Techo Rama

Tokyo based company, Toshiba Corporation has launched the new technology, which opens the way to manufacture powerful ICs for the millimeter waveband. The company has unveiled the technology on June 15, 2007 at the 2007 Symposia on VLSI Circuits, in Kyoto, Japan. Toshiba’s new technology uses a low cost CMOS process to achieve high-speed, highly integrated wireless communications over short distances. Millimeter-wave communication is highly anticipated solution, which offers high-speed wireless communication in the 60 HZ band, a frequency which is ten times higher than wireless LAN. The wide bandwidth of signal allows data transfers at a rate of more than 1 gigabit a second. 60GHz IC for millimeter-wave communication have been fabricated with gallium arsenide (GaAs), which is more expensive than CMOS IC. Millimeter-wave GaAs IC also require separate integration on the module of an antenna and a synthesizer, which can not be fabricated with GaAs process technology. GaAs IC also includes bonding wire and costly ceramic board. Toshiba’s 60GHz CMOS receiver chip is integrated an on-chip antenna, LNA, a mixer with a preamplifier and a phase-locked loop (PLL) synthesizer in a die that is only 1.1mm x 2.4mm without pad area. The chip supports high levels of integration and provides high level performance. A fully integrated circuit improves signal quality and it is featured with noise-resistant, which suits to millimeter-wave IC application. The optimization of element structure and wiring structure restrain internal noise and contributes to realizing stable operation. Toshiba will continue to improve the integration and performance of the receiver IC, and also work to develop the high power technology required for a transmitter IC, aiming to achieve practical application Image Credit: Back Office & Electronic Specifier Via: Tech On