RFCMOS Bluetooth Radio Processor Resides On A Single Chip

Fabricated on a 0.18-µm CMOS process, the UltimateBlue 3000 radio processor integrates a direct conversion radio modem, ARM7TDMI baseband processor, and protocol software stored in ROM, all on a single chip. The 1.8V device is compliant with the Bluetooth specification version 1.1 and can be upgraded in the field to the emerging version 1.2 via an optional flash memory download. Said to be optimized for mobile handsets, the Bluetooth radio processor operates over an extended temperature range from -40°C to +105°C. Features include single-ended RF I/O that eliminates external baluns and switch circuits, support for all mobile phone reference clock frequencies, a receiver sensitivity of better than -80 dBm, and a transmitter output power up to +4 dBm. The device also supports UART, three-wire UART, and USB 2.0 host interfaces. Other features are a hardware-based AGC and an optional flash memory interface. Currently sampling in a 6 mm x 6 mm x 0.9 mm, 96-ball BGA package, price is under $4 each in volume. Production is scheduled for the third quarter. SILICON WAVE INC., San Diego, CA. (858) 404-7704.