INDUSTRY MICROELECTRONICS
Building better RF front-ends with
UltraCMOS technology
When it comes to efficient delivery of power to the antenna, UltraCMOS technology is now outperforming GaAs
BY DUNCAN PILGRIM FROM PEREGRINE SEMICONDUCTOR
IN TODAY’S TYPICAL LTE-CAPABLE MOBILE HANDSET, the incredibly complex RF front-end is long overdue for rationalisation. To blame is the multi-die, multiple- technology approach that can be – and demonstrably, has been – made to work to an acceptable level of performance. What’s needed is a new approach that can trim the costs associated with such a diverse bill-of- materials, and with the complexities of manufacturing and testing the air-interface.
The way to address this, as is invariably the case with semiconductor technology, is to move to further integration. Currently, a typical handset is packed with ICs from a range of different vendors, each sporting different technologies. One of the key elements – the stand-out item, it might be said – that lies in the way of fully integrating the RF front- end is the status-quo of the GaAs-based PA.
This amplifier has been refined as mobile wireless standards have evolved. There has been a rapid growth of spectrum allocations over time, and that has brought us to the present state-of-the-art loosely termed ‘4G’. Now
there are over 40 distinct frequency bands throughout the world, and that is just one aspect of a multi-dimensional array of variables. There are also differences in modulation schemes, operating modes for the PA, antenna tuning settings, and accommodation of down-link carrier aggregation. The latter, like almost everything else in the mix, has been brought into play to serve the ever-increasing demand for data download capacity, while retaining backward capability with prior-generation air interfaces.
Multiplying all these factors together in a simple-arithmetic manner suggests that there has been a 5000-fold increase in possible operating states that the PA/RF front-end might occupy. Naturally, among those many states there will be groupings that will be quite similar; but equally, there is great diversity in operating conditions.
What is clear, therefore, is the need for a reconfigurable front-end. At Peregrine Semiconductor we are meeting this need with our UltraCMOS technology, which is a patented, advanced form of silicon-on-insulator (SOI).
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www.compoundsemiconductor.net Issue VI 2014 Copyright Compound Semiconductor
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