Skyworks Solutions Inc., an innovator of high reliability analog and mixed signal semiconductors enabling a broad range of end markets, announced that it has begun volume shipments of analog control switches to Siemens Healthcare for its state-of-the-art MAGNETOM magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners.
Skyworks' devices allow Siemens to manufacture scanning equipment that is 50 percent more productive and easier for medical technicians to maneuver. The switches deliver low insertion loss, positive voltage operation and very low direct current power consumption -- all critical elements for magnetic resonance imaging. Each scanner requires hundreds of switches.
Skyworks' portfolio of low noise amplifiers, Schottky and varactor diodes, attenuators and multi-throw switches are also supporting other wireless medical applications, including blood sugar and heart monitors, pacemakers, and patient telemetry devices.
According to Nerac, a research and advisory firm, the number and variety of wireless medical devices is growing rapidly, driven by the expansion of wireless communication technology and the medical needs of an aging population. Wireless medical devices that monitor patients range from defibrillators to infusion pumps. According to Nerac's "Wireless Medical Devices: Security Issues, Market Opportunities and Growth Trends" article, by 2020 at least 160 million Americans alone will be monitored and treated remotely for at least one chronic condition. The market for such remote monitoring of patients is forecast to reach $5.1 B by 2013 up from $3.6 B in 2007.
"Skyworks is delighted to be partnering with Siemens to help enable state-of-the-art imaging for medical applications," said Liam K. Griffin, Executive Vice President and General Manager of high performance analog. "At a higher level, this design win is yet another example of how Skyworks' analog portfolio is gaining traction across a wide array of end markets, demonstrating Skyworks' success in diversifying into highly profitable, adjacent segments."
