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wireless communications: Troubleshooting Digital RF Amplifier Systems consumer electronics: Mobile TV: 2008 Outlook portable power: Advanced Dynamic Voltage Scaling
April 2008
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An RTC Group Publication
CEO Interview: Tom Hart, QuickLogic
High Performance LDOs
A new generation of high performance LDOs is now available from Linear. These LDOs are a generation beyond previous regulators in feature benefits and performance. These include ultralow quiescent currents to maximize battery life, low output noise to minimize potential interference, high input voltages for increased flexibility, protection features for rugged designs and an array of package options to facilitate both leaded and surface mount requirements.
Info & Free Samples
High Performance, Low-Noise LDOs Part No.
IOUT
Max. VIN (V)
1.1A***
20 80 20 6.5 80 80 20 5.5 5.5 20 5.5 36 (40 Abs Max)
LT1965
1.1A
LT1963/A
1.5A
LT1764/A
3A
® LT 3009 20mA LT3010/H* 50mA/50mA LT1761 100mA LT1762 150mA LT3012/H* 250mA/200mA LT3013/H* 250mA/200mA LT1962 300mA LTC®3025 300mA LTC3035 300mA LT1763 500mA LTC3025-1/-2 500mA
LT3080**
*Tj = 140°C Operation (H-grade) **Current-based Reference ***Can Be Paralleled
Noise Dropout Voltage (V) (µVRMS) 150 0.28 100 0.30 20 0.30 20 0.30 0.40 100 0.40 100 0.27 20 0.05 80 0.045 150 20 0.30 0.075 80 0.3+
40
20
0.29
40
20
0.34
40
20
0.34
40
+Two-supply Operation ++Single-resistor V Set OUT
IQ
Output Voltage (V)
Package (mm)
Adj. (0.6 to 19.5) 2 x 2 DFN-6, SC70-8 Adj. (1.275 to 60), 5 ThinSOT TM Adj. (1.22 to 20), Fixed ThinSOT Adj. (1.22 to 20), Fixed MSOP-8 Adj. (1.24 to 60) 3 x 4 DFN-12, TSSOP-16E Adj. (1.24 to 60) 3 x 4 DFN-12, TSSOP-16E Adj. (1.22 to 20), Fixed MSOP-8 Adj. (0.4 to 3.6) 2 x 2 DFN-6 Adj. (0.4 to 3.6), Fixed 2 x 2 DFN-6 Adj. (1.22 to 20), Fixed SOIC-8 Adj. (0.4 to 3.6)/1.2 2 x 2 DFN-6 3 x 3 DFN-8, MSOP-8E, Adj. (0 to 36)++ 1mA TO-220, SOT-223 3 x 3 DFN-8, MSOP-8E, Adj. (1.20 to 19.5) 500µA TO-220, DDPak DDPak, TO-220, 1mA Adj. (1.21 to 20), Fixed SOT-223, SO-8 1mA Adj. (1.21 to 20), Fixed DDPak, TO-220 3µA 30µA 20µA 25µA 40µA 65µA 30µA 54µA 100µA 30µA 54µA
www.linear.com/LDOs 1-800-4-LINEAR
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www.linear.com/portsolutions
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contents
VDD a) GND
GND
magnetic fields
departments
editorial letter dave’s two cents industry news analysts’ pages product feature products for designers second opinion ceo interview
ac current
5 6 8 12 32 34 38 40
GND
VDC M1
cover feature
CMOS Power Amplifier Technology 16 -The Next Step Toward the Single-Chip Cell Phone Donald McClymont, Axiom Microdevices, Inc.
GND
18 structure of a VDD complex slab inductor
b)
-
Output VDD
VDD
VDC
VDC
VDC
M2 M 3
M4 M 5
M 6 M7
+ -
+ -
+ -
GNDDC
GNDDC
GNDDC
21 troubleshooting wideband RF systems
wireless communications Characterizing and Troubleshooting 20 Digital RF Amplifier Systems
Fixed Reception
Mobile Handheld
Companies Supporting Standard
Mobile Front-End power Consumption
Service Duration using a 2W Battery
# Prog. Pe Channel
50m W
6.5hrs
30
Darren McCarthy, Tektronix, Inc.
consumer electronics Mobile TV: 2008 Outlook 24 Yannick Levy, DIBcom
EU + Part of AP +India
DVB-T
DVB-H
Nokia, Motorola, Samsung, Siemens Crown Castle
US
ATSC
Media-Flo
Qualcomm (proprietary)
?
