RF & Analog Company Name Change History
Answers to RF Cafe Quiz #67

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RF Cafe Quiz #67: RF & Analog Company Name Change HistoryThis quiz tests your knowledge on the history of familiar electronics products companies' name changes (aka etymology). Many of you have lived through the plethora of acquisitions, mergers, and name changes represented here. There might be more than one correct answer. You might need a motion sickness pill when navigating all the changes. Wikipedia is used as the reference because I know the historical information presented there is accurate (enough).

 

1.  Skyworks Solutions designs and manufactures a wide variety of amplifiers, switches, front-end modules, and other ICs and modules for wireless systems. From which company(s) did it come?

Conexant Systems logo - RF Cafelpha Industries logo - RF Cafeb & d)  Conexant Systems

Skyworks Solutions was formed as a separate company in 2002 following the merger of Alpha Industries and Conexant Systems.

 

 

2.  Keysight Technologies is a premier maker of test equipment of all types. It has undergone multiple name changes. What was its original name?

Agilent Technologies logo - RF CafeHewlett Packard logo - RF Cafeb & c)  Agilent Technologies & Hewlett Packard

Keysight Technologies in 2014 was born out of Agilent Technologies, which itself in 2001 was a spawn of Hewlett Packard. I'll never forgive HP for abandoning its test equipment brand in favor of computers.

 

 

3.  Qorvo manufactures RFICs and components for the cellphone and wireless markets. Whence came it?

TriQuint Semiconductor logo - RF CafeRF Micro Devices logo - RF Cafea & d)  RF Micro Devices & TriQuint Semiconductor

Qorvo - a name for which I will never understand the motivation - was formed in 2015 following the merger of TriQuint Semiconductor and RF Micro Devices.

 

 

4.  Freescale Semiconductor makes many types of RFICs for applications like oscillators, amplifiers, and radio tuners. Which company recently bought it?

NXP logo - RF Cafea)  NXP Semiconductors

NXP Semiconductors bought Freescale Semiconductor in 2015. Freescale Semiconductor was a spinoff of Motorola in 2004.

 

 

5.  Fairchild Semiconductor's wide array of IC products includes those for analog and RF applications. Can you name the company that most recently acquired it?

ON Semiconductor logo - RF Cafed)  ON Semiconductor

ON Semiconductor bought out Fairchild Semiconductor in 2016 (just a couple weeks ago). Prior to that, Fairchild Semiconductor was acquired by National Semiconductor in 1987 and by Schlumberger Limited in 1979.

 

 

6.  Texas Instruments recently bought a very famous analog and analog IC producer. Which company was it?

National Semiconductor logo - RF Cafea)  National Semiconductor

National Semiconductor was bought by Texas Instruments in 2011.

 

 

7.  Avago Technologies bought which well-known WiFi and Bluetooth RFIC product company?

Broadcomm logo - RF Cafeb)  Broadcom Limited

Avago Technologies bought Broadcom Corporation in 2016, and kept the Broadcom Limited name. Broadcom was originally part of Agilent Technologies, which separated from Hewlett Packard in 1999.

 

 

8.  Cambridge Silicon Radio (CSR) was an early player in the fabless chip business, making WiFi, Bluetooth, and GPS RFICs. Which company most recently bought CSR?

Qualcomm logo - RF Cafea)  Qualcomm

Qualcomm bought Cambridge Silicon Radio (CSR) in 2015.

 

 

9.  Linear Technology, a decades-long producer of analog ICs, was acquired by which company in 2016?

Analog Devices logo - RF Cafec)  Analog Devices

Analog Devices acquired Linear Technology in July 2016

 

 

Posted September 28, 2016