RFaxis provides RF front-end product suite for IEEE 802.11ac with CMOS … – wallstreet-online

The first device Nucleus45, is a fully integrated 5GHz 802.11ac RF front-end IC (RFeIC) with 40nm CMOS process technology and is intended to strategic customers in the fourth quarter of 2014 are provided as samples. A Dual-Band-/Dual-Modus-RFeIC with the same 40nm node, namely Nucleus4 will be available in the first quarter of 2015. In addition, the company will introduce the next version of its nucleus2 product range that ensures a smooth transition from 40nm to 28nm process node.

Given explosive growth rates of the enormous success of Wi-Fi in the market remains strong, driven by important applications such as smartphones, PCs / tablets, HD video streaming and the Internet of Things (IOT). According to Strategy Analytics 2013 over 2 billion Wi-Fi chips were delivered in 2017 and an annual sales volume of over 3 billion is forecast.

In order to improve the speed and throughput of real-time data for wireless connections on, the Wi-Fi industry is rapidly transferred to the latest IEEE standard 802.11ac. This supports modern modulation schemes such as 256QAM, up to 8×8 MIMO (Multiple-In Multiple-Out) and MU-MIMO (multi-user MIMO), thus allowing unprecedented data speeds of up to 10 Gbps. Provider of Wi-Fi SoCs go steadily on to smaller CMOS process node for the next release of their products in order to further reduce the size to improve the processor capacity and to increase the level of integration.

As the CMOS technology is making the transition to deeper submicron nodes like 40nm, 32nm and 28nm, raises the decreasing supply voltage along with passive losses related to substrate leakage, difficulties in the design of RF PAs (Radio Frequency Power Amplifiers) and front-end modules for high power capacity, good linearity and competitive productivity. On the other hand, these nanometer-scale CMOS devices, a variety of new features and benefits such as an unparalleled signal processing power that can deliver huge benefits for RF-/Analog-Konstruktionen, provided they are used correctly.

For example, DPD (Digital Pre-Distortion) nowadays routinely used on regular Wi-Fi SoCs to enable an adequate on-chip output power with good linearity for the OFDM modulation, while ET ( Envelope tracking) rapidly developed into a promising enabling technology for CMOS power amplifier to replace current GaAs-based PAs for 3G/4G-LTE-Mobilgeräte-Anwendungen.

While this powerful and advanced digital techniques to control and improve any RF front-end solutions can be used, the best synergies when both the SoC (baseband / transceiver) and the RF components are obtained with the same CMOS technology designed and manufactured. This is precisely the aim of RFaxis at its Nucleus product line. Thanks to patented architecture, specially developed advanced technology and design know-how in the company RFaxis has taken several technical hurdles and mastered the art of achieving high and linear RF power low voltage CMOS devices.

An excellent example is RFX240 of RFaxis, a 2.4 GHz 11b/g/n/ac power amplifier based on 0.18 um standard CMOS technology, the 26dBm (400mW) linear performance with 3 percent EVM for 64QAM OFMD supplies at 5V supply voltage. At the same time an excellent power added efficiency (PAE) is achieved, which is superior to the GaAs-based or SiGe processes engineering design of competitors. RFaxis has a comprehensive portfolio of 2.4 / 5GHz RFeICs that are equipped with PA, LNA and antenna switches and mass-produced. They offer superior performance at incomparable prices thanks to cost-effective CMOS process technology.

RFaxis Nucleus product line

RFaxis tested with the Nucleus product range further the boundaries of the possible, in so far as the company integrates high-performance RF in nanometer process nodes. Nucleus45 is designed to provide 18dBm output power and to simultaneously meet the stringent linearity requirements of 256QAM modulation for 11ac – without DPD techniques to use . The integrated LNA allows an extremely low noise level of 2.5 dB on the system level, while all losses are included in combination with impedance matching and antenna switch. The RF power is similar to that of ultra-modern engineering design of significantly more expensive semiconductor processes such as GaAs, SiGe or SOI.

The Nucleus solution provides the wireless industry a method to synchronize robust RF, digital and mixed-signal designs in deeper micron process node. So customers will be able to achieve their RF performance targets with accelerated product development cycles, significantly reduced development risk and shorter time to market, while avoiding huge investments in research and development.

“RF front-end modules play a crucial role in terms of maximizing the compactness and ensuring the highest data rates for wireless communication devices such as smartphones and tablets,” said Mike Neshat, chairman and CEO of RFaxis. “The challenges posed by the RF design unique difficulties, the wireless industry to date on expensive technologies based on gallium arsenide (GaAs) or silicon germanium (SiGe) has left for the RF front-end requirements. RFaxis is the world’s first and only company that provides complete RF front-end solutions with a pure CMOS process technology to ground-breaking prices, without compromising on performance. “

” With the introduction of the nucleus followed RFaxis determined its mission, the wireless industry to provide an RF front-end solution that is based on CMOS technology, and can be seamlessly integrated with popular SoC for Wi-Fi, ZigBee, Bluetooth or the Internet of Things, “said Mike Neshat said.

has RFaxis About, Inc.

The company, founded in March 2009 RFaxis Inc. headquartered in Irvine, California and specializes in the development and design of RF semiconductors. With its patented technologies, the company leads the way in the field of wireless solutions for multi-billion dollar markets such as wireless 802.11b/g/a/n/ac, MIMO, IoT/M2M, ZigBee, Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy, ANT, 6LoWPAN, AMR / AMI and wireless audio / video transmission. Taking advantage of pure CMOS technology in conjunction with its own innovative approach and patented technology and trade secrets RFaxis has the first RF Front End Integrated Circuit (RFeIC ™). More information can be found at www.rfaxis.com.

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