Atmel

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Atmel

Atmel Corporation is a manufacturer of semiconductors, founded in 1984.

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Atmel Corporation is a manufacturer of semiconductors, founded in 1984. Its focus is on system-level solution

System-level solution

A system-level solution is a set of integrated circuits that work together to power an application such as a mobile telephone or Digital Media Player....
s built around flash

Flash memory

Flash memory is a non-volatile memory computer storage that can be electrically erased and reprogrammed. It is a technology that is primarily used in memory cards and USB flash drives for general storage and transfer of data between computers and other digital products....
microcontrollers. Its products include microcontrollers (including 8051

Intel 8051

The Intel 8051 is a Harvard architecture, single chip microcontroller which was developed by Intel in 1980 for use in embedded systems. Intel's original versions were popular in the 1980s and early 1990s, but has largely been superseded by a vast range of faster and/or functionally enhanced 8051-compatible devices manufactured by more th...
derivatives and AT91SAM

AT91SAM

AT91SAM are a family of Atmel microcontrollers based on the 32-bit reduced instruction set computer microprocessors from ARM architecture. They include embedded flash memory and static random access memory computer data storage together with a number of peripherals and standard communications and computer networking bus s....
and AT91CAP

AT91CAP

AT91CAP is a family of Atmel microcontrollers based on the 32-bit reduced instruction set computer microprocessors from ARM architecture. They include a block of metal-programmable logic gates that can be personalized by the application developer....
ARM-based micros), and its own Atmel AVR

Atmel AVR

The AVR is a Modified Harvard architecture 8-bit Reduced instruction set computer single chip microcontroller which was developed by Atmel in 1996....
and AVR32

AVR32

The AVR32 is a 32-bit RISC microprocessor architecture designed by Atmel. The microprocessor architecture was designed by a handful of people educated at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, including lead designer ?yvind Str?m, PhD and CPU architect Erik Renno, M.Sc in Atmel's Norwegian design center....
architectures, radio frequency

Radio frequency

Radio frequency is a frequency or rate of oscillation within the range of about 3 Hz to 300 GHz. This range corresponds to frequency of alternating current electrical signals used to produce and detect radio waves....
(RF

Rf or RF is an abbreviation for:* ** Radiative forcing, is an IPCC unit that nominates the global, annual average of radiative imbalance in net heating of the Earth's lower atmosphere as a result of human activities since the beginning of the industrial era....
) devices, EEPROM

EEPROM

EEPROM stands for Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory and is a type of non-volatile memory used in computers and other electronic devices to store small amounts of data that must be saved when power is removed, e.g., calibration tables or device configuration....
and Flash memory

Flash memory

DataFlash

DataFlash is a low pin-count serial interface for flash memory. It is an Atmel proprietary interface, compatible with the Serial Peripheral Interface Bus....
-based memory), and a number of application-specific products. Atmel supplies its devices as standard products, ASIC

Application-specific integrated circuit

An application-specific integrated circuit is an integrated circuit customized for a particular use, rather than intended for general-purpose use....
s, or ASSP

Application specific standard product

An application specific standard product or ASSP is an integrated circuit that implements a specific function that appeals to a wide market....
s depending on the requirements of its customers. In some cases it is able to offer system on chip solutions.

Atmel serves a range of application segments including consumer

Consumer

Consumer is a broad label that refers to any individuals or household that use Good generated within the economic system. The concept of a consumer is used in different contexts, so that the usage and significance of the term may vary....
, communication

Communication

Communication is commonly defined as "the imparting or interchange of thoughts, opinions, or information by speech, writing, or signs...",, 1: an act or instance of transmitting and 3 a: "a process by which information is exchanged between individuals through a common system of symbols, signs, or beha...
s, computer networking

Computer networking

Computer networking is the engineering discipline concerned with communication between computer systems or Peripheral devices. Networking, routers, routing protocols, and networking over the public Internet have their specifications defined in documents called Request for Commentss....
, industrial

Industry

An industry is the manufacturing of a Good or Service within a category. Although industry is a broad term for any kind of economic production, in economics and urban planning industry is a synonym for the secondary sector, which is a type of economic activity involved in the manufacturing of raw materials into goods and products....
, medical, automotive, aerospace

Aerospace

Aerospace comprises the atmosphere of Earth and surrounding outer space. Typically the term is used to refer to the industry that researches, designs, manufactures, operates, and maintains vehicles moving through Aircraft and Space exploration....
and military

Military

A military is an organization authorized by its nation to use force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or Threat of force ....
. It is an industry leader in secure systems, notably for the smart card

Smart card

A smart card, chip card, or integrated circuit card , is in any pocket-sized card with embedded integrated circuits which can process data....
market.

The President

President

President is a title held by many leaders of organizations, company, trade unions, university, and country. Etymology, a "president" is one who Wiktionary:Preside, who sits in leadership ....
and CEO of Atmel is Steven Laub.

