression point of -12 dBm at 2.8 V). An internal smart biasing circuit ensures stable operation over temperature and supply voltage variations. On-chip ESD protection is provided up to 1 kV HBM, which simplifies system ESD protection and makes the device very robust against ESD events during the assembly process. The BGA715L7 needs only three external passive components therefore supporting compact and space saving designs.

Availability, Package and Pricing

Samples of the BGA715L7 are available now, with volume production scheduled to begin in September 2008. Infineon provides evaluation kits to support customer designs. Pricing starts at USD 0.5 each in 10k quantity. The BGA715L7 is shipped in a tiny leadless TSLP7-1 package of 2.0 mm x 1.3 mm x 0.4 mm in size, which is pin-to-pin compatible with the widely used predecessor product BGA615L7.

Further information about Infineon’s LNAs and the new BGA715L7 is available at www.infineon.com/rfmmic

Infineon Technologies AG, Neubiberg, Germany, offers semiconductor and system solutions addressing three central challenges to modern society: energy efficiency, communications, and security. In the 2007 fiscal year (ending September), the company reported sales of Euro 7.7 billion (including Qimonda sales of Euro 3.6 billion) with approximately 43,000 employees worldwide (including approximately 13,500 Qimonda employees). With a global presence, Infineon operates through its subsidiaries in the U.S. from Milpitas, CA, in the Asia-Pacific region from Singapore, and in Japan from Tokyo. Infineon is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and on the New York Stock Exchange (ticker symbol: IFX).