Broadcom Ships Advanced Power Management Unit for New Mobile Handsets from Samsung

(Product News, 8 Oct 2007)

Broadcom Corp.'s power management unit (PMU) system- on-a-chip (SoC) is now shipping in volume production with one of the leading phone makers in the world. Samsung Electronics has adopted the Broadcom BCM59001 PMU SoC solution for use in its new SGH-J750 mobile phone, which has begun shipping in volume. The industry leading SoC integration in the BCM59001 PMU delivers both optimized system-level power consumption and lower overall system cost in mobile handsets.

Broadcom announced its entry into the PMU market in November 2006 to provide advanced power solutions as a strategic enabler to its broad range of SoC platforms including cellular, mobile multimedia, VoIP and security processors. Modern cellular handsets and other mobile devices require highly efficient and integrated PMU devices as companions to baseband and other processors to ensure optimal system operation and battery life. With the launch of the BCM59001 last year, Broadcom's product portfolio for mobile devices became one of the most complete in the industry, and the production deployment in the new Samsung phone validates Broadcom's position as a technologically advanced power management solutions supplier.

"Broadcom power management technology draws from the company's extensive experience in mixed-signal, analog and SoC development. It is adding a key component for the expanding universe of cellular handsets, personal media players and other devices," said Adam Spice, Vice President and General Manager of Broadcom's Power Management line of business. "The adoption of our PMU solution by a leading mobile phone OEM like Samsung is strong validation of our technology and strength of our product portfolio."

The evolution of cellular networks to 2.5G and 3G technologies has enabled increasingly sophisticated functionality and applications such as GPS and advanced multimedia in new mobile handsets and other portable connected devices. These power-hungry features (previously available in high-end products only) are proliferating down in greater numbers to mainstream products, creating a larger pool of devices in need of advanced power management functionality. The Broadcom BCM59001 addresses this challenge with an advanced power management solution that reduces total system cost and is flexible and scalable enough to manage the most demanding power requirements.

BCM59001 Technical Information
The Broadcom BCM59001 PMU provides DC-DC power supplies with very high efficiency over a wide range of loads, a smaller footprint and fewer external components than competing solutions, enabling longer battery life and lower overall system cost and size. The BCM59001 leverages Broadcom's extensive experience and advanced methodologies in analog and mixed-signal CMOS design, as well as its system level expertise and field proven portfolio of mobile technology products. Broadcom is one of very few companies who can offer baseband, multimedia and application processors, security and VoIP, as well as power management technologies—which are the essential building blocks in the design of mobile phones and other portable devices.

Providing the most optimized power management solution, the Broadcom BCM59001 PMU is offered with a complete set of software and device drivers to enable a high level of programming flexibility and a complete system solution. The software includes programmability for the device's integrated linear and switching regulator output voltages, enabling fast and efficient correlation between the power source and multiple integrated components. The BCM59001 also provides a flexible programming architecture to customize all of the default settings and start-up sequencing of the device's linear and switching regulators.

The BCM59001 PMU integrates all of the key portable power components, providing an unmatched level of integration in a small 6x6mm footprint including:
- Two high frequency switching regulators with industry leading efficiency at low current (84% at 1mA) to maximize system stand-by time
- Eleven integrated low drop-out (LDO) regulators that combine ultra-low noise performance with industry leading power supply rejection ratio (PSRR) of typical 60db at 10KHz and less than 30µVrms noise over 10Hz to 100kHz frequency range.
- Wall and USB charging for the main battery, including automatic charger source switchover
- A backup battery charger with constant current and constant voltage charging modes
- An integrated highly accurate 14-bit coulomb counter based fuel gauge and battery management system with associated software
- Real time control of the PMU functions via a 400kHz I(2)C-compatible serial interface
- An RTC module provides 32kHz output, time reference, and alarm functions with wake-up control
- Two programmable current sources to support LEDs and/or a vibrator.

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