3 February 2012

TriQuint’s foundry supports Durham-based start-up Sarda’s market entry 

RF front-end product provider TriQuint Semiconductor Inc of Hillsboro, OR, USA says that its Foundry Services division is supporting fabless power semiconductor start-up Sarda Technologies Inc of Durham, NC, USA to bring to market a new line of high-efficiency DC–DC converter switches. Sarda plans to offer cost-saving solutions for increasing efficiency and reducing component size in smartphones, mobile PCs and similar applications.

“Sarda Technologies is a good example of the innovative commercial and defense start-ups our Foundry Services division supports,” says James L. Klein, TriQuint’s VP & general manager for Defense Products and Foundry Services. “Sarda is developing an impressive family of power semiconductors for high-volume applications,” he adds. “We offer a complete support system that enables a company’s first-to-market strategies including best-in-class modeling, program management and applications engineering teams.” 

Global market demand for highly efficient DC–DC switches for power converters is significant, says TriQuint. According to the Darnell Group’s December 2011 report ‘Worldwide DC–DC Converter IC Forecasts: Applications, Amperages and Emerging Designs’, the market is projected to rise at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.7% from nearly 20 billion units in 2011 to just under 32 billion units in 2016; revenue is expected to grow to $4.3bn.

Power switching process technology currently used in DC–DC converters is not highly efficient, notes TriQuint. The switch is seen as an increasingly critical consumer electronics design element, since power consumption dramatically impacts end-user product experiences. The higher efficiency, reduced size and cost effectiveness of compound semiconductor-based technologies can be a definitive marketplace advantage, the firm adds.

“Sustained growth built on delivering improved DC–DC converters depends on innovative solutions,” comments Darnell Group's president Jeff Shepard. “Sarda is a good example of a high-tech company striving to deliver products that aim to meet these emerging requirements,” he adds. “TriQuint’s ability to deliver proven, high-volume foundry services and its direct experience manufacturing products for smartphones and mobile PCs can enable Sarda’s market plans and growth,” Shepard believes.

“TriQuint’s foundry business enables Sarda to quickly and cost-effectively develop a power semiconductor product line,” says Sarda’s CEO & co-founder Bob Conner. “Sarda employs TriQuint’s proven high-volume manufacturing processes to bring the performance advantages of compound semiconductors to cost-sensitive power electronics applications.”

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Visit: www.triquint.com/prodserv/foundry