Austrian 4G for Munich

Technology: Microe[ectronics

RFMD environmental success and shipments RF Micro Devices, h a s r e c e i v e d ISO 1 4 0 0 1 : 1 9 9 6 certification for e n v i r o n m e n t a l m a n a g e m e n t s y s t e m s b y t h e TUV M a n a g e m e n t Service certification body. G a r y Grant, c o r p o r a t e VP of quality said, "We are p r o u d to a n n o u n c e o u r ISO 14001:1996 certification, w h i c h d e m o n s t r a t e s RFMD's l e a d e r s h i p in environmental management systems a n d f u r t h e r validates o u r c o m m i t m e n t to t h e e n v i r o n m e n t a n d o u r c o m m u n i t y . After r e c e i v i n g ISO 9001 certification for quality in 1998, w e p u r s u e d t h e ISO 14001 qualification to g u a r a n t e e t h a t o u r high-quality radio f r e q u e n -

Austrian 4G for Munich NewLogic Technologies, headq u a r t e r e d in Lustenau, Anstria a n d specialising in (IP) cores a n d design services for wireless technologT, is o p e n i n g its n e w design c e n t e r in t h e h e a r t of Munich, Germany. It plans to e x t e n d its c u r r e n t p r o d u c t a n d t e c h n o l o g y of Bluetooth a n d wh-eless LAN solutions, w i t h i n v e s t m e n t s in t h e n e w 4G wireless technologies, w h i c h offer a lower cost a n d / o r h i g h e r p e r f o r m a n c e alternative to 3G s y s t e m s . W i t h a 4G solution it is possible to integrate different m o d e s of wireless c o m m u n i c a tions f r o m indoor n e t w o r k s s u c h as wireless LANs a n d Bluetooth, to cellulax, to radio a n d T V broadcasting or to satellite c o m m u n i c a t i o n s . T h e n e w 4G technologies allows users of mobile devices to r o a m freely f r o m o n e standard to another.

News Update

Next generation SiGe BiCMOS technology IMEC a n d National Semicon-

d e v e l o p i n g a 0 . 1 8 - m i c r o n SiGe

d u c t o r are d e v e l o p i n g an 0.18-

HBT m o d u l e for i n t e g r a t i o n

m i c r o n a n d follow-up genera-

into an existing h i g h s p e e d

tion of SiGe-based BiCMOS

BiCMOS p r o c e s s family. U n d e r

process technology optimized

t e r m s of t h e n o n - e x c l u s i v e a g r e e m e n t , IMEC will l i c e n s e

for l o w p o w e r applications.

its 0 . 1 8 m i c r o n SiGe HBT m o d Targeted at l o w p o w e r applica-

ule w i t h t h e t e s t c h i p struc-

tions, t h e joint p r o c e s s develop-

t u r e s a n d b i p o l a r model.

m e n t w i t h IMEC will enable

NatSemi will integrate t h e SiGe

NatSemi to offer a 0 . 1 8 m i c r o n

HBT m o d u l e into its existing

SiGe-based BiCMOS p r o c e s s b y

0.18-micron CMOS p r o c e s s . A

D e c e m b e r 2003 for its South

suite of radio f r e q u e n c y (RF)

Portland, Maine m a n u f a c t u r i n g

passive c o m p o n e n t s s u c h as

facility.

spiral inductor, varactor, metal-

In a s e c o n d p h a s e o1 t h e four-

insulator-metal (MIM) capacitor

y e a r f r a m e c o n t r a c t , IMEC a n d

a n d bpoly-silicon resistors will

N a t S e m i c p l a n to d e v e l o p

also be fully integrated into t h e

n e x t - g e n e r a t i o n SiGe-based

p r o c e s s . T h i s will give NatSemi

BiCMOS t e c h n o l o g y by t h e

an e n h a n c e d p r o c e s s capability

first half o f 2005. Since 2002,

for RF d e s i g n s targeted at n e x t

IMEC a n d NatSemi h a v e b e e n

g e n e r a t i o n RF m a r k e t needs.

cy ICs are b e i n g p r o d u c e d u n d e r e n v i r o n m e n t a l l y friendly conditions." This m o n t h RFMD s t a r t e d p r o d u c t i o n s h i p m e n t s of t h e RF2461 L N A / m i x e r f r o n t e n d to TCL Mobile for u s e in t h e c u r r e n t T C L 1828 a n d T C L 1868 a n d u p c o m i n g T C L 1888 CDMA2000 l x h a n d s e t s for the Chinese domestic market. It h a s also b e g u n s h i p p i n g its 2G w i r e l e s s LAN (WLAN) t r a n s c e i v e r for 802.1 l b applic a t i o n s . T h e RF2958 is built u p o n RFMD's 1G RF2948B transceiver and integrates the functionality of three chips into one. T h e RF2958 r e d u c e s t h e b o a r d area r e q u i r e d to implement the transceiver f u n c t i o n by 62% a n d r e d u c e s transceiver power consumption b y m o r e t h a n 50%. In d o i n g so, t h e RF2958 provides l o w e r cost, l o w e r p o w e r consumption, reduced compon e n t c o u n t a n d i m p r o v e d perf o r m a n c e to m a n u f a c t u r e r s o f PC cards, m i n i PCI a n d o t h e r w i r e l e s s LAN applications.

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