[April 06, 2004] RF Micro Devices Increases Shipments to Samsung Electronics; Share Gains Anticipated in Power Amplifiers and Cellular Transceivers RF Micro Devices, Inc. (Nasdaq: RFMD), a provider of proprietary radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs) for wireless communications applications, today announced the Company is shipping high-volume production of its RF3146 third-generation PowerStar(R) power amplifier (PA) module to Samsung Electronics. The industry-leading 7x7x0.9mm RF3146 is powering multiple Samsung GPRS handsets across numerous phone platforms. RFMD supplies PowerStar PAs into approximately 70 percent of Samsung's GPRS handsets. Based on existing design wins across more than 30 GPRS handsets, RFMD expects to increase its GSM/GPRS PA market share at Samsung this year. Additionally, the Company anticipates incremental revenue opportunities at Samsung in 2004 in cellular transceivers and in CDMA power amplifiers. RFMD's RF3146 PowerStar lead frame PA module is a low-cost, high-performance solution that exceeds key system performance parameters while enabling customers to accelerate time-to-market, simplify their supply chain and decrease total cost of ownership. The superior power-added efficiency of the RF3146 saves valuable battery life, which is of critical importance for today's feature-rich handsets. Additionally, the RF3146 features RFMD's patented integrated power control technology, which eliminates the need for additional power control circuitry, thereby providing reduced component count, lower total cost of implementation and simplified phone calibration, enabling customers to quickly bring their handsets to market. Joe Grzyb, general manager of power amplifier products at RF Micro Devices, said, We are pleased to extend our relationship with Samsung to include our RF3146 PowerStar power amplifier modules. Samsung is a global leader in cellular handsets, and we look forward to supplying additional PA components in their future generations of handsets. Grzyb continued, Our third-generation PowerStar PA solution combines today's most advanced design and packaging technologies and underscores our commitment to providing handset manufacturers highly integrated, reduced size and high-performance solutions that support wireless handsets with advanced functionality. In addition to our patented integrated power control, the quad-band RF3146 features RFMD's patent-pending Lead Frame Module(TM) packaging technology, which allows us to integrate passive components directly into our GaAs die, thereby reducing size, cost and component count. About RFMD's RF3146 The quad-band (GSM850/EGSM900/DCS/PCS) RF3146 features RFMD's patented integrated power control circuitry based on collector control, which eliminates the need for directional couplers, detector diodes, power control ASICs and other power control circuitry. The RF3146 is the first PowerStar product designed on RFMD's patent-pending and highly integrated Lead Frame Module (LFM(TM)) packaging technology. Unlike laminate or low temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC) modules, PA modules designed using RFMD's LFM technology do not require surface mount devices (SMDs) in their construction, thereby decreasing manufacturing lead time and simplifying the production supply chain. Key customer benefits of LFM products include improved thermal performance and an industry-leading sub-one millimeter profile. Measuring 7x7x0.9mm, the RF3146 enables a 50 percent reduction in area and a 30 percent reduction in height, versus the prior generation component. About RFMD's PowerStar PA Modules RFMD's PowerStar products are the world's best-selling family of power amplifier modules with patented integrated power control. PowerStar PA modules provide handset customers the most robust and consistent burst timing and transient spectrum performance, which are primary specifications required by ETSI for cell phone full type approval, or FTA. Additionally, PowerStar PA modules greatly simplify engineering effort and reduce end-of-line test development by months by allowing phone engineers to instantly calculate ramp profiles using single-point calibration. By comparison, most other methods require at least five points of calibration. PowerStar PA modules feature integrated power control based on collector control, which is the world's leading method of power control for GSM/GPRS/EDGE power amplifiers. PowerStar PA modules are manufactured using GaAs HBT for the PA and silicon CMOS for the integrated power control circuitry. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]