STMicroelectronics has started volume deliveries of its ST19XT34 secure microcontroller that can receive Universal Serial Bus (USB) certification for use in smartcards and tokens. The device integrates both USB and standard ISO 7816 interfaces. The USB interface includes full clock recovery, eliminating the need for external components such as clock crystals and pull-up resistors. The USB interface can communicate at speeds greater than the traditional smartcard ISO 7816 standard.

An ISO/USB mode detection capability allows automatic response to either USB
or ISO 7816 communications initiated by a PC or card reader. The ST19XT34 is
targeted at PC-based applications such as secure log-in, secure email,
digital signatures and secure intranet/extranet/intranet/remote access.
ST started volume deliveries to key customers in Q1 2002 after receiving the
USB certification for the card implementation in early January 2002. ST says
it is currently the only semiconductor manufacturer in the world able to
deliver USB-certified smartcard chips in volume.
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Indium phosphide foundry
CyOptics has agreed to provide indium phosphide foundry services to Zia
Laser. The companies will collaborate to develop processes needed to make
1550nm tunable gain lasers and 1310nm uncooled lasers based on quantum dot
technology. Zia Laser will sell to CyOptics some of the 1310nm lasers. The
first 1310nm devices are scheduled to be completed and packaged by the end
of the year.
Fabless company Zia has been developing a family of laser products based on
the temperature insensistivity, broad gain spectrum and narrow linewidth of
quantum dot laser technology.
The first product is a 1550nm tunable gain chip (TGC) for use in tunable
external cavity laser systems. The 1550 TGC offers efficient lasing over a
tuning range that includes the S, C and L bands and provides a gain spectrum
at 80% less current density.
The second product is a 1310nm uncooled distributed feedback (DFB) laser,
which provides up to 10Gbps operation with 5mW of output power. The company
believes this will enable next generation products capable of transmission
distances of up to 80km without the need for coolers or isolators, thus
simplifying and reducing packaging costs.
CyOptics opened its ISO 9001 certified InP wafer fab in February of this
year. Equipment includes two MOCVD machines, and full wafer growth and
regrowth equipment. CyOptics produces its own 10Gbits/sec (Gbps)
electro-absorption modulated lasers (EMLs), as well as 10Gbps and 40Gbps
electro-absorption modulators (EAMs) and detectors.
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Bluetooth blues
Micrologic Research is less sanguine about the prospects for Bluetooth,
compared with its views a year ago. The company now believes that 35.3m
chipsets will ship this year, down from an earlier prediction of 45.4m. The
billion chipset a year mark will not be reached until 2006, it is now
forecast. In that year 1.3bn chipsets are expected to be sold. The previous
company research had suggested that 2005 would see a billion chipsets on the
market.
IDC, another market research company, believes widespread adoption of the
technology will begin in 2003 with revenues reaching $2.6bn in 2006. Sales
in 2001 were $76.6m.
"IDC foresees that Bluetooth will become a checklist item within cellular
handsets, handhelds, and notebook PCs especially as the roll-out of 2.5G/3G
cellular networks and improved coexistence with 802.11b/g wireless LAN spark
accelerated adoption," says Ken Furer, analyst for IDC's semiconductor
research. Cellular handsets are expected to account for 51% of 2006's
market.