Feature: Communications design


Johanson Technology IPD – top and bottom view


Chipset-specific, integrated passive devices for next- generation wireless IoT applications


By Jeff Elliott, technical writer 28 November 2021 www.electronicsworld.co.uk


F


or the next generation of low-cost, battery- operated, wireless IoT products, the goal is to offer exceptional RF signal range and stability, with reduced power consumption in a miniaturised package. As a result, leading RF chipset and component manufacturers are


increasingly fine-tuning and improving their products. According to Semtech’s website, LoRa and LoRaWAN


are already the “de facto technology for Internet of Things (IoT) networks, worldwide”, which will provide long-range connectivity for many IoT applications, including next- generation smart everything – cities, homes, buildings, agriculture, metering, supply chain and logistics – and more.


One fits all To accomplish this PCB effective-area reduction task, chipset makers like Semtech create reference designs that third parties can adapt and modify as required, to fit their products’ applications. In effect, the reference designs are the technical blueprints of a system, usually targeted for specific uses, which serve as proof of concept. This helps fast-track products to come to market by using established front-end solutions, thereby reducing risk to an OEM’s integration project. “The starting point is the chipset, but it requires specific RF


circuitry to connect to the antenna,” said Manuel Carmona of Johanson Technology, a company supplying high-frequency ceramic components, including chip antennas, integrated filters/baluns, high-Q capacitors and EMI chip filters.


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