?
?
Japan
ISDB-T 13 Segments
ISDB-T 1 Segment
Japanese Companies
120m W
5.5hrs
2
LG (Samsung)
300m W
2hrs
5
?
?
26 international mobile tv DVB-H or DMB-T or China Universities ? DVB-T other? broadcast standards Korea
ATSC
T-DMB
portable power
Advanced Dynamic Voltage Scaling 28 via VSEL, One-Pin EasyScale or I2C Interface
-
Transitioning from 3.15V to 1 VOUT IOUT = 1 -
Alexander Friebe, Texas Instruments
VOUT
-
-
200mV/div
VSET PIN TOGGLE
VSET
29 linear regulator with VSEL between 3.15V and 1.85V Time (20µs/div)
April 2008
team editorial team
Editorial Director Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor Copy Editor
Creative Director Art Director Graphic Designer Director of Web Development
Web Developer
Associate Publisher Product Marketing Manager (acting) Western Advertising Manager Western Advertising Manager Eastern Advertising Manager Eastern Advertising Manager
Circulation
Chief Executive Officer Vice President Vice President of Finance Director of Corporate Marketing Director of Art and Media
Warren Andrews, warrena@rtcgroup.com John Donovan, johnd@rtcgroup.com Marina Tringali, marinat@rtcgroup.com Rochelle Cohn
art and media team Jason Van Dorn, jasonv@rtcgroup.com Kirsten T. Wyatt, kirstenw@rtcgroup.com Christopher Saucier, chriss@rtcgroup.com Marke Hallowell, markeh@rtcgroup.com Brian Hubbell, brianh@rtcgroup.com
management team Marina Tringali, marinat@rtcgroup.com Aaron Foellmi, aaronf@rtcgroup.com Stacy Gandre, stacyg@rtcgroup.com Lauren Trudeau, laurent@rtcgroup.com Nancy Vanderslice, nancyv@rtcgroup.com Todd Milroy, toddm@rtcgroup.com Shannon McNichols, shannonm@rtcgroup.com
executive management John Reardon, johnr@rtcgroup.com Cindy Hickson, cindyh@rtcgroup.com Cindy Muir, cindym@rtcgroup.com Aaron Foellmi, aaronf@rtcgroup.com Jason Van Dorn, jasonv@rtcgroup.com
portable design advisory council Ravi Ambatipudi, National Semiconductor Doug Grant, Analog Devices, Inc. Dave Heacock, Texas Instruments Kazuyoshi Yamada, NEC America
corporate office The RTC Group 905 Calle Amanecer, Suite 250 San Clemente, CA 92673 Phone 949.226.2000 Fax 949.226.2050 www.rtcgroup.com For reprints contact: Marina Tringali, marinat@rtcgroup.com. Published by the RTC Group. Copyright 2007, the RTC Group. Printed in the United States. All rights reserved. All related graphics are trademarks of the RTC Group. All other brand and product names are the property of their holders. Periodicals postage at San Clemente, CA 92673 and at additional mailing offices. Postmaster: send changes of address to: Portable Design, 905 Calle Amanecer, Suite 250, San Clemente, CA 92673. Portable Design(ISSN 1086-1300) is published monthly by RTC Group 905 Calle Amanecer, Suite 250, San Clemente, CA 92673. Telephone 949-226-2000; 949-226-2050; Web Address www.rtcgroup.com.
Austin_01.indd 1 PORTABLE DESIGN
3/18/08 3:00:03 PM
Mobile WiMAX—The Next Big Thing or DOA?
