Freescale Achieves Breakthrough in Cost-Effective Plastic Packaging for High-Power RF Transistors

SAN FRANCISCO--June 13, 2006--

RF Devices in Over-Molded Plastic Package Designed to Perform on Par with Air-Cavity Package at 2 GHz, Reduce Amplifier Cost and Streamline Automated Assembly

Freescale Semiconductor today has introduced the industry's first 2 GHz high-power RF transistors housed in over-molded plastic packages that deliver performance comparable to air-cavity flange packages. The advanced devices will be based on the company's high-voltage, seventh-generation (HV7) RF Laterally Diffused Metal Oxide Semiconductor (LDMOS) technology. This advanced RF technology is designed to give designers of cellular infrastructure the ability to significantly reduce the cost of base station amplifiers, which are the most expensive elements of wireless systems, while maintaining the stringent performance requirements.

Freescale's flagship HV7 device is the MRF7S19120N available in a TO-270 WBL-4 package. The MRF7S19120N delivers a minimum of 120 W P1dB and 36 W average with typical performance anticipated to be 18 dB gain, 32 percent efficiency and -37.5 dBc linearity at PAR=6.1dB (tested with single-carrier W-CDMA signal with PAR=7.5dB @ 0.01 percent probability on CCDF). A corresponding family of 2.1GHz products is planned to be released in Q3 2006.

The MRF7S19120N is the first transistor to deliver comparable performance at 1.9 GHz with a minimum output power of 120 W CW. When compared to its air-cavity counterparts, the achieved performance is equivalent in every electrical parameter.

Ceramic air-cavity packages have been used exclusively for decades to house high-power RF power transistors. They are inherently able to withstand and dissipate the high heat levels generated by the transistor, and they do not significantly degrade performance over that of the bare transistor die.

"Freescale is committed to complementing our air-cavity-packaged devices with cost-effective over-molded plastic models that deliver exceptional performance," said Gavin Woods, vice president and general manager of Freescale's RF Division. "Over-molded plastic-packaged devices can be much less expensive on a per unit basis than comparable devices in air-cavity packages, which provides a significant cost benefit to amplifier manufacturers. In addition, over-molded plastic devices simplify our customer's manufacturing process by enabling a more efficient automated assembly, which can contribute additional cost savings."

Freescale has manufactured over-molded plastic-packaged RF devices with parity performance up to 1 GHz for many years. However, achieving 2 GHz performance in over-molded plastic-packages identical to that of air-cavity packages requires complex design techniques and extensive work to overcome technology and materials limitations.

Pricing and Availability

Samples of Freescale's MRF7S19120N are available now, and full production is expected to begin in Q4 2006.

For further information on Freescale's HV7 LDMOS technology, over-molded plastic packaging and the advanced RF devices, visit www.freescale.com/rf.

About Freescale Semiconductor

Freescale Semiconductor, Inc. is a global leader in the design and manufacture of embedded semiconductors for the automotive, consumer, industrial, networking and wireless markets. Freescale became a publicly traded company in July 2004 after more than 50 years as part of Motorola, Inc. The company is based in Austin, Texas, and has design, research and development, manufacturing or sales operations in more than 30 countries. Freescale, a member of the S&P 500(R), is one of the world's largest semiconductor companies with 2005 sales of $5.8 billion (USD).