Dallas Semiconductor
Encyclopedia
Dallas Semiconductor, now a subsidiary of Maxim Integrated Products
, designs and manufactures analog, digital, and mixed-signal semiconductors (integrated circuits, or ICs). Its specialties include communications products (including T/E and Ethernet products), microcontroller
s, battery management, thermal sensing and thermal management, non-volatile RAM
, microprocessor supervisors, delay lines, silicon oscillators, digital potentiometer
s, real-time clocks, temperature-compensated crystal oscillator
s (TCXOs), iButton (commonly known as the Dallas Key), and 1-Wire
products. The Dallas, Texas
-based company was founded in 1984 and purchased by Maxim Integrated Products
in 2001. Both the Maxim and Dallas Semiconductor brands were actively used until 2007. Since then the Maxim name has been used for all new products, though the Dallas Semiconductor brand has been retained for some older products.
Maxim Integrated Products
Maxim Integrated Products is a publicly traded company that designs, manufactures, and sells analog and mixed-signal semiconductor products. Maxim develops integrated circuits for the industrial, communications, consumer, and computing markets....
, designs and manufactures analog, digital, and mixed-signal semiconductors (integrated circuits, or ICs). Its specialties include communications products (including T/E and Ethernet products), microcontroller
Microcontroller
A microcontroller is a small computer on a single integrated circuit containing a processor core, memory, and programmable input/output peripherals. Program memory in the form of NOR flash or OTP ROM is also often included on chip, as well as a typically small amount of RAM...
s, battery management, thermal sensing and thermal management, non-volatile RAM
NVRAM
Non-volatile random-access memory is random-access memory that retains its information when power is turned off, which is described technically as being non-volatile...
, microprocessor supervisors, delay lines, silicon oscillators, digital potentiometer
Potentiometer
A potentiometer , informally, a pot, is a three-terminal resistor with a sliding contact that forms an adjustable voltage divider. If only two terminals are used , it acts as a variable resistor or rheostat. Potentiometers are commonly used to control electrical devices such as volume controls on...
s, real-time clocks, temperature-compensated crystal oscillator
Crystal oscillator
A crystal oscillator is an electronic oscillator circuit that uses the mechanical resonance of a vibrating crystal of piezoelectric material to create an electrical signal with a very precise frequency...
s (TCXOs), iButton (commonly known as the Dallas Key), and 1-Wire
1-Wire
1-Wire is a device communications bus system designed by Dallas Semiconductor Corp. that provides low-speed data, signaling, and power over a single signal. 1-Wire is similar in concept to I²C, but with lower data rates and longer range. It is typically used to communicate with small inexpensive...
products. The Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
-based company was founded in 1984 and purchased by Maxim Integrated Products
Maxim Integrated Products
Maxim Integrated Products is a publicly traded company that designs, manufactures, and sells analog and mixed-signal semiconductor products. Maxim develops integrated circuits for the industrial, communications, consumer, and computing markets....
in 2001. Both the Maxim and Dallas Semiconductor brands were actively used until 2007. Since then the Maxim name has been used for all new products, though the Dallas Semiconductor brand has been retained for some older products.