The first member of Atheros Communications' Radio-on-Chip for Mobile (ROCm) family of Bluetooth solutions is the AR3011, the industry's first Bluetooth 2.1 + Enhanced Data Rate (EDR) solution for PCs, according to the company. The highly-integrated, single-chip solution is aimed at laptops and desktops. It allows co-existence with wireless LAN (WLAN) and permits simultaneous use of multiple Bluetooth-based devices.
Rather than re-purpose a Bluetooth solution designed for mobile products, Atheros architected the AR3011 specifically for PCs. The device is implemented in 0.13-µm CMOS and comes in a low-cost 6- x 6-mm package. Integrated SRAM eliminates the need for external flash memory. The design also eliminates the need for a balun and a matching network. As a result, the AR3011 requires only six external passive components.
The AR3011 provides the complete software solution for PC platforms. It supports Microsoft Windows Vista and offers a rich set of additional Bluetooth profiles and software for easy integration into new laptops and desktop PCs. Other features include a USB 2.0 interface, dual 1.2-V voltage regulators, a 32-bit CPU, and integrated RAM. Patent-pending innovations like VCO fine frequency control and a hybrid offset zero-IF architecture also enhance performance. The AR3011 is scheduled to be available in 1Q of 2007.