STMicroelectronics, a semiconductor leader serving customers across the spectrum of electronics applications and the innovator of integrated micro-package components used by OEMs to build incredibly small and highly featured products, is revealing new families of these dimension-shrinking devices to further extend its lead in ultra-miniature filtering, protection and RF matching devices. ST leverages advanced semiconductor technologies to integrate commonly used circuit elements such as passive filters, ESD suppressors and wireless baluns in a much smaller size than state-of-the-art discrete solutions. As semiconductor devices, ST's components also display tighter tolerances and higher stability than conventional discrete components, allowing product designers to miniaturize pc-board size, accelerate time-to-market and improve quality. The latest advanced devices joining ST's micro-package families include the world's smallest single-line Transient-Voltage Suppressor, the ESDAVLC6-1BV2, in a 01005 surface-mount package to protect sensitive circuitry against hazardous voltage surges. ST is also introducing the first five members of its new ECMF™ family of common-mode filters embedding ESD protection. These are built using advanced silicon technology and are offered in ultra-thin packages only 0.55mm high. Another new member of ST's IPD (Integrated Passive Device) family, the BAL-NRF01D3 ultra-miniature wireless balun, has already enabled ST's customers to boost the performance of their low-power wireless solutions and save up to 90% of the pc-board space occupied by discrete antenna-matching and harmonic-filtering components. Background to ST's Integrated Passives and Protection Devices ST's technologies leverage advanced component-fabrication technologies to combine into a single device multiple circuit elements including resistors, capacitors, inductors and ESD diodes that are otherwise typically implemented as individual components on the pc-board. In this way, ST's integrated devices eliminate multiple components and the interconnections between them, resulting in a large net saving in pc-board area. Hence designers can use them to create smaller end-products, increase functionality by designing-in extra ICs, simplify PCB layout and shorten time-to-market for new products. Moreover, ST's integrated devices deliver better performance than equivalent discrete devices, as they are produced using semiconductor processes that display greater quality, reliability and process control. Component values have closer tolerances and reduced variation over time compared with conventional devices such as Metal-Oxide Varistors (MOVs), Low-Temperature Co-fired Ceramic (LTCC) devices and general-purpose passive components. These advantages allow customers to improve the quality of their products and the perception of their brand. The BAL-NRF01D3 is in mass production in a 5-bump flip-chip package, priced from $0.18 for orders over 5,000 units. The ECMF common-mode filters are also in mass production, priced from $0.16 (ECMF02-2BF3) for orders over 1,000 units. The ESDAVLC6-1BV2 Transient-Voltage Suppressor is priced from $0.10 for orders over 1,000 units. STMIcroelectronics
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