SAN JOSE, Calif. — Expanding its analog power management lines, Texas Instruments Inc. has acquired Ciclon Semiconductor Device Corp. for an undisclosed price.
With Ciclon, Dallas-based TI gains quick entry into the power MOSFET and other analog-oriented IC businesses. Ciclon (Bethlehem, Pa.) makes power MOSFETS and RF-based LDMOS (laterally-diffused metal oxide semiconductor) power transistors.
Power MOSFET suppliers include Infineon, Renesas and a number of others. But Ciclon claims to have an advantage over its rivals in several applications, such as the computer, server and other power-hungry market segments.
The company's MOSFET technology, known as NexFET, attains performance and size improvements by delivering a reduction in gate charge, said Mark Granahan, Ciclon's CEO.
Ciclon's power management technology is said to double a power system's operating frequency. It is said to be able to achieve greater than 90 percent power efficiency in a footprint up to 20 percent smaller than current power supplies, according to the companies.
Steve Anderson, senior vice president for TI's Power Management business unit, said the deal gives TI a one-stop shop in the analog power managment market.
TI solves complex power design challenges with DC-to-DC controllers and IC drivers, Anderson said. Now, it can offer the missing piece in power MOSETs for OEMs, Anderson said. ''We can now supply the total solution,'' he told EE Times.
Under the terms of the deal, Ciclon will be folded into TI. Granahan will become general manager of the Power Stage business unit.
Ciclon has 50 employees. Ciclon's roots can be traced back to Agere Systems, which was acquired by LSI Corp. in 2006. In 2005, Agere exited the RF LDMOS chip market, selling its product line to Ciclon.
The deal is TI's latest acquistion in the analog arena. In 2007, TI, the world's largest analog vendor, acquired Integrated Circuit Design Inc., a supplier of RF and power management technology.
Also in 2007, TI bought Powerprecise Solutions, a supplier of
battery management technology. Last year, TI bought Commergy Technologies, which develops power supply technology. And also last year, it bought Innovative Design Solutions, which has expertise in integrating high-speed analog devices for markets like test and measurement, communications and medical.
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