Solutions Chipidea: A Complete
Spectrum of RF and Wireless Connectivity
By Dr.
Carlos Azeredo Leme
Chief Technical Officer and Executive Vice-President of IP Wireless Systems Division of Chipidea
MIPS Analog Business Group
Current trends in the mobile consumer
electronics market present a perfect storm for today's systems on
chip designers. As wireless connectivity quickly becomes nearly
ubiquitous, the world's reliance on mobile consumer electronics products
is increasing... Consumers want to stay connected
- to audio, video and data - on one wireless device. Along
with this technology convergence, the global marketplace has become
hyper-competitive, shrinking product lifecycles through a relentless,
simultaneous focus on innovation and imitation. To remain competitive,
SoC and SIP designers must focus on designing unique, digital features
critical to differentiating their chips while entrusting analog and
mixed-signal design to an IP partner with silicon-proven solutions.
Recognizing the need for reliable analog
and mixed-signal IP solutions that specifically address the design challenges
of the wireless world, Chipidea is proud to offer a comprehensive portfolio
of RF and Wireless Connectivity IP solutions ranging from individual
components to highly integrated RF solutions.
Building on our successful deployment
of the GPS and DVB-H RFICs in TSMC 0.18um, both of which are in volume
production, Chipidea is has expanded the portfolio to include embedded
RF cores targeting UWB, Mobile-TV and WiMAX/WiFi. This portfolio
features key RF building blocks such as frequency synthesizers, filters,
and LNAs; each offering low power consumption, high integration and
high performance.
Chipidea's RF and Wireless Connectivity
solutions address the following applications:
WIMAX/WLAN
RF Transceivers - Optimized
for embedded integration, Chipidea's modular WIMAX/WLAN Radio Architecture
is MIMO compatible, covers all world bands 2.412-2.484GHz & 4.915-5.795GHz,
and supports IEEE 802.16 and 802.11abgn standards. Available in 65
nm technology.
Mobile
TV tuners - Chipidea
offers a complete RF receiver for Mobile-TV, supporting DVB-H, T-DMB
and ISDB-T standards with multi band operation on VHF, UHF (band III
to band V) and L-Band (both 1.452-1.492GHz and 1.670-1.675GHz). Available
in both 180 and 65 nm technologies.
Frequency
Synthesizers - Our wide-band
RF Frequency Synthesizer is a complete fractional-N synthesizer, optimized
for embedded integration with minimum external components. Available
in both 90 and 65 nm technologies.
GPS
Receiver - Supporting
both GPS and Galileo in L1 band, Chipidea's highly integrated, low-noise
front-end is optimized for low power consumption, uses few and low-cost
external components. It's CMOS implementation offers a high
level of programmability and interface flexibility.
UWB - Chipidea offers a comprehensive RF front-end
receiver solution for MB-OFDM UWB applications that covers 11 frequency
bands and operates in frequency ranges from 3.1 to 4.8 GHz and 6.3 to
10.6 GHz. Available in 90nm CMOS, this core is optimized for embedded
integration with minimum external components.
RF Transceiver for
WIMAX/WLAN
Chipidea's CI10413tn IP core is a complete RF transceiver
for WiMAX and WLAN including the RF Front-end and Frequency Synthesizer,
plus the digital filters and de-rotation machine, providing a digital
interface to the digital PHY.
The core is optimized for embedded
integration. Only the Baseband Converters, PA, RF switch, and a small
number of passive components are needed to form a complete RF solution.
The baseband filters are programmable to support the different modes.
CI10413tn supports MIMO configurations by sharing the LO among several
instantiations of the basic core.
The circuit can operate down to 1.0V
to allow inclusion of LDOs on the supplies for better isolation.
1.2V Single Supply
Low power consumption of
170 mW
Small core size below 10mm2
(synthesizer + 1x1 transceiver)
This core was designed in a 65 nm 1.2V/2.5Vdual
oxide CMOS technology LP option.
Mobile-TV
Tuners
CI10185tn integrates a complete RF receiver for Mobile-TV,
covering also FM radio band. It supports DVB-H, T-DMB and ISDB-T standards
with multi band operation on VHF, UHF (band III to band V) and L-Band
(both 1.452-1.492GHz and 1.670-1.675GHz).
