Prescalers target growing comms markets

Zarlink has released seven high-frequency prescalers operating at 6 and 10GHz, as well as a broadband RF power splitter.

Zarlink Semiconductor has unveiled a focused business strategy - and eight new products - that capitalise on strong demand for high-speed analogue communications chips with exceptional performance characteristics.

"We're developing a comprehensive family of high-performance analogue communications devices to key markets - frequency synthesis and timing, broadband amplifiers, and broadband line drivers", said Jitesh Vadhia, Senior Vice-President and General Manager, Network Access business unit, Zarlink Semiconductor.

"With our short cycle times and world-class processing technology, we're poised to rapidly deliver a large number of high-quality analogue products".

To target these opportunities, Zarlink has formed a High-Performance Analogue group, based in Swindon, UK.

The group is combining 25 years of analogue design experience with the company's proven silicon bipolar technology - one of the world's fastest, and most reliable, complementary bipolar processes - to deliver a proprietary portfolio of best-in-class, high-performance analogue chips.

Zarlink's research has identified immediate market demand for a new breed of high-speed analogue ICs that operate reliably in high-capacity segments of the radio band, specifically the 5-30GHz region.

In particular, high-speed analogue chips are needed to help process rising volumes of traffic on wireless networks.

To meet this demand, Zarlink is today delivering seven high-frequency prescalers operating at 6 and 10GHz, as well as a broadband RF power splitter.

Zarlink's high-frequency prescalers convert 6 or 10GHz signals into lower-frequency signals in fixed division ratios.

The ZL40800/802/803/804 prescalers divide 6GHz frequencies by ratios of eight, 16, two and four, respectively.

The ZL40810/812/815 prescalers divide 10GHz frequencies by ratios of eight, 16 and four, respectively.

Major customers are evaluating the prescalers for timing and synchronisation applications in Hiperlan (high-performance radio LAN) radios and broadband LMDSs (local multipoint distribution systems) for backhauling traffic in cellular networks.

Hiperlan is a wireless LAN standard adopted by ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute).

Zarlink's high-frequency prescalers are also designed for radar systems, instrumentation and measurement equipment, telecom timing circuits, and other types of radios.

Zarlink's prescalers achieve industry-leading ratings for power and phase noise, which help them deliver excellent high-frequency performance.

The 6GHz ZL40800/802/803/804 parts require supply voltages of only 3.45V and draw as little as 180mW - the industry's lowest power rating.

Zarlink's 10GHz parts also achieve best-in-class power ratings.

The ZL40810/812/815 chips operate on only 5V, drawing as little as 500mW.

Zarlink's phase noise specifications at 10kHz offset exceed those of all other prescalers on the market.

At 10kHz offset, the free-running phase noise of the 6GHz chips is only -150dBc/Hz.

The 10GHz devices deliver phase noise of -150dBc/Hz at 1kHz offset.

The devices have been extensively characterised using comprehensive test programs to validate continuous coverage over their entire operating regions.

Zarlink is also launching a low-power, low-noise broadband RF power splitter with excellent linearity and intermodulation performance.

The ZL40000 operates over an extremely large dynamic range of over 120dB for 1MHz bandwidth systems, and over a wide frequency range, from less than 1 to 2GHz, making it ideal for the distribution of multicarrier broadband channels.

The device also delivers at least 40dB of automatic gain control, allowing both wide signal level control or switching, when used in digital mode.

The ZL40000 is designed for use in a broad range of equipment, including cable TV set-top boxes, antenna systems, instrumentation, automatic test equipment, and radar systems.

Zarlink's high-performance analogue ICs are fabricated in the company's proven high-speed complementary silicon bipolar process.

The low-power, 5V process features NPN structures operating at speeds of 25GHz, and PNP structures operating at 20GHz.

Zarlink achieves these performance benchmarks in standard, low-cost silicon technology.

High-performance analogue chips from other companies are based on more expensive technologies such as SiGe or GaAs.

Zarlink's prescalers and power splitter are in volume production.

The prescalers are offered in 8-pin SOIC (small outline IC) or EPAD (exposed pad) SOIC packages.

These packages are pin-to-pin compatible with Zarlink's first-generation family of SP8902/08/10 prescalers, which operate at 5GHz and use 5V power supplies.

The ZL40800/802/803/804 are priced at US$10.00 each in quantities of 1k.

The ZL40810/812/815 are priced at US$12.00 each in quantities of 1k.

The ZL40000 power splitter is offered in a 28-pin QFN (quad flat no lead) package.

In quantities of 1k, the device is priced at US $2.35 each.

Back to top