Mobile WiMAX (IEEE 802.16e-2005) is in a state of flux, both technically and commercially. It was the subject of a number of panels and sessions at this month’s CTIA Wireless show in Vegas as well as the co-located—and more interesting—IEEE Wireless Communications and Networking Conference (WCNC). There was a range of opinions, but they tended
editorial letter
L
Last month at the Spring IDF in Shanghai, Intel formally launched its Atom processor for mobile Internet devices (MIDs). Since last year’s IDF in San Francisco, Intel—being late to the portable market, if you don’t count notebook computers—has made much of the putative Mobile Internet Device (MID), designed to replace mobile phones for Web surfing, which they admittedly do badly. MIDs, in Intel’s vision, would all be powered by Intel’s new low-power Silverthorne processor, now renamed Atom. Let’s ignore the technical merits of Atom for now. AnandTech (www.anandtech.com) has done a fine analysis of Atom vs. ARM’s products, and suffice it to say that a 2W power profile may be hot stuff in the x86 world, but MIDs—should they take off as a category—are far more likely to be powered by ARM processors for the next few years. An interesting user analysis comes from M: Metrics (www.mmetrics.com), who tracked 10,000 new iPhone users for six months after the phone’s launch. Far from wanting to go out and spend $500 to buy yet another gadget to put in their pockets, iPhone users were avid Web surfers—much more so than their smartphone compatriots. You could argue that the data were skewed because smartphone users tend to be business types who use them more for e-mail, whereas iPhone users are younger and hipper—as the social networking stats would indicate. That may be true, but I find it more likely that the iPhone is just a lot better platform for working online than the current generation of phones, BlackBerry smartphones included, and it’s unleashing a pent-up demand for portable online access. Depending on how you look at the iPhone, it’s either the first-generation MID or the nail in the coffin of a nascent product category that will quickly be made irrelevant by a new generation of smartphones.
to fall into two camps: either Mobile WiMAX is the “next big thing”or it’s dead on arrival. The answer depends in large part on where you live. Mobile broadband to date consists of EDGE, UMTS and HSDPA/HSUPA, which are heavily utilized in GSM-based networks—pretty much everywhere except the U.S. The real battle right now is between HSPA and WiMAX. GSM carriers worldwide are rapidly advancing HSPA coverage. With 174 commercial HSDPA networks in 76 countries, 38 more committed, and AT&T covering 350 markets with HSPA in the U.S., the technology is secure.
To Be or Not to Be
john donovan, editor-in-chief
The same can’t be said for WiMAX, highly capable though it is. Sprint Nextel stalled its WiMAX rollout waiting for Mobile WiMAX to be standardized, which is yet to happen. In the meantime, MediaFLO took off for streaming broadcast video to handheld devices, one of the major markets for WiMAX. Now WiMAX looks to be relegated to rural backhaul or providing last-mile connectivity at high data rates. That’s certainly what Comcast, Time Warner and Clearwire have in mind in offering to help finance Sprint’s WiMAX rollout. The proposed network would be fixed WiMAX, not mobile. At this point it looks like Mobile WiMAX, even if standardized this year as planned, will have its own long-term evolution in the marketplace. Don’t look for it any time soon.
Activity Any news or info via browser Accessed web search Watched mobile TV and/or video Watched on-demand video or TV programming Accessed Social Networking Site or Blog Listened to music on mobile phone
iPhone 84.80% 58.60%
Smartphone 58.20% 37.00%
Market 13.10% 6.10%
30.90%
14.20%
4.60%
20.90%
7.00%
1.40%
49.70%
19.40%
4.20%
74.10%
27.90%
6.70%
Source: M:Metrics, Inc., Copyright © 2008. Survey of U.S. mobile subscribers. Data based on three-month moving average for period ending 31st January 2008, n = 31,389. *Smartphones include devices running Windows, Symbian, RIM or Apple operating systems.
