SANTA CLARA, Calif., Feb. 10, 2011 — (PRNewswire) — National Semiconductor Corp. (NYSE: NSM) today announced that its 12-bit analog-to-digital converter (ADC) received the prestigious 2010 Product of the Year award from Electronics Products magazine. Each year, the Electronic Products editorial board selects a few outstanding new products from the thousands introduced. The ADC12D1800 was selected for its innovative design and significant technology advancement, which has enabled a new generation of wideband software-defined radio (SDR) architectures and applications.

"We are honored to receive this important industry award from Electronics Products magazine. It confirms the tremendous reception customers across a wide spectrum of markets and applications have given the ADC12D1800," said Jon Baldwin, marketing director of National's High Speed Signal Path Business Unit. "System designers have had remarkable success utilizing the ADC's combination of high sample rate and dynamic range to create new, wide bandwidth SDR architectures that address the needs of a wide variety of applications."

At 3.6 Giga-samples per second (GSPS), the ADC12D1800 is 3.6 times faster than any other available 12-bit device. With a dynamic performance of -149.5 dBm/Hz noise floor, 48.5 dB noise power ratio (NPR) and -61 dBFS intermodulation distortion (IMD), the ADC targets radar, communications, multi-channel set-top box (STB), signal intelligence, and light detecting and ranging (LIDAR) applications.

Entirely new SDR architectures can be realized with the ADC due to its ability to accurately receive modulated, band-limited signals within a large bandwidth. For example, cable receivers that previously required one analog signal path per received channel can now collapse all channels into a single signal path. Similarly, multiple channels in basestations can be combined into a single analog channel. Shifting such architectures to an SDR implementation drastically reduces board area, power consumption, and cost, while significantly improving system flexibility.

About National Semiconductor

National Semiconductor is a leader in power management technology. Known for its easy-to-use analog integrated circuits and world-class supply chain, National's high-performance analog products enable its customers' systems to be more energy efficient. Headquartered in Santa Clara, Calif., National reported sales of $1.42 billion for fiscal 2010. Additional information is available at www.national.com.

National Semiconductor is a registered trademark of National Semiconductor Corporation. All other brand or product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

SOURCE National Semiconductor Corp.

Contact:

National Semiconductor Corp. Electronics Products Media, Jonelle Hester of National Semiconductor Phone: +1-408-721-5663 Email Contact Reader Information, Design Support Group, 1-800-272-9959 Web: http://www.national.com