Press Release

California Micro Devices Announces the Industry’s First
HDMI Port Protection Solutions with MediaGuard™
MediaGuard™ CM2020/21 Devices Provide Unparalleled
Functional Integration and ESD Protection


MILPITAS, Calif., -- Feb. 14, 2005 -- California Micro Devices (NASDAQ: CAMD) today announced the MediaGuard™ family of port protection solutions for high speed HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) and DVI (Digital Visual Interface) interfaces in digital consumer devices such as digital TVs, DVD and recordable DVD players, flat panel monitors and set top boxes. The MediaGuard™ CM2020 and CM2021 multifunction ASIP™ (Application Specific Integrated Passive™) devices provide robust ESD (electrostatic discharge) protection for all 12 data lines, featuring the industry’s lowest capacitance 0.9 pF ESD diode arrays. The ultra-low capacitance and high resonance frequency of the MediaGuard™ solutions allow them to support the highest resolution digital displays, including new 1080p high definition televisions. Along with robust ESD protection for all signals, the CM2020 and CM2021 provide a complete HDMI protection and signal integrity solution, including backdrive protection on all signals, level shifting circuits, and overcurrent protection (CM2020 only). Because of their high integration, board space is reduced by 40% vs. discrete components. The CM2020, which incorporates overcurrent protection on the 5V line, is intended for source applications such as DVD recorders and set top boxes, while the CM2021 is intended for receiver applications such as digital TVs.

“The HDMI interface is rapidly being adopted as the standard interface for high quality video and audio in digital TVs, set top boxes, and DVD players,” stated Shyam Nagrani, Principal Analyst, Consumer Electronics at iSuppli Corporation. “Products designed for this emerging interface will be well received in the marketplace."

“The MediaGuard™ CM2020 and CM2021 are the industry’s first HDMI port protection solutions optimized to meet the dual requirements of robust protection for digital consumer electronics and very high speed signal integrity,” added Joe Salvador, director of marketing for computing and digital consumer products at California Micro Devices.

Optimized for Highest Signal Integrity
The MediaGuard™ pinout is matched to the HDMI connector’s 0.5mm spacing, enabling straight through routing that eliminates signal skews and reflections caused by mismatched trace lengths. The internal layout of the MediaGuard™ devices is designed to minimize inductance as well as capacitance, significantly increasing its self-resonance frequency to beyond 5 GHz. Signal attenuation at 1080p HDTV resolutions (750 Mhz) is less than 0.1 dB, and signal attenuation at the maximum HDMI frequency of 1.65 GHz is less than 1 dB. Very tight intrapair matching of the internal diodes, to within 0.05 pF, provides very low intrapair skew which is critical for HDMI compliance. In contrast, unmatched discrete diode solutions can vary by as much as 2pF, causing wide variations in signal skew and line impedance which can result in HDMI compliance failure.

Other Key Features and Benefits

  • IEC61000-4-2 Level 4 protection (8kV contact, 15kV air discharge);
  • Multi-strike capability to withstand > 1000 ESD strikes without performance degradation;
  • Very fast sub 1nS response time;
  • Low 9V clamp voltage;
  • Ultra-low capacitance on TMDS lines:
    • 0.9 pF I/O to ground capacitance (industry’s lowest capacitance diode arrays);
    • 1.2 pF maximum capacitance;
  • 0.05 pF intrapair capacitance matching;
  • Self-resonance frequency at 5.5 GHz with attenuation < 1dB at highest data frequencies.

Pricing and Availability
The CM2020 and CM2021 are available in a space saving 38-pin TSSOP package. They are currently in production. Pricing starts at $1.39 each in 1,000 units for the CM2020, and at $1.29 each in 1,000 units for the CM2021.

About California Micro Devices Corporation
California Micro Devices Corporation is a leading supplier of application specific analog semiconductor products for the mobile, computing and digital consumer markets. Key products include Application Specific Integrated Passive™ (ASIP™) devices plus power management and interface ICs. Detailed corporate and product information may be accessed at www.calmicro.com.

ASIP™, Application Specific Integrated Passive™ and MediaGuard™ are trademarks of California Micro Devices. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.