April 2008
dave’s two cents
S
Sometimes I wonder why we started giving different generations letter names versus descriptive ones. As a member of the Baby Boom generation, we did not get a letter. However, we did take credit for things both bad and good. I agree that the generation after mine deserved the name Generation X. Although this generation has been described as strong consumers and most likely to follow the money, they tend to be fairly diverse in thinking—so X seems appropriate. Of course, X was followed by Y, or the Millennium Generation. Hence, it only makes sense that Y should be followed by Z, right? I just finished judging this year’s Science Fair in Plano, Texas, where the theme was unquestionably “Green.” Last year, energy conservation and renewable energy were all the buzz. But this year, projects were ratcheted up a notch to include a Green aspect.
dave’s two cents on...
Generation “Green”
One interesting project tackled the problem of portable electronics disposal. Students scavenged their neighborhoods to collect portable electronics such as portable games, digital cameras, and about five pounds of cell phones. They ground up or smashed the electronics, then mixed the results with soil. Next, beans were planted in the compound. Bean growth was then compared to beans planted in regular soil. Initial results did not show any significant difference between the two, which seemed to be a disappointment. I think the students were hoping for some kind of mutant beanstalk! So the experiment was changed. This time, they tested how acid rain would affect the results. They made a weak nitric acid solution, about 4.5 pH, recovered the two types of soil, and planted new beans. This time, the combination of smashed portable electronics and acid rain stunted the bean growth by 2 to 3
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percent as compared to just acid rain alone. Still, there were no visible signs of mutant plants. Another young scientist did a second year study on battery chemistry. Last year, he promoted the use of rechargeable batteries as a more economical method to power portable electronics that used alkaline batteries. Because the judges raised the critical issue of self-discharge, and how inconvenient that made NiMH batteries, this year he included Rayovac Hybrid batteries. He measured the self-discharge to be less than a third of a typical NiMH battery. He designed his own battery test system and integrated a USB data logging device. He was very proud that he had soldered the discharge circuit components together himself. In his conclusion, he showed a table of varying consumer costs using non-rechargeable chemistries compared to Rayovac Hybrids. He was quite the marketing guy and borrowed from the MasterCard “priceless” commercial. First he stated the amount of money that would be saved using the Rayovac batteries. Then he stated that reducing the number of batteries ending up in the landfill would be “priceless.” He definitely has a career in technical marketing! These were only a few of the Green-themed projects at this year’s fair, but a couple of things were very clear: 1) Students believe that “Green” is good. Generation X supposedly believes that “Green” is good, albeit a different type of Green; and 2) Students are eager to believe the bad is actually worse than it is. The students involved in these above mentioned projects deeply believe that landfills are filling up with discarded electronics and old batteries. Of course, it is better to have less waste, whether it ends up in the landfill or not. But we need to be careful when describing the issues. Our young people are listening—even though they may have selective hearing. For my two cents, if we make sure the messages are accurate; this generation seems to be ready to help. Even though they may not clean their room, they are willing to help clean the planet. I think this generation is the “Green” generation, so we might as well give them a “G” instead of Y or Z. One last thing, if you get the opportunity to help with a science or engineering fair in your area, please take the time to contribute. The experience is “priceless.”
by Dave Freeman, Texas Instruments
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news Alereon AL5000 Family PHY Achieves WiMedia Upper Band Group Registration
Alereon, Inc. has announced that its AL5000 family chipset—the AL5100 RF transceiver and the AL5300 BaseBand Processor (BBP) plus Media Access Controller (MAC)—has been registered as compliant with the WiMedia Physical Layer (PHY) 1.1 specification and interoperable with both WiMedia Band Group 1 (3.168-4.752 GHz) and WiMedia Band Group 3 (6.336-7.920 GHz), which are vital for Wireless USB devices in Europe and Asia that operate above 6 GHz. Alereon’s chipset is the only chipset that supports WiMedia bandgroups 1, 3, 4 and 6, providing customers a single hardware solution that can meet regulatory requirements worldwide. “With its multiband radios, Alereon is well positioned to benefit from the increased interest in higher-band UWB radios, particularly in Europe and Asia,” commented Brian O’Rourke, nd senior analyst with In-Stat. Alereon’s AL5000 family includes the er exploration