European semiconductor designer SGS-Thomson has applied its pioneering Application Specific Discrete (ASD) technology to produce a series of advanced 'integrated discretes'.
A discrete is a device or collection of devices that performs one specific function within an electronics product.
The ASD technology has helped SGS-Thomson produce a combination of discretes in one 'package', which SGS-Thomson admits is a contradiction in terms.
Marketing manager for the integrated circuit division in France, Philip Lolies, said the company was the first to develop this type of technology whereby a single integrated circuit could offer both power processing and power protection - hence an 'integrated discrete'.
The ASD technology could help original equipment manufacturers or telecommunications companies prevent loss of data in computer data traffic.
Mr Lolies, who visited Hong Kong last week, said it protected high-speed transmission lines such as ISDN (integrated services digital network) and SLICs (subcriber line interface cards) from damage caused by unexpectedly high voltages, such as those caused by lightning strikes.
'For disk-drive protection, it can be used to suppress spikes from both five volt and 12 volt DC supplies,' Mr Lolies said.
