Harris Corp., an international communications and information technology company, announced that it will integrate technology from Freescale Semiconductor, a leader in the design and manufacture of embedded semiconductors, into its new TV transmitters for terrestrial broadcasters. Using Freescale’s laterally diffused MOS (LDMOS) UHF technology will enable Harris to produce its most compact and power-efficient UHF transmitters.
Freescale’s latest LDMOS solutions provide unprecedented UHF power levels for analog and digital TV broadcasting, while enabling system-level power reductions that can potentially save broadcasters thousands of dollars in operating costs. The advanced design is engineered to provide a dramatic increase in device power, allowing Harris to design, build and deliver its most compact and efficient TV transmitters to date.
“Freescale Semiconductor’s LDMOS technology allows us to take advantage of off-the-shelf technology that ultimately helps us improve efficiency and provides an exceptionally compact solution. This drives down long-term cost of ownership, and creates a new value proposition for Harris that will be passed along to our customers,” said Tim Thorsteinson, president of Harris Broadcast Communications. “Our strategic efforts with Freescale have resulted in a change in our approach to the manufacturing process, producing a far more efficient range of TV transmitters that allows us to stay competitive in the marketplace, while retaining the superior quality that is a hallmark of Harris TV transmitters.”
Harris and Freescale engineers have collaborated on the development process for months, testing the interoperability of the two platforms and revising the products as needed to reach a common goal.
“Freescale and Harris have been working closely to align strategies by communicating through all stages of production in order to achieve the best combination of power, efficiency and gain in the broadcast industry,” said Gavin P. Woods, vice president and general manager of Freescale’s RF Division. “With Freescale’s LDMOS products playing an integral role in its latest transmitters, Harris is able to deliver dramatic savings in both energy and transmission costs to its customers.”
The advanced Freescale LDMOS solutions allow fewer “gain stages” to be used than in previous designs, reducing the physical space required while improving reliability. The improved efficiency and power density of the design is passed on to the Harris transmitter platform, allowing Harris to produce a transmitter footprint of less than half of the previous size. This efficient, space-saving design ultimately passes savings to the customer related to long-term cost of ownership, improved transmitter cooling and reduced electricity costs.