Agere Sets Clock Chips

ALLENTOWN, Pa. -- Agere Systems (NYSE: AGR.A) today announced two new clock driver chips - specialized integrated circuits (ICs) for distributing and synchronizing signals in electronic systems - that offer industry-leading jitter and skew performance. The first chip, the LCK4950, offers output frequencies up to 180 megahertz (MHz). The second, the LCK4801, offers output frequencies of 336 MHz to one gigahertz (GHz). The new chips are the second and third in a family of high-performance clock drivers from Agere Systems, and are targeted for high-end computer workstations, servers and networking systems. Like the LCK4953 chip that Agere introduced last year, the new chips are made using mainstream complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) IC fabrication technology. They exceed the performance characteristics of other pin-compatible devices made using more specialized bipolar or BiCMOS fabrication technologies, especially with regard to improved jitter and skew and lower power dissipation. "As system speeds increase, system designers are requiring improved skew and jitter performance to meet stringent clock synthesis and distribution requirements," said Ken Timko, performance products manager in the Analog Products organization of Agere Systems. "By exceeding the specifications of leading clock drivers on the market today, these products can enhance system performance by allowing for greater system predictability." Agere Systems