NEC Shipping New Front-End Integrated Circuit
Small footprint simplifies board design and reduces cost, says manufacturer.
NEC is now shipping its UPG2253T6S Front End Integrated Circuit (FEIC), available through Santa Clara, Calif.-based California Eastern Laboratories (CEL), the sales and marketing partner for products made by the Compound Semiconductor Devices Division (CSDD) of NEC Electronics Corporation.
The FEIC is an integrated device that combines a power amplifier (PA), low pass filter (LPF), and two single pole double throw switches (SPDT) into a single chip. By integrating these components into one die, the FEIC reduces component count, saves total bill of materials (BOM) cost, simplifies procurement, and decreases the printed circuit board (PCB) space required for many new embedded product designs, according to NEC. The FEIC is designed to eliminate the need for RF component matching, which simplifies board design and further reduces component count.
Key Applications
The FEIC is made for applications such as Bluetooth modules that are designed into notebooks, mobile phones, and headsets, as well as ZigBee/802.15.4 modules that have applicability in automatic meter reading, wireless security, cable replacement, and lighting systems in both commercial and residential buildings. The FEIC significantly boosts range for CEL’s extensive line of ZigBee/802.15.4 devices, says NEC.
Design Highlights
The FEIC’s smaller package size enables product designs with tiny footprints, and its enhanced harmonic suppression eliminates the need for low-pass filters on most product designs. Few designs have the FEIC’s through/PA bypass feature, which enables the end product to switch to a high power mode when greater range is needed but automatically switches to a low power mode when greater battery savings are optimal. Alternatively, the through/bypass path can be used as the Rx path.† These functions are integrated on a single chip, an advantage of size over multichip modules.
“Our new FEIC enables many new product designs in Bluetooth, ZigBee, and other 2.4 GHz wireless applications. Interest has been strong from customers who have been sampling it, and no other company can deliver such a convenient, easy-to-design-in compact device, especially with NEC-level quality,” says CEL Senior Product Line Manager Joe Grimm. “We will continue to improve the FEIC later this year and next.”
Technical Information
- Package type: 12 pin QFN
- Package size: 3 mm x 3 mm x 0.7 mm
- DC: Vd = Ven = Vsm = 3.0V
- Tx: Po = 19 dBm, PAE = 28%, Idd = 95 mA, 2f0 = -25 dBm, 3f0 = -40 dBm
- Rx: Loss = 1.5 dB typical
Pricing and Availability
The UPG2253T6S FEIC is shipping now. Pricing is $1.10 in quantities of 100,000. Evaluation boards are available.
