Microcontroller and analog semiconductor specialist Microchip Technology Inc. announced the addition of TechEn. Inc. to its list of Medical Design Partner Specialists, which already included more than 14 members. Microchip plans to leverage its new partners' expertise in the areas of low power medical electronics designs in order to create eXtreme Low Power PIC microcontrollers (MCUs) aimed at the medical segment, which comply with the industry's regulatory requirements.

“With Microchip’s excellent support, PIC XLP MCUs and commitment to delivering products that meet demanding regulatory and reliability requirements for the medical-device industry, TechEn looks forward to facilitating product realization for customers at various stages of design sophistication” Bill Johnson, chief engineering officer of TechEn, said.

Low power consumption is a prime concern in medical applications and through collaborations with Microchip's other Medical Design Partner Specialists, the company can make its products stand out from others on the same market. The company is already familiar with Microchip's eXtreme Low Power PIC MCUs and, by implementing these PIC XLPs into its products, TechEn can extend battery life and reduce the number of battery changes required over a product's lifetime.

Microchip's microcontrollers are special through boasting the world's lowest power-consumption levels during sleep or standby modes, namely as low as 20nA. This performance, along with their other capabilities, earned them multiple global awards.

“Customers want to know that their design partner has knowledge and experience with the special requirements of their market,” Mitch Little, vice president of Worldwide Sales and Applications for Microchip, said. “With their knowledge of the low-power and regulatory requirements governing the medical electronics industry, we are pleased to partner with TechEn to enable customers to enjoy the benefits of Microchip’s world-class products, including our PIC XLP MCUs featuring the world’s lowest sleep currents. By working with TechEn, Medical OEMs can reap the benefits of XLP technology, and achieve faster time to market, smoother regulatory approval, and lower design risk.”

TechEn is one of the select few authorized design partners of Microchip to hold the “Design Partner Specialist” designation. Those invested with this title have co-branding rights and direct connections to the company's internal vertical-market design and technical resources. The partnership with TechEn will complement, among others, Microchip's medical, RF and touch-sensing design centers.