Atmel owns two semiconductor facilities:

Fab5 in Colorado Springs (USA)
Fab6 in Heilbronn
Heilbronn

Heilbronn is a city in northern Baden-W?rttemberg, Germany. It is completely surrounded by Heilbronn and with approximately 120,000 residents, it is the sixth-largest city in the state....
(Germany
Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
) (Sold)
Fab7 in Rousset
Rousset

Rousset is the name or part of the name of several commune in France in France:* Rousset, Hautes-Alpes, in the Hautes-Alpes d?partement* Rousset, Bouches-du-Rh?ne, in the Bouches-du-Rh?ne d?partement...
(France
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
)
Fab9 in North Tyneside
North Tyneside

North Tyneside is a metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear in the North East England of England. Its seat is at the Town Hall, Wallsend.Created in 1974, the borough lies within the Historic counties of England of Northumberland....
(England
England

native_name =|conventional_long_name = England|common_name = England|image_flag = Flag of England.svg|image_coat = England COA.svg|symbol_type = Royal Coat of Arms...
) (Sold)

Among its chief competitors are STMicroelectronics

STMicroelectronics

STMicroelectronics is an Italy-France electronics and semiconductor manufacturer headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.While STMicroelectronics corporate headquarters and the headquarters for Europe and emerging markets, are based in Geneva, the holding company, STMicroelectronics N.V....
, Texas Instruments

Texas Instruments

Texas Instruments , better known in the electronics industry as TI, is an United States company based in Dallas, Texas, Texas, United States, renowned for developing and commercializing semiconductor and computer technology....
, Freescale, Analog Devices

Analog Devices

Analog Devices is an United States Multinational corporation producer of semiconductor devices. Analog specializes in analog-to-digital converter, digital-to-analog converter, MEMS, and digital signal processing chips for consumer and industrial goods....
and Microchip Technology

Microchip Technology

Microchip Technology is an USA manufacturer of microcontroller, memory and analog semiconductors. The company was founded in 1987 when General Instrument spun off its microelectronics division as a wholly owned subsidiary....
.

History

Atmel introduced the first 8-bit Flash microcontroller in 1993, based on the 8051 core.

Atmel announced the sale of its North Tyneside

North Tyneside

North Tyneside is a metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear in the North East England of England. Its seat is at the Town Hall, Wallsend.Created in 1974, the borough lies within the Historic counties of England of Northumberland....
, (England

England

native_name =|conventional_long_name = England|common_name = England|image_flag = Flag of England.svg|image_coat = England COA.svg|symbol_type = Royal Coat of Arms...
) facility (Fab9) on October 08 2007. The manufacturing equipment was sold to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd. (TSMC

TSMC

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Limited is the world's largest dedicated independent semiconductor Foundry , with its headquarters and main operations located in the Hsinchu Science Park in Hsinchu, Taiwan....
) and the property and associated land to Highbridge Business Park Limited. The closure led to the loss of 600 jobs when production ceased in early 2008.

On 2 October 2008, Steven Laub announced an unsolicited offer

Takeover

In business, a takeover is the purchase of one company by another . In the UK, the term refers to the acquisition of a public company whose shares are listed on a stock exchange, in contrast to the mergers and acquisitions of a private company....
from Microchip Technology

Microchip Technology

ON Semiconductor

ON Semiconductor , is a leading supplier of semiconductor devices. It was previously known as Motorola Semiconductor Components Group, and continues to manufacture Motorola's discrete transistor, standard analog chip and standard logic devices....
valued at $5 per share.

Controversy

The former chairman and CEO, George Perlegos, was terminated after an eight-month investigation into theft by Atmel's travel manager. The Board of Directors accused him and his brother Gust (an executive vice president of the company) of spending 235 000 USD

United States dollar

The United States dollar is the unit of currency of the United States and was defined by the Coinage Act of 1792 to be between 371 and 416 grains of silver ....
of the company's money on airplane tickets for themselves and their immediate families. However, the Delaware Court of Chancery

Delaware Court of Chancery

The Delaware Court of Chancery is a court of Equity in the United States state of Delaware. It is one of Delaware's three constitutional courts, along with the Delaware Supreme Court and Superior Court of Delaware....
expressed its "discomfort with the thoroughness and fairness of the investigation and with the decisions."

In August 2006, Perlegos called a meeting to replace five of the existing board of directors, which the Board of Directors attempted to cancel. In March 2007, the Delaware Court of Chancery ruled that the shareholder meeting must proceed. This action was completed before Perlegos was dismissed as a board member, but after he was removed as president. The action resulted in a special shareholder vote. The meeting was held on May 18. According to the certified vote count, one of the directors proposed by Perlegos garnered just under 30% of the votes, short of the 50% needed.

Atmel

History

Controversy

See also

External links