Product category:
Communications ICs (Wireless)
News Release from: RF Micro Devices | Subject: UltimateBlue 3000
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial
Team on 25 April 2003
Bluetooth radio processor aims for
sub-$4 BoM
The single-chip UltimateBlue 3000 radio processor delivers the proven high-performance capabilities of previous Silicon Wave Bluetooth products on a low-cost 0.18-micron CMOS process.
The single-chip UltimateBlue 3000 radio processor delivers the proven high-performance capabilities of previous Silicon Wave Bluetooth products on a low-cost 0.18-micron CMOS process The highly integrated IC combines a direct conversion radio modem with an ARM7TDMI processor core, Bluetooth baseband logic, and complete protocol software in ROM, in a 1.8V device
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 20 Jun 2003 at 8.00am (UK)
Related stories
Bluetooth devices available as known good die
The UltimateBlue 3000 radio processor and the SiW1712 radio modem are now available as stand-alone bare die products.
Bluetooth processor tackles coexistence at 2.4GHz
Silicon Wave's UltimateBlue coexistence technology is now available to customers using the single-chip SiW3000 Bluetooth radio processor.
The UltimateBlue 3000 is Bluetooth Specification Version 1.1 compliant and is field upgradeable to the future Bluetooth Specification Version 1.2 via optional Flash memory download.
Samples of the UltimateBlue 3000 are available now with full production scheduled for the second quarter of 2003.
"The innovative design of the new UltimateBlue 3000 radio processor enables Silicon Wave to produce a complete, inexpensive Bluetooth solution in a single CMOS chip that delivers the same outstanding performance customers have come to expect from us", said David Lyon, CEO and President of Silicon Wave.
Further reading
Radio modem certified for CDMA and 3G handsets
The SiW1712TM UltimateBlue radio modem has received certification for use with CDMA chipsets with an integrated Bluetooth baseband.
Single-chip Bluetooth improves coexistence
The SiW3500 UltimateBlue IC is a complete single-chip CMOS Bluetooth solution.
Bluetooth chip runs audio onboard
The novel UltimateBlue Audio solution combines Clear Voice Capture software from Clarity Technologies with Silicon Wave's single-chip UltimateBlue Bluetooth ICs.
"This makes it ideal for integration into mobile phones and other battery driven products where consumers expect low cost and exceptional RF performance in a small package".
The single-chip UltimateBlue 3000 radio processor features an innovative direct conversion radio architecture that not only considerably reduces a Bluetooth system's total bill of materials (BOM) cost, but also delivers RF performance that exceeds Bluetooth specifications by considerable margins.
This added 'headroom' simplifies PCB design, reduces development effort, and allows customers to lower their manufacturing costs by eliminating tuning during volume production.
Designed to operate over an extended temperature range of -40 to +105C, and with a low out-of-band spurious emission transmitter that prevents blocking of sensitive RF circuits, the UltimateBlue 3000 has been optimised for use in mobile handsets.
The IC is also designed to take advantage of future enhancements to the Bluetooth specification including adaptive frequency hopping (AFH) and faster connection.
For PC-centric applications, the UltimateBlue 3000 supports Silicon Wave's previously announced Wi-Fi coexistence solutions, Blue802 technology and the Intel Wireless Coexistence System.
Additional features of the UltimateBlue 3000 single-chip Bluetooth IC include: single-ended RF I/O eliminates external balun and switch circuits, providing a virtually glueless connection to the antenna; all popular mobile phone reference clock frequencies supported; better than -80dBm receiver sensitivity and up to +4dBm transmitter output power over extended operating conditions; fast hardware-based automatic gain control (AGC) circuit dynamically adjusts receiver for optimal performance; optional external Flash memory interface; applications can operate from ROM-based stack or from external memory; supports UART, three-wire UART and USB 2.0 full-speed host interfaces; glueless PCM audio codec interface; and full Scatternet support without performance degradation.
"The UltimateBlue 3000 radio processor will clearly enable a sub-$4 total BOM cost", said Jarvis Tou, Vice President of Marketing and Product Management for Silicon Wave.
"We believe this to be the lowest total cost Bluetooth solution available today, enabling wide spread integration of Bluetooth wireless technology into mobile phones, headsets, PDAs, PCs and automotive applications".
The single-chip UltimateBlue 3000 radio processor is currently sampling with volume production scheduled for Q2 2003.
The IC is available in a 6 x 6 x 0.9mm BGA-96 ball package.
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