CML Microcircuits is pleased to announce that 2018 saw the completion of its 50th year supplying the electronics industry with high quality integrated circuits targeting communication applications. As a fabless semiconductor company, the first established in the UK, CML has experienced and influenced significant change in the industry and looks forward to being instrumental in the developments yet to come.
CML Microcircuits was a pioneer in exploiting what was then a very new concept of integrated circuitry to produce what today we would call a System on a Chip or Application Specific Standard Part (ASSP). Through close collaboration with one of the UK’s semiconductor foundries, CML’s founders were able to identify and respond to a need for a more efficient way of meeting the growing demand for voice and data communications. The company has since strengthened and widened its expertise, to include RF frontend and baseband technology addressing analogue, digital and mixed-signal solutions for voice and data radio.
“Throughout the early years of the company, we focused on our customers’ demand for signalling and 2-way radio solutions, which included everything except the RF frontend. In 2007, the company made a strategic decision to invest in RF and, today, we are a leader in narrowband technology, delivering complete and optimised solutions for licensed radio,” said Chris Gurry, Group Managing Director.
The emergence of Software Defined Radio (SDR) presented CML with the opportunity to apply its expertise to develop its flexible and proprietary platform, FirmASIC, which now forms the basis of many of its ASSPs and provides the company with a competitive advantage over other semiconductor vendors.
“Our business strategy means we are not dependent on one, single large market or customer; instead we address many applications where high performance narrowband technology is an enabler. This focus has allowed CML to build a high level of in-house expertise and, even though we remain fabless, all of our IP is developed by us, and every single one of our devices is tested on our premises by our own engineers, which is why we’re able to deliver on our promise of high quality solutions,” added Gurry.
The majority of CML’s solutions are based on Silicon Germanium substrates but, in the future, CML intends to invest in exploiting the full potential of RF on silicon, which will open up new opportunities in existing and emerging markets around the world.
