Zilog
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| Type | Public NASDAQ: ZILG |
|---|---|
| Industry | Semiconductors |
| Founded | 1974 |
| Founder(s) | Federico Faggin |
| Headquarters | San Jose, California, USA |
| Key people | Federico Faggin Chairman of the Board Darin G. Billerbeck President CEO Director |
| Products | Microcontrollers |
| Revenue |  $82 million (2007) $67.2 million (2008)$36.2 Million (2009) |
| Operating income | −$18.39 million (2008) |
| Net income | $3.18 million (2008) |
| Employees | 35 (August 2010) |
| Website | ZiLOG.com |
Zilog, Inc., previously known as ZiLOG (which stands for "Z (the last word of) integrated logic"[1]), is a manufacturer of 8-bit and 24-bit microcontrollers, and is most famous for its Intel 8080-compatible Z80 series.
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[edit] History
Zilog was incorporated in California in 1974 by Federico Faggin, who left Intel after working on the 8080. The company became a subsidiary of Exxon in 1980, but the management and employees bought it back in 1989.
Zilog went public in 1991, but was acquired in 1998 by Texas Pacific Group, who, after sales plummeted, reorganized the company in a Chapter 11 bankruptcy in late 2001.
Zilog was well into profitability by FY 2007 with $82 million in sales. In Feb 2007 Zilog hired Darin Billerbeck as President and CEO.
2007 was the last year Zilog introduced any new 8-bit microcontroller products. With no new product roadmap, for FY2008 sales fell 20% to $67.2 million. Sales fell 46% in FY2009 to $36.2 million.
On January 2008, Zilog declined an unsolicited proposal made by Universal Electronics Inc to acquire the company.[2]
On February 19, 2009, Zilog announced that it had sold off their 8-bit Crimzon Universal Remote Control infrared microcontroller product line, as well as their ARM9 32-bit microcontrollers, including the Zatara security microcontrollers and 15 patents, to Maxim Integrated Products. Remote control manufacturer Universal Electronics Inc. purchased all of Zilog's software & IP assets related to Zilog's universal remote control business, including all ROM code, software, and database of infrared codes.[3] Zilog sold these assets for $31 million cash, less than half the assets real worth.
In December 2009, IXYS Corporation bought the company for $62.4m in cash, which was significantly below the market valuation of Zilog's stock at the time.[4][5] Details of the acquisition have been under investigation.
In June 2010, Zilog's distributors discontinued sales of its 16-bit ZNEO microcontroller.
[edit] Products
The Z80 was an improved implementation of the Intel 8080 architecture, which was faster, more capable, and much cheaper; alongside the 6502 it was one of the most popular 8-bit processors for general purpose microcomputers and other applications. It was used in the Nintendo Game Boy, the Sinclair ZX80, ZX81, ZX Spectrum and the Amstrad CPC home computers as well as the MSX architecture and the Tandy TRS-80 series—among many others. More so than simply sparking improvements in the budding field of home computing and gaming, the Z-80 also sparked a revolution in electronic music, as the first truly programmable polyphonic synthesizers (as well as their peripherals) relied heavily on implementations of this CPU.
Many Texas Instruments graphing calculators used the Z80 as the main processor, and the chip found continued use in some game consoles such as the Sega Mega Drive (Genesis in the United States) as a dedicated sound controller. The CP/M operating system (and its huge software library featuring hits like Wordstar and dBase) was known to be "the Z80 disk operating system", and its success is partly due to the popularity of the Z80.
After the Z80 Zilog introduced the 16-bit Z8000 and 32-bit Z80000 processors, but these were not particularly successful, and the company refocused on the microcontroller market, producing both basic CPUs and application-specific integrated circuits/standard products (ASICs/ASSPs) built around a CPU core. As well as producing processors, Zilog has produced several other components. One of the most famous was the Z8530 serial communications controller as found on Sun SPARCstations and SPARCservers up to the SPARCstation 20.
Zilog also formed a Systems Division, which designed the Zilog System 8000, a Z8000- or Z80000-based multiuser computer system running a Unix derivative called ZEUS (Zilog Enhanced UNIX System).[6]
Zilog attempted to enter the 32-bit microcontroller market in February 2006 with the demonstration of ARM9-based Point-Of-Sale (POS) microcontroller product line.[7][8] The final product was released in 2007 called Zatara.[9] Sales were disappointing and the entire ARM9 series was sold to Maxim Integrated Products in 2009.
Zilog also produced Zdots single board computers. It includes Zilog eZ80AcclaimPlus controller, 1MiB flash memory, 512KiB SRAM, 10BaseT Ethernet Controller, IrDA transceiver, 2 x 60-pin system expansion interface with full MPU bus/control signals, RJ-45 Ethernet connector.[10] Motion detection version includes Z8 Encore! XP MCU.[11]
[edit] Microprocessor families
- Zilog Z80 (1976)
- Zilog Z8000 (ca 1978)
- Zilog Z800 (1985)
- Zilog Z80000 (late 1985)
- Zilog Z280 (early 1986)
- Zilog Z180 (late 1986)
[edit] Microcontroller families
- Zilog Z380 (1994)
- Zilog Z8 Encore!
- Zilog Z8 Encore! XP
- Zilog eZ80 (2001)
- Zilog eZ8 (2005)
[edit] Communication controllers
- Z16017/Z16M17/Z86017 PCMCIA adapter
- Z80382/Z8L382 microprocessor
- Z5380 SCSI protocol controller (based on NCR 5380)
- Z022 series single-chip modem
[edit] Other wireless
- Z87200
- Z87L01
- Z87L10
[edit] Digital Signal Processor
- Z86295
- Z89 series
[edit] TV controllers
- Z90231
- Z90233
- Z90251
- Z90255
[edit] Line 21 Decoders
- Z86129/Z86130/Z86131
- Z86228/Z86229/Z86230
[edit] Single board computers
- Zdots eZ80F91
[edit] Executive Management
- Darin Billerbeck - CEO
- Rick White - VP, WW Ops
- Mike Speckman - VP, WW Sales
- Dan Eaton - VP, General Counsel
- Mike Orr - VP, Microcontroller Business
[edit] See also
- Applied Digital Data Systems
- LaFarr Stuart, ZiLOG's 4th employee
[edit] References
- ^ Zilog Oral History Panel on the Founding of the Company and the Development of the Z80 Microprocessor
- ^ ZiLOG Press Release (Feb 4, 2008): "Zilog Board of Directors Declines Universal Electronics Inc.'s Unsolicited Proposal"
- ^ Zilog Sells Off Two Product Lines (Feb 19 2009)
- ^ SEC filing: IXYS and Zilog merger
- ^ Zilog Acquired by IXYS
- ^ "ZILOG Z8000". OLD-COMPUTERS.COM. http://www.old-computers.com/history/detail.asp?n=52&t=3. Retrieved 2008-04-22.
- ^ ZiLOG(R) Unveils 32-Bit ARM-9(R) Application-Specific Strategy to Focus on Security and Point-of-Sale Markets
- ^ New ZiLOG ARM9 Microcontroller Product Line
- ^ Zilog Leads the Secure Transactions Market with New 32-bit High Security Zatara(TM) Series ARM(R) Core Based ASSP
- ^ Zilog Zdots eZ80F91 Module
- ^ Zilog ePIR Enhanced Motion Detection ZDOTS Single Board Computer Bolsters Energy Management For Vending And Other Applications Back
[edit] External links
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