ether your goal AL5300/AL5100 chipset, and is based on Wispeak directly Media’s common radio platform. The AL5300/ ical page, the ght resource. AL5100 chipset integrates all the essential RF technology, circuitry plus the Media Access Controller es and products (MAC), BaseBand processor (BBP) and softed ware to develop a worldwide Wireless USB product. Covering all WiMedia bands from 3.1 GHz to 10.6 GHz, the AL5300/AL5100 has been optimized for both PC host applications and embedded applications, such as PC embedded and aftermarket devices, handheld companies providing solutions now electronics, consumer electronics and mobile exploration into products, technologies and companies. Whether your goal is to research the latest datasheet from a company, mp to a company's technical page, the goal of Get Connected is to put you in touchproducts with the right resource. Whichever level of consumption where space and power gy, Get Connected will help you connect with the companies and products you areare searching for. at a premium. In addition, the AL5300/ onnected AL5100 is the only worldwide solution that can provide use of the full WiMedia bandwidth by providing greater than 10 channels in every region of the world. “Alereon offers the first global UWB product that gives customers the freedom to work in any world market while still adhering to UWB regulations,” said Eric Broockman, CEO of Alereon. “Our goal has been and remains to be to stay ahead of the curve and respond to the needs of our customers by providing a simple Get Connected with companies mentioned in this article. solution that will allow all of their devices to www.portabledesign.com/getconnected interoperate. The adoption of the WiMedia
End of Article
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specifications broadens the possibilities for future devices that enable Wireless USB.” Alereon, Inc., Austin, TX. (512) 345-4200. [www.alereon.com].
Qualcomm Improves CDMA2000 Network Capacity to Increase Spectral Efficiency
Qualcomm has announced new enhancements to CDMA2000 network technology. Operators will now be able to support more than double today’s capacity of 35 simultaneous calls in 1.25 MHz of spectrum while delivering the same level of voice quality. The new levels of efficiency not only meet the growing demand for voice connectivity, but also enable the freed-up bandwidth to be used to expand 3G data services, enabling operators to maximize their 3G network investments for voice and
mobile broadband. This flexibility is critical to promote an economical rollout of next-generation networks—concentrating 4G technology deployment in areas where more bandwidth is required and leveraging the optimized 3G network for systemwide voice and data services. “This latest enhancement to CDMA2000 technology will allow operators to continue leveraging their existing 3G networks far into the future,” said Cristiano Amon, senior vice president of product management for Qualcomm CDMA Technologies. “As wireless subscribers around the world grow increasingly sophisticated in their demands, the unsurpassed levels of efficiency that CDMA2000 delivers will enable network operators to get more from their spectrum in an efficient and economical manner.” The capacity enhancements to CDMA2000 technology are featured in certain products from Qualcomm’s new Cell Site Modem (CSM) CSM8xxx-series chipsets. The target
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May 1st, 2008 – Disney Yacht Club, Orlando, FL, USA
A FREE one day event for engineers, managers and executives engaged in the design of electrical and electronic systems in the Military and Aerospace Industry. Speakers include leading industry experts from around the world including representatives from: Bell Helicopter - A Textron Company
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IESF includes three tracks of papers and workshop sessions, networking events and a solutions expo.
TOPICS COVERED Electrical Systems Design and Analysis
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For more information and to register go to:
www.mentor.com/go/iesf ©2008 Mentor Graphics Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Mentor Graphics is a trademark of Mentor Graphics Corporation.
news schedule for the new CSM8xxx-series solutions supports complete interoperability testing and commercialization by 2010. Featuring reverse link interference cancellation and other advanced radio techniques, these products will enable existing CDMA2000 networks to deliver new voice capabilities through a simple channel card upgrade while leveraging most radio access network investments. In addition, the voice capacity enhancements can be combined with EV-DO Rev. B mobile broadband in the same base station. Qualcomm Incorporated, San Diego, CA. (858) 587-1121. [www.qualcomm.com].
Global Mobile Broadband Connections Increase Tenfold over the Past Year
The GSM Association (GSMA) has announced that there are now more than 32 million nd Mobile Broadband (HSPA) connections worldwide compared with just over 3 million at the er exploration ether your goal end of the first quarter of 2007. Mobile Broadspeak directly band continues to gain momentum as more and ical