Nanoradio selects Jazz 0.35-micron SiGe BiCMOS process

NEWPORT, USA & STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN: Nanoradio AB, a semiconductor supplier targeting the cellular handset and multimedia consumer electronics market, and Jazz Semiconductor, a leading RF and analog foundry wholly owned by Jazz Technologies Inc., announced that Nanoradio had selected Jazz Semiconductor's 0.35-micron SiGe BiCMOS process (SBC35) to manufacture its NRX511 radio IC, a fully integrated RF transceiver optimized on the 2.4-2.5GHz ISM band.

Nanoradio chose Jazz Semiconductor's 0.35-micron SiGe BiCMOS (SBC35) to provide a low-power, high performance and cost-effective solution for development of its NRX511 high-frequency WLAN RF transceiver. The SBC35 is targeted for networking and wireless applications, providing designers with the flexibility of using any combination of three SiGe bipolar (NPN) transistors, each of which provides a different optimization for power and speed.

The speed transistor has an Ft of 62GHz and is used for high-performance blocks. The high power transistor can be used to integrate power amplifiers or high-speed drivers on the same chip. In addition to the three NPN transistors, the SBC35 comes standard with 3.3V CMOS, deep trench isolation, lateral PNP transistors, MIM and MIS capacitors, high-performance varactors, poly and Nwell resistors, and high-Q inductors. SBC35 options include 5V CMOS, a vertical PNP transistor, triple-well isolation, and a thick top-metal.

Nanoradio's chip is targeted for use in portable devices such as mobile phones and multimedia players where power consumption is critical for optimal user experience. The design uses differential RF-input and output to optimize the RF performance. Channel filtering is provided on-chip and no extra SAW filters are required. The NRX511 provides an on-chip high efficient RF power amplifier to minimize bill of materials and solution cost.

As the Fixed-Mobile Convergence Alliance (FMCA) points out, the trend in the telecom industry is convergence of fixed and mobile networks, turning the mobile phone into a single multimedia device. WLAN enables wireless bridges connecting the fixed and mobile networks, providing mobile broadband anywhere, any time. Global operators are catching this trend and have joined forces in the FMCA which represents over 850 million customers who stand to benefit from the development of convergence products and services.

Nanoradio's unique WiFi solutions fully support the exploding demand for VoIP, music downloads and IP TV in the converging networks. Nanoradio's key offering features include ultra-low power consumption in all WiFi modes, a highly integrated solution which enables low cost for customers, and an impressive small footprint. Nanoradio offers the WiFi chipset solution in a complete system-in-package (SiP) or in chip scale package (CSP), together with MAC host software and reference designs.