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Bluetooth System-on-Chip Solution Targets 3G Phones

1st September, 2004

US : RF Micro Devices, Inc. announced the highly integrated SiW4000(TM) system-on-chip (SoC) Bluetooth(R) solution with Enhanced Data Rate (EDR) for up to three times faster throughput than current Bluetooth 1.2 devices. With its small size, low power consumption and low bill of materials (BOM) cost, the SiW4000 is specifically designed for mobile phone applications.

Developed using a 0.13 micron CMOS process technology with inherently lower operating voltage, the SiW4000 consumes three times less power than current Bluetooth products. Low power consumption is critical to maintaining the talk time and standby time required of today's feature-rich mobile phones. Efficient memory utilization and small die size allow the SiW4000 to be assembled in an easy-to-use 4.5 x 4.5mm ball grid array (BGA) package, which provides a 40 percent reduction in size compared to current solutions and minimizes the footprint of the printed circuit board (PCB). Requiring only eight external components, including six capacitors, one inductor and one band pass filter, the SiW4000 lowers the overall BOM cost.

Michael Yin, director of product marketing for the Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN) product line at RF Micro Devices, said, "We are pleased to announce our new single-chip SiW4000 Bluetooth solution with Enhanced Data Rate. The higher data throughput enables more efficient bandwidth utilization, lowers power consumption and broadens the applications for Bluetooth technology. We selected 0.13 micron CMOS to remain at the forefront of the technology-cost-performance trend. Furthermore, aggressive system design and optimization reduce the overall die size and lower unit costs."

Frank Morese, vice president of RF Micro Devices' wireless connectivity business unit, said, "The SiW4000 will significantly expand our Bluetooth product portfolio by targeting the high volume 2.5G and 3G handset marketplace, within which RFMD is the proven leader in power amplifiers. We anticipate our new SiW4000 will leverage the success of our current-generation, single-chip CMOS Bluetooth products, which are helping to drive approximately 100 percent Bluetooth revenue growth for RFMD this quarter."

The SiW4000 features Enhanced Data Rate (EDR), which delivers two- to three-times higher data transfer rates than the current Bluetooth 1.2 specification and is backward compatible with Bluetooth V1.1 and V1.2 devices. The SiW4000 also provides a coexistence interface to reduce interference with collocated 802.11 systems. The solution requires fewer external components for an overall lower BOM cost. An Enhanced Data Rate development platform will be available to select OEMs in the fourth quarter of calendar year 2004, and samples of the SiW4000 will be available during the first quarter of calendar year 2005.

Features of the SiW4000

-- 0.13 micron CMOS process for lower current consumption,
smaller size and lower cost

-- Direct connection to battery for more efficient power
management

-- Direct conversion architecture for superior performance,
including lower spurious emissions and enhanced RF blocking

-- On-chip 50 Ohm matching network lowers customer costs by
reducing component count and eliminating tuning and
calibration during production

-- High-speed synchronous and asynchronous serial interface
capable of supporting EDR data rates

-- Direct input from mobile phone reference clocks

-- Industry-standard ARM7TDMI(R) processor core

-- Stacked FLASH package footprint compatible with the ROM
package

RF Micro Devices, Inc., an ISO 9001- and ISO 14001-certified manufacturer, designs, develops, manufactures and markets proprietary radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs) for wireless communications products and applications. The Company is a leading supplier of power amplifiers, one of the most critical radio frequency (RF) components in cellular phones. The Company is also the leading manufacturer of GaAs HBT, which offers distinct advantages over other technologies for the manufacture of current- and next-generation power amplifiers. The Company's products are included primarily in cellular phones, base stations, wireless local area networks (WLANs), cable television modems and global positioning systems (GPS). The Company derives revenue from the sale of standard and custom-designed products. The Company offers a broad array of products including amplifiers, mixers, modulators/demodulators and single-chip transmitters, Bluetooth(R) products and receivers and transceivers that represent a substantial majority of the RFICs required in wireless subscriber equipment.

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