Uses a Zero-IF architecture including
LNA, mixer, baseband filters and AGC machine. The baseband filters are
automatically tuned and the offset is automatically cancelled with a
mixed-signal servo loop.
A Fractional-N Synthesizer with integrated
resonator and loop filter enables the use of typical crystals used in
cellular applications.
CI10185tn combines a high sensitivity
with high linearity, low phase noise and excellent blocker attenuation,
making it suitable for multi-mode Mobile-TV Tuners.
Optionally, the baseband AFE can be
provided. It includes the I and Q ADCs, an ADC for monitoring the RSSI,
and a PLL to generate multiple frequencies of the clock provided by
the tuner.
CI10185tn is available in TSMC 65nm. There is also CI10082tg, a companion die for SIP integration, available
in TSMC 0.18um.
Wide-band
RF Frequency Synthesizer
CI10512tn is a complete Dual PLL Frequency Synthesizer
with quadrature output. It features fully integrated VCOs, Loop filters,
digitally controlled crystal oscillator (DCXO), and a quadrature based
LO combiner.
The VCOs tuning range
is very wide (reaching 100%) by the use of switched capacitors in the
resonator. This allows supporting a variety of services such as WLAN,
WIMAX and TV. The output frequency (LO) is generated by a mixer
which combines the outputs of the two PLLs.
There are three possible
modes:
Addition mode : Main VCO
+ Offset VCO / divider
Bypass mode : Main VCO
Subtract mode : Main VCO
+ Offset VCO / divider
This dual PLL architecture
offers a very flexible frequency plan and supports multi-transceiver
chains without pulling effects due to VCO coupling. Operation
down to 1.0V minimum supply allowing inclusion of LDO regulator for
better isolation.
This core is available
in both 90
and 65 nm TSMC technologies.
GPS Receiver
RF front-end
CI10084tg is an integrated low-noise RF front-end
for GPS (Global Positioning System) receivers in the L1 band, supporting
also Galileo. It is designed to work with a base-band IC with or without
embedded ADC and uses a Low-IF architecture of 4 MHz.
The Fractional-N synthesizer provides
a very flexible frequency plan, supporting a wide range of crystal oscillators.
System control and status monitoring over a serial interface.
Target applications include: Automotive
GPS receivers, Battery-operated GPS receivers, Mobile phones with GPS
receivers
Optimized for low power consumption,
uses few and low-cost external components and is instantiated in 0.18um
CMOS process.
RF Transceiver for UWB
Chipidea's CI10311im
is a RF Front-End transceiver for MB-OFDM UWB applications. Its
operation frequency covers the range from 3.1 to 4.8 GHz and 6.3 to
10.6 GHz in the unlicensed frequency band defined by FCC and it is robust
enough to be compatible with other wireless applications, such as GSM,
Bluetooth, and WLAN.
This IP is a direct-conversion structure.
The receiver includes wide-band
LNA, mixer, low pass filter and variable gain amplifier driving baseband
I&Q ADCs. The transmitter includes baseband I&Q DACs,
low pass filter, up-converter and power driver.
A fast hopping frequency synthesizer with a low phase noise is
implemented to generate the needed 11 carriers to cover the unlicensed
frequency band for MB-OFDM UWB wireless communications. The
frequency hopping time is well below 9.5ns required.
The IP core is optimized for embedded
integration with minimum external components and is available in IBM's
90nm CMOS technology.
Before assuming his current positioning Carlos Leme was a co-founder of Chipidea Microelectronics S.A. where served as chief technical officer and executive vice-president of the IP Wireless Systems Division.
At Chipidea, Carlos Leme has worked in the areas of audio, power management, RF and analog front-ends for cellular, wireline communications and sensors.
He Holds an Engineering Degree in EE and a doctorate from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETHZ), Switzerland, and has published more than 75 articles in book chapters, international journals and conferences.
Leme is also a professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the Engineering University (IST) in Lisbon, Portugal.
