Agreement Allows University Students to Use PLLs in Research and Development Chips

Shenzhen, China, November 7, 2017 -- True Circuits, Inc. (TCI), a leading provider of analog and mixed-signal intellectual property (IP) for the semiconductor, systems and electronics industries announced today it has signed a five year license with China’s prestigious Tsinghua University in Beijing which enables students to employ high-quality, low-jitter Phase-Locked Loop (PLL) IP in semiconductor chips used for research and development.  The license allows Tsinghua University to use PLLs in multiple TSMC foundry processes and enables students to develop a wide variety of chips in high-performance applications.  The license builds on prior collaboration between TCI and Tsinghua University and is part of a growing effort by both parties to support advanced curriculum and real world learning for future semiconductor engineers in China.

“TCI is proud to partner with Tsinghua University and its prestigious faculty to facilitate the development of future design engineers in China”, said Stephen Maneatis, Chief Executive Officer of True Circuits.  “Having access to high-quality IP will enable Tsinghua University students to achieve real world performance in their research and development activities and push the boundaries of what is possible.  TCI has a long history of partnering with universities and research institutions around the world, so supporting Tsinghua University in China will further our passion for excellence in education and pushing the state-of-the art.”

About True Circuits in China

True Circuits PLL and DLL IP has been used in more than 75 products by over 35 Chinese technology companies since 2007.  TCI regards China as a key market for its IP designs and continues to expand market share and product reach with the help of its China sales representative, Pinnacle Design Systems, Ltd.

About True Circuits PLLs and DLLs

True Circuits offers a complete family of standardized and silicon-proven general purpose, clock generator, deskew, spread spectrum, IoT and Ultra PLLs and DDR DLLs that spans nearly all performance points and features typically requested by ASIC, FPGA and SoC designers.  These high quality, low-jitter PLL and DLL hard macros are suited to a wide variety of interface standards and chip applications.  They are pin-programmable, highly process tolerant and reusable.  They are also easy to integrate and are fully supported, so customers can reduce both design and silicon risks.

True Circuits PLLs support a wide range of frequencies, multiplication factors and functions over which they deliver optimal performance, avoiding the cost and complexity of licensing multiple point-solution PLLs from foundries or other vendors.  TCI's DLLs are available in mutli-slave and multi-phase versions and different sizes and form factors.  They delay a set of signals by precise and adjustable fractions of a reference clock cycle independent of voltage and temperature and are ideal for high-speed DDR and ONFI interface applications.  Customized PLL and DLL solutions are also available for specialized chip applications.

True Circuits PLLs and DLLs are available for immediate customer delivery in TSMC, UMC and GlobalFoundries processes from 180nm to 7nm.  For more information about True Circuits IP products, visit www.truecircuits.com/tci_technology.html and www.truecircuits.com/product_matrix.html.

About True Circuits DDR PHYs

The DDR 4/3 PHY is a high-performance, scalable system using a radically new architecture that continuously and automatically adjusts each pin individually, correcting skew within byte lanes. This state-of-the-art tuning acts independently on each pin, data phase and chip select value. Read data eye and gate timing are also continuously adjusted. Automatic training is included for multi-cycle read gate timing and write leveling, write data eye timing, and internal and external (on DRAM) Vref setting.

The PHY employs a localized and optimized PHY-to-memory controller interface to ease timing closure. The circuitry in each pin is able to measure the data eye and jitter, and calculate flight delays. The PHY also includes a full speed read/write BIST, which tests the complete read and write paths of every pin simultaneously with pseudo-random data.

Remarkable physical flexibility allows the PHY to adapt to each customer's die floorplan and package constraints, and is delivered and verified as a single unit for easy timing closure with no assembly required. The PHY is also DFI 3.1 compliant, and when combined with a suitable DDR 4/3 memory controller, a complete and fully-automatic DDR 4/3 system is realized.

The True Circuits DDR 4/3 PHY is initially available for customer delivery in TSMC's 28nm HPC/HPC+ process. The PHY will be available in additional TSMC processes in the very near future. Interested customers can obtain more product information on the web at www.truecircuits.com/ddr_phy.html or by contacting True Circuits at sales@truecircuits.com.

About True Circuits

True Circuits develops and markets a broad range of industry leading PLLs, DLLs and DDR PHY hard macros for ICs for the semiconductor, systems and electronics industries.  TCI's robust state-of-the-art circuits, methodical and proven design strategy, and close association with the world's leading foundries, IDMs, and design services companies allow the company to quickly and reliably create new and innovative designs in a variety of advanced process technologies.  Over the last 19 years, True Circuits has distinguished itself as the technology leader in the timing IP space, and its PLLs and DLLs are used extensively around the world in its customers' products with production volumes in the billions.

True Circuits is headquartered at 4300 El Camino Real, Suite 200, Los Altos, California 94022 and can be found on the web at www.truecircuits.com. Product inquiries can be made by calling the company directly at (650) 949-3400 or via e-mail at Email Contact.

U.S. Press Contact: Kimberly Toan, True Circuits, Inc., (650) 949-3400, Ext. 3404, Email Contact.

China Press Contact: Lily Liu, Pinnacle Design Systems, Ltd., +86 137 7445 4807, Email Contact.

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