Tekmos Talks
A Newsletter for the Semiconductor Industry
September 2012
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| Greetings! | 
Welcome to Tekmos Talks September.
This month we will address unusual requests from industries looking for electronics that operate with a higher voltage and announce Tekmos' new Surplus Parts Program.
Tekmos Talks will also share sales highlights news, tape outs on 4 different products, and shipments on 3 new micro controllers. |
From the Desk of Lynn Reed, President of Tekmos
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High Voltage ASICs
We frequently have customers come to us with unusual problems. We had a customer that had an old 5 volt ASIC that they needed more of. This is not a problem. But they wanted to include a driver chip that had a +/- 5 volt output. And that was a problem. The challenge is how to get 10 volt operation out of available processes that are set up for 5 volts or less.
Many of our 68XX microcontrollers use an 0.6u EEPROM process. This process uses special high voltage transistors that are rated at ~18 volts. We needed 10 volt operation, and chose to create a gate array that used these high voltage transistors everywhere. This gave us the process, but we still had several design issues.
We were a little worried about speed, since we had to more than double our "L's" in order to support the higher voltage. However the loss of speed due to the increase in "L" was offset by the higher voltages, and so performance was not a problem. It turned out that our biggest problem was the inputs. Normally, inputs use a ratioed inverter. A TTL input is a ratioed inverter that is set to have a threshold of 1.4 volts, which is exactly in the middle of the TTL range.
In this case, we were working off of a +/- 5 volt supply. As far as the chip was concerned, ground was the -5 volt supply, and the new TTL input thresholds were between 5.8 and 7.0 volts. This is an impossibly tight target for a ratioed inverter. Instead, we made a simple P-channel comparator, and use an internal resistor string between +5 and ground to establish the threshold. The rest of the chip was straightforward digital logic.
This chip was a good example of using a current process in a legitimate but unusual way to achieve superior performance to meet the customers' goals.
For more information about High Voltage ASICs:
Call or email Bob Abrams, VP of Sales & Business Development for new product & data info. 512-342-9871 sales@tekmos.com
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Tekmos Quality Control
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Tekmos is in the process of conducting a series of internal audits using the ISO 9001:2008 standard. To help do this Tekmos went the extra mile and had three of its employees participate in Internal Auditor training to better prepare them to effectively conduct these audits.
Internal audits are one of the requirements to maintain registration as an ISO 9001:2008 company. It is also an opportunity for a company to identify opportunities to improve the quality of its internal systems. The internal audit requires a rigorous hands on approach to assess all of your processes and procedures to determine if they are in line with the ISO standard and your documented system.
Internal Audits are a Quality Management System's best friend. Findings from these audits lead directly to improvements in the effectiveness and efficiency of the management system. One of the most important components to successful internal audits is to have employees involved in the process. Involving your employees helps create the feeling that everyone has an important contribution to make to the company and its goals.
To learn more contact Jon Gehm, Director of Operations 512-342-9871.
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Tekmos Sales Highlights & New Surplus Parts Program
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Sales Highlights from Bob Abrams:
- Shipped production orders of TK68HC11D0 to support customer designs in Sweden and the UK for international industrial process controls company.
- Awarded ASIC design win to develop and manufacture a high voltage custom chip for a major defense subcontractor.
- Awarded purchase order to manufacture 20,000 TK83C751 microcontrollers for international industrial products company.
- Received design approval for TK89C668 to replace original P89C668 for industrial measurement company. Orders for the TK89C668 microcontroller have been increasing monthly in 2012.
- Shipped over 65,000 TK80C188EB microcontrollers in 2012 for several medical applications.
- Provided test services of "Freescale MC68HC11D0" products to assist customer with validating working parts in their inventory.
August 2012 Tekmos achieved tape out on 4 different products; 2 military ASICs, 1 new microprocessor the TK68HC711D3 and a High Voltage ASIC of 10 volts. We continue to provide products for fields of defense, oil and gas, aerospace, and the automotive industries. August 2012 Tekmos shipped 3 new microcontrollers: two with ROM codes TK68HC05C8A and TK68HC05L28. Tekmos is pleased to announce the launch of its Surplus Parts Program with the TK68HC11D0. For more information on all Tekmos products contact Vice President of Sales & Business Development, Bob Abrams, at 512-342-9871 or bob.abrams@tekmos.com Tekmos provides quality solutions for applications in the fields of oil and gas exploration, oilfield services, automotive manufacturing, medical applications. Tekmos is successful at providing our customers with sustainable, customized semiconductor solutions. To learn more.... |
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Thank you for reading Tekmos Talks. Contact Bob Abrams, Vice President of Sales & Business Development, call (512) 342-9871 or email Sales for more information and to purchase our most recent "tape outs", our High Voltage ASIC, or our other great quality products.
We appreciate our customers. Tekmos is looking back while innovating for tomorrow.
Sincerely, |
Lynn Reed, President 4120 Commercial Center Drive, Suite 400Austin, TX 78744Phone: (512) 342-9871Fax: (512) 342-9873Email: Sales@Tekmos.com
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