IDT Releases Precision Temperature Sensors for DDR3 Memory Modules

Integrated Device Technology (IDT), a provider of mixed signal semiconductor solutions for the digital media experience, announced the release of its first precision temperature sensors targeted at Double Data Rate 2 and 3 (DDR2 and DDR3) memory modules, Solid State Disks (SSD) and computing motherboards.

According to IDT, the temperature sensors measure the local temperature of a computing subsystem and, if the temperature rises above pre-determined levels, enable system controllers to respond by throttling system bandwidth, adjusting memory refresh rates or varying fan speeds. In addition, the new IDT temperature sensors can trigger shutdown of a subsystem if the temperature reaches a critical point, enhancing reliability. The IDT offering includes a stand-alone temperature sensor (TS3000B3), as well as one with an integrated 256-byte EEPROM array (TSE2002B3) on a single, monolithic die for non-volatile storage of user information, such as system configuration in a Serial Presence Detect (SPD) for memory modules.

The new IDT temperature sensor family is the first to exceed the requirements set forth by the Joint Electron Device Engineering Council (JEDEC) JC42.4 specification for Grade B temperature sensors, providing 1 C temperature sensing accuracy over the entire temperature range of -20 C to +125 C, providing greater system accuracy. The devices also incorporate an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) that delivers programmable resolution up to 12-bits (0.0625 C) with conversion time, improving the overall precision of thermal control loops across temperature.

"IDT is well known for working with customers to integrate embedded temperature sensors in our Advanced Memory Buffers and PCI Express switches. This allows us to provide customers with power savings and adheres to PowerSmart initiative," said Mario Montana, VP and general manager of the Enterprise Computing Division at IDT. "These new devices further leverage that expertise culminating in stand-alone temperature sensors with precision that exceeds industry standards."

In addition, SMBus and I2C programming interfaces are supported, including SMBus timeout and I2C fast mode, input glitch filtering and power-up voltage hysteresis - all designed to enhance fault tolerance. This combination of performance and features make the IDT devices a perfect fit for computing systems with improved performance per watt.

The IDT temperature sensor devices are currently sampling to qualified customers. They are available in 8-pin DFN and TDFN packages that are RoHS compliant.

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