Tokyo--Toshiba Corporation today announced that it has become the first Japanese supplier of bus switch ICs with the launch of its TC7MB family. The new ICs offer the world's smallest, thinnest 20 pin package, Toshiba's Ultra Small 20 (US20), and will be used in such products as personal digital assistants, portable PCs, PC servers and networking products.

Support for high performance and low power consumption is increasing application of bus switch ICs in electronic products. A forecast from Insight Onsite shows the market growing at an annualized rate of 20% between 1998 and 2002, from 17 billion yen to 35 billion yen in 2002. The smallest package currently offered by American and European suppliers is 4.4mm x 5.0mm x 1.2mm, but the continuing shrinking of ever-more functional electronic products is promoting demand for even smaller packages. Toshiba's newly-developed bus switch ICs meet this requirement with the world's smallest, thinnest 20 pin package.

The new IC will be offered in versions with and without a diode. Engineering samples of the latter will be available from May 1, with commercial samples scheduled for June. Engineering samples of the IC incorporating a diode will be available from June 1, with commercial samples slated for July. All samples will have a unit price of US$1.00. Mass production will start in the third quarter fiscal 1999, at 1 million units a month.

Product Lineup

Characteristics of Bus Switch LSI

• The world's smallest, thinnest 20 pin package (US20)
• Package: 3.0mm x 5.0mm
• Maximum height: 1.0mm
• Pin pitch: 0.5mm
• Propagation delay time (switching speed): up to 250 picoseconds operating at 4.5V
• Low resistance with the switch on: 5 (typical)
• Transforms 5V operation to 3V operation (only versions with built-in diode)