Fabless semiconductor firm RFaxis Inc of Irvine,CA,USA,which designs RF semiconductors and embedded antenna solutions for the wireless connectivity and cellular mobility markets,says it will start volume production of its second-generation,pure CMOS-based RF front-end ICs(RFeICs)in fourth-quarter 2012.The new solutions will serve rapidly growing markets including smartphones and tablets,WLAN 11a/n/ac,ZigBee,wireless audio,smart energy and home automation.
Following the deployment of its RFX2401C and RFX2402C(claimed to be the first single-chip/single-die RFeICs in pure CMOS for ZigBee/ISM and 802.11b/g/n applications),RFaxis is now entering full-scale manufacturing and shipment of seven additional RFeICs,broadening its product range for the wireless/RF community.
The RFX5000 and RFX5000B deliver+18dBm output power with 3%EVM(error vector magnitude)for 64QAM/OFDM in the 5GHz 802.11a/n/ac frequency band,including all losses of the antenna switch and input/output impedance matching network.Combined with high gain(33dB),high efficiency(170mA at+17dBm in low-current mode),low EVM floor(<1.5%),excellent thermal stability and multiple mode controls with simple CMOS logic,they outperform all 5GHz front-end solutions on the market from any existing technology,including gallium arsenide(GaAs)or silicon germanium(SiGe),RFaxis claims.The RFX5000 and RFX5000B are also pin-to-pin compatible with existing incumbent 5GHz technologies.
The RFX8420 and RFX8421 are designed and optimized for dual-mode Wi-Fi/Bluetooth applications that are now standard features in mainstream smartphones.Housed in ultra-compact 2.5mm x 2.5mm x 0.45mm QFN packages and pin-compatible with multiple GaAs-based front-end modules(FEM)on the market,they also deliver RF performance that includes what is claimed to be excellent EVM power and efficiency.In addition,the RFeICs have 0.8dB in total insertion loss for the SP3T switch with all DC-blocking capacitors integrated on-chip.
RFaxis also continues to expand its 2.4GHz and sub-GHz RFeIC portfolio for ZigBee,smart energy/smart home,wireless sensor network and generic ISM-band applications.The RFX1010 is an ultra-broadband half-watt RFeIC operating at 780-960MHz.The new RFX2411 and RFX2410 add antenna diversity capability to the firm's existing RFX2401C,without any compromise in output power/efficiency or increase in package size.
"RFaxis has broken all of the technical barriers that have prevented bulk CMOS to beat the performance of incumbent technologies,such as GaAs and SiGe,"states chairman&CEO Mike Neshat."We are not only starting full-scale deployment and production of these seven new RFeICs-ranging from sub-GHz ZigBee to 5GHz 11n/ac MIMO-but will also be sampling our RFX8825 RFeIC to support the upcoming migration to dual-band/dual-mode Wi-Fi designs in smartphones and tablets,as well as our RFX240 high-power linear power amplifier to capture the Wi-Fi AP/router and outdoor hotspot markets,"he adds.
"By offering the best-in-class performance,lowest cost,highest level of integration,and pin-to-pin compatible solutions with our competitors,RFaxis is going to'turn off the GaAs'and bring pure CMOS technology center stage for the RF front-end market,"Neshat reckons."Our goal is to be the world's preferred RF front-end solution provider and displace all competing solutions in 2013."
