NEC Electronics Corp. announced four new intelligent power devices (IPDs), the uPD166017, uPD166019, uPD166020 and uPD166021. Each high-side IPD is applicable for automotive lighting and other critical vehicle loads. Designed for on-board electronic control units (ECUs) typically used in head- and fog-light applications, the new devices, or power ICs, have an embedded power MOSFET for switching and a control chip for protection features in a single package. The IPDs strongly contribute to the improvement of the ECUs' efficiency, which help designers to develop environmentally friendly automobiles. Each new IPD features unique characteristics: (1) uPD166017 IPD, improved drive performance with low on-state resistance: Using NEC Electronics' new power MOSFET Super Junction technology enables the uPD166017 IPD to reduce on-state resistance (6m) by 40%, compared to the already available uPD166007, uPD166009 and uPD166010 devices in the same TO-252 five-pin package. This low on-state resistance enables the IPD to drive high-current lamps and heating elements. When two conventional IPDs were previously needed for seat heaters, now only one uPD166017 device is needed. Choosing the uPD166017 IPD for diesel glow plugs also will allow the reduction of the IPD size by 50% compared to current IPD solutions in TO-263 packages. The low on-state resistance minimizes thermal issues, allowing system manufacturers worldwide to reduce ECU sizes. Last but not least, the uPD166017 IPD has an analog current sense coupled to a diagnostic function. (2) uPD166019 IPD, reduced parasitic noises, ideal for high-frequency applications: The uPD166019 IPD adopts a P-channel MOSFET as a high-side switch, allowing the removal of the internal charge pump required for a conventional N-channel MOSFET. It allows outstanding electromagnetic noise reduction which, combined with low on-state resistance, makes this device the ideal candidate for fast-switching applications and motor drive applications. In addition, the uPD166019 IPD slew rate can be adjusted by an external resistor, and the device includes a diagnostic function. (3) uPD166020 and uPD166021 IPDs, optimized drive performance enabling lower pulse-width modulator (PWM) losses Due to the rather unstable voltage supply delivered by car batteries, applications driven by PWM increase to improve the lifetime of light bulbs. NEC Electronics' answer to the growing demand in faster switching devices are the uPD166020 and uPD166021 IPDs, which offer optimized on- and off-switching characteristics, reduced power losses and a reduction in overheating. Both devices also have an analog current sense and a diagnostic function.

NEC Electronics Corp. announced the availability of 14 new All Flash(TM) microcontrollers (MCUs), the 78K0/Dx2 product series with simple gauges. The new offering includes a wide range of peripherals with either 80 pins or 64 pins and memory capacity ranging from 60 kilobytes (KB) down to 24 KB. Automotive sales in the emerging markets, including China, India and Brazil, have been showing strong growth buoyed by their continuous economic growth. NEC Electronics is offering these new products to support the manufacturers of small cars and motorcycles as they capture accelerating consumer demand. NEC Electronics has been providing MCU product offerings for automotive dashboards by integrating meter functionalities into its 8-bit 78K0 CPUs. NEC Electronics revised the peripherals of the dashboard meters and believes these new MCUs will promote expansion of its lineup of automotive MCUs for China and India. Primary features of the new dashboard 78K0/Dx2 MCUs: (1) Extensive variety of peripheral functions- NEC Electronics' MCUs provide a rich set of new peripherals such as a stepper motor driver/controller and an increased total number of timer channels from six to nine. Also included are an LCD driver/controller, a CAN interface, and a sound generator all in a single chip, enabling system manufacturers to reduce external components and trim system development costs. (2) Wide selection of products- NEC Electronics offers an extensive lineup of MCUs that differ by flash memory capacity, RAM capacity, necessity of a CAN interface, number of stepping motor driver/controller channels and LCD drive/display capability, which allows designers to choose the optimum configuration for their applications. Mass production of these new products is scheduled to begin in October 2010 and is expected to reach a monthly production of 100,000 units by October 2013.

NEC Electronics Corp. announced it has introduced its new Camera Engine 151 (CE151) system-on-chip (SoC), an image-processing device for camera phones to provide images comparable to digital-still cameras (DSCs). In 2007, NEC Electronics launched the CE131 SoC, which provided the eight-megapixel mobile-phone market segment with accumulated shipments exceeding 30 million units. NEC Electronics also introduced the CE143 SoC in 2009, which enabled processing of 12-megapixel images and full high-definition (HD) video. Samples of NEC Electronics' CE151 SoC are available now. The projected total monthly production of 1.0 million units is scheduled by April, the company noted in a release.

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