Product category:
Communications ICs (Wireless)
News Release from: AMI Semiconductor | Subject: Astric
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial
Team on 14 March 2003
Wireless technology aims for medical
device market
An exciting new set of capabilities has come to medical device design with the adoption of wireless technology enabled by products such as the Astric family of SoC transceivers from AMIS.
AMI Semiconductor (AMIS) counts among its customers some of the world's leading manufacturers of medical devices For more than a decade industry leaders have turned to AMIS for digital, mixed-signal and sensor solutions that power implantable medical devices, hearing aids, medical imaging systems, and remote patient monitoring and diagnostics/alarm applications
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 24 Jul 2002 at 8.00am (UK)
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The AMIS-52100 transceiver is the latest member of the low-datarate ASTRIC (application specific transmit and receive IC) product family from AMI Semiconductor.
Recently, an exciting new set of capabilities has come to medical device design with the adoption of wireless technology enabled by products such as the Astric family of SoC transceivers from AMIS.
Smart application of low-datarate wireless chip design expertise from AMIS gives medical device manufacturers the ability to leapfrog the competition and to provide end users with increased convenience, reliability and an overall higher quality of life.
"The combination of hundreds of person years of medical device experience, a unique technology portfolio, and flexible and efficient manufacturing with a non-obsolescence foundry process policy makes AMIS the ideal partner in the continuously growing medical electronics marketplace", said Jonas Weiland, Strategic Marketing Manager for AMI Semiconductor's medical marketing efforts.
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"We are working with our strong base of established customers in this segment to become the preferred and trusted semiconductor supplier for the majority of key players in the vibrant medical device industry".
In the past year, AMIS added to its medical electronics capabilities with the acquisition of the Micro Power Products Division of Microsemi Corporation.
The 15-person design team that joined AMIS from Microsemi are experts in low-voltage low power design for medical implantable, hearing aid and portable medical applications.
Intellectual property developed includes high-performance sigma-delta convertors for hearing aid applications, ultra-low-power sensing filters for implantable applications and other functions used in these applications.
Members of this group brought to AMIS existing customer relationships with many manufacturers of hearing aids, implantable devices and portable glucose monitors.
These medical device experts are now part of a global AMIS team of more than 200 analogue and mixed-signal design engineers located in facilities throughout North America, Europe and Asia.
Through this network, medical device manufacturers can access AMI Semiconductor's extensive portfolio of digital, mixed-signal, A/D conversion, low-voltage and low-datarate wireless ASIC IP.
The adoption of wireless technology, in particular, is enabling an exciting new set of capabilities in medical device design.
Together with its customers, AMIS is breaking new ground in low-datarate wireless applications.
The Astric (application specific transmit and receive IC) mixed-signal wireless ASIC technology platform from AMIS is ideally suited to provide medical device manufacturers with a reduced system cost, low power, scalable SoC that integrates modular transmitter, receiver and transceiver functions onto a single chip.
Adding wireless functionality to hearing aids, for example, will enable hearing aid users and their doctors to adjust volume or other controls remotely.
More than 70% of hearing aid users wear a unit in both ears.
Wireless transmission between a user's set of two hearing aids could be used to adjust the pickup of the microphone in each unit and in each ear to better balance sounds.
Wireless functionality has already been designed into systems that allow hearing aid users to receive direct audio signals in theatre, home TV and classroom settings.
Manufacturers of implantable medical devices and home and office diagnostic equipment are also rapidly adopting wireless capabilities into their designs.
Thanks to these designs, doctors and patients will be able to capture and record real-time data from pacemakers and defibrillators much less intrusively than is possible today.
Such increased availability to patient information enables caregivers to provide better care to their patients.
In some cases, remote patient monitoring capabilities can help decrease the cost of long term care, and can provide an increased measure of independence for patients.
Process longevity is another reason these medical device manufacturers choose to partner with AMIS, which has built a reputation for keeping needed processes around to accommodate its customers' long-term needs.
Many of AMI Semiconductor's processes have been available to customers for more than 15 years, and most show no sign of slowing down.
The foundry team at AMI Semiconductor appreciates that products used in medical applications require long-term support because customers must often dedicate years just to qualify their product through the FDA, FCC and other regulatory agencies.
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