RF front-end solutions take more onboard

SiGe Semiconductor has expanded its series of Wi-Fi integrated circuits with RF front-end solutions specifically designed to reduce size and minimise battery drain of portable consumer electronics.

SiGe Semiconductor has expanded its series of Wi-Fi integrated circuits with RF front-end solutions specifically designed to reduce size and minimise battery drain of portable consumer electronics.

The new RangeCharger devices include the SE2550L RF front-end module and the SE2523L power amplifier for 802.11b/g WLAN systems.

The SE2550L integrates all the RF functionality required between the transceiver and antenna in a miniature chip-scale module with a profile of just 0.6mm - about half the height of competing solutions.

The SE2523L is a stand-alone power amplifier with integrated enable circuitry and power detector.

Both devices provide desired power output with a current consumption of 30% less than existing solutions.

"The SE2523L and SE2550L are the first power amplifier devices to specifically address the design challenges facing manufacturers of handheld, portable WLAN systems: adding Wi-Fi functionality without impacting size, battery life or performance", said Andrew Parolin, Director of Wireless Power Amplifiers, SiGe Semiconductor.

"With the only devices available that meet the size and battery life expectations of portable systems, we expect to take a significant share of this rapidly growing market".

"The embedded Wi-Fi IC market has traditionally included mostly PDAs and VoWi-Fi handsets, but will increasingly include a range of devices including cellular handsets, consumer electronics, computer peripherals, and cars", says Philip Solis, Senior Analyst, Wireless Connectivity of ABI Research.

"These devices represent a much greater opportunity for Wi-Fi than just access points and adapters alone".

"The market for embedded Wi-Fi ICs will exceed that of traditional Wi-Fi networking equipment by the end of 2006".

The SE2550L integrates all of the RF front-end circuitry required to interface the transceiver to the antenna.

The complete RF front-end module is supplied in a thin 18-pin 4 x 4.5 x 0.6mm package that includes a high-performance power amplifier, power detector, digital enable control, transmit/receive switch, harmonic filter, and input and output matching to 50ohm.

The SE2550L delivers output power of +16dBm in 802.11g mode with error vector magnitude (EVM) of less than 3.0%.

In 802.11b mode, the SE2550L meets all ACPR requirements at a power output of +19dBm.

The SE2523L is a 2.4GHz power amplifier that integrates digital enable circuitry, a robust power detector and biasing circuitry in a small 16-pin 3 x 3mm QFN package.

The SE2523L features +18dBm power output with EVM of 3% while operating in 802.11g mode.

All ACPR requirements are met while operating at +23dBm output power in 802.11b mode.

Both devices include digital enable control circuitry that simplifies design by allowing the SE2550L or SE2523L to be connected directly to a CMOS baseband or transceiver.

Each part also includes an internally coupled temperature compensated power detector that improves accuracy under output mismatch conditions.

In mismatch conditions of 2:1, the SE2550L and the SE2523L have variation of just 1dB.

Both devices are sampling now as lead-free products.

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