Microsemi Collaborates with Silicon Creations to Enable Industry's Lowest Power FPGA 12.7G Transceivers With PHYs for Microsemi's PolarFire FPGAs

ALISO VIEJO, Calif. and SUWANEE, Ga., Feb. 16, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Microsemi Corporation (Nasdaq: MSCC), a leading provider of semiconductor solutions differentiated by power, security, reliability and performance, and Silicon Creations, a leading supplier of high-performance analog and mixed-signal intellectual property (IP), today announced their collaboration in developing the industry's lowest power field programmable gate array (FPGA) with 12.7 Gbps transceivers, using a Serializer/Deserializer (SerDes) PHY from Silicon Creations. These transceivers have been deployed on Microsemi's new ultralow power PolarFire^™ mid-range FPGAs. The multiprotocol PHY helps ensure PolarFire FPGAs support a wide variety of serial protocols used for designs in the wireline access, wireless infrastructure and industry 4.0 markets.  

"Our collaboration with Silicon Creations to develop and integrate a highly innovative PHY technology with a rich physical coding sublayer has provided the FPGA industry with a highly compelling multiprotocol transceiver solution that will solve problems across multiple market segments, especially in wireline access and cellular infrastructure," said Lyle Smith, vice president of product development engineering for Microsemi's system-on-chip (SoC) business unit. "Silicon Creations was diligent in providing high quality verified PHY intellectual property on schedule, and provided critical signal integrity and integration support enabling Microsemi to deliver PolarFire silicon that met or exceeded target specifications on performance and power consumption."

Microsemi's PolarFire FPGAs have leveraged Silicon Creations' extensive portfolio of phase locked loop (PLL) and high-speed input/output (I/O) circuitry to develop SerDes IP. The PHY supports a range of different SerDes protocols, including Ethernet 10G-KR/R; PCIe Gen 1/2; common public radio interface (CPRI) rates 1 to 9; JESD204B; OIF-CEI 6G and 11G; SATA, Serial Digital Interface (SDI) and various standards around Passive Optical Networks (PON).

"We are honored Microsemi chose to work with us on this project," said Andrew Cole, Silicon Creations' vice president. "Microsemi challenged us to perform at our best and saw value in our commitment to do what it takes to make the project successful. We met or exceeded all of the goals and, in doing so, created IP that will be valuable to a wide range of users."

With total power for the PHYs as low as 4.5mW/GB/lane that has resulted in the FPGA industry's lowest power 12.7Gbps transceivers and output random jitter below 0.35ps RMS at 12.7 Gbps, make the PHYs suitable for transmitting data over OIF and IEEE802.3 compliant short- and long-reach channels at ultralow power. The PHY's ring PLL provides low area and continuous tuning range from 0.25 Gbps to 12.7 Gbps. The PLL also can operate in fractional-N mode that allows arbitrary frequency precision, precise spread-spectrum generation and jitter cleaning for applications such as 10G-KR or Synchronous Ethernet.

To learn more about Silicon Creations' SerDes offerings, visit: https://www.siliconcr.com/prducts/serdes-interfaces.

About PolarFire FPGAs
Microsemi's new cost-optimized PolarFire FPGAs deliver the industry's lowest power at mid-range densities with exceptional security and reliability. The product family features 12.7 Gbps Serializer/Deserializer (SerDes) transceivers at up to 50 percent lower power than competing FPGAs. Densities span from 100K to 500K logic elements (LEs) and are ideal for a wide range of applications within wireline access networks and cellular infrastructure, defense and commercial aviation markets, as well as industry 4.0 which includes the industrial automation and Internet of Things (IoT) markets.

PolarFire FPGAs' transceivers can support multiple serial protocols, making the products ideal for communications applications with 10Gbps Ethernet, CPRI, JESD204B, Interlaken and PCIe. In addition, the ability to implement serial gigabit Ethernet (SGMII) on general purpose input/output (GPIO) enables numerous 1Gbps Ethernet links to be supported. PolarFire FPGAs also contain the most hardened security intellectual property (IP) to protect customer designs, data and supply chain. The non-volatile PolarFire product family consumes 10 times less static power than competitive devices and features an even lower standby power referred to as Flash*Freeze.  For more information, visit www.microsemi.com/polarfire.

About Silicon Creations
Silicon Creations is focused on providing world-class silicon intellectual property (IP) for precision and general-purpose timing (PLLs), Chip-chip SerDes and high-speed differential I/Os. Silicon Creations' IP is proven from 7 to 180-nanometer process technologies. With a complete commitment to customer success, its IP has an excellent record of first silicon to mass production in customer designs. Silicon Creations, founded in 2006, is self-funded and growing. The company has development centers in Atlanta, Ga., and Krakow, Poland, and worldwide sales representation. For more information, visit www.siliconcr.com.

About Microsemi
Microsemi Corporation (Nasdaq: MSCC) offers a comprehensive portfolio of semiconductor and system solutions for aerospace & defense, communications, data center and industrial markets. Products include high-performance and radiation-hardened analog mixed-signal integrated circuits, FPGAs, SoCs and ASICs; power management products; timing and synchronization devices and precise time solutions, setting the world's standard for time; voice processing devices; RF solutions; discrete components; enterprise storage and communication solutions, security technologies and scalable anti-tamper products; Ethernet solutions; Power-over-Ethernet ICs and midspans; as well as custom design capabilities and services. Microsemi is headquartered in Aliso Viejo, California and has approximately 4,800 employees globally. Learn more at www.microsemi.com.

Microsemi and the Microsemi logo are registered trademarks or service marks of Microsemi Corporation and/or its affiliates. Third-party trademarks and service marks mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners.

"Safe Harbor" Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Any statements set forth in this news release that are not entirely historical and factual in nature, including statements related to the company and Silicon Creations, a leading supplier of high-performance analog and mixed-signal intellectual property (IP), announcing their collaboration in developing the industry's lowest power field programmable gate array (FPGA) with 12.7 Gbps transceivers, using a Serializer/Deserializer (SerDes) PHY from Silicon Creations, and its potential effects on future business, are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations and are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements. The potential risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, such factors as rapidly changing technology and product obsolescence, potential cost increases, variations in customer order preferences, weakness or competitive pricing environment of the marketplace, uncertain demand for and acceptance of the company's products, adverse circumstances in any of our end markets, results of in-process or planned development or marketing and promotional campaigns, difficulties foreseeing future demand, potential non-realization of expected orders or non-realization of backlog, product returns, product liability, and other potential unexpected business and economic conditions or adverse changes in current or expected industry conditions, difficulties and costs of protecting patents and other proprietary rights, inventory obsolescence and difficulties regarding customer qualification of products. In addition to these factors and any other factors mentioned elsewhere in this news release, the reader should refer as well to the factors, uncertainties or risks identified in the company's most recent Form 10-K and all subsequent Form 10-Q reports filed by Microsemi with the SEC. Additional risk factors may be identified from time to time in Microsemi's future filings. The forward-looking statements included in this release speak only as of the date hereof, and Microsemi does not undertake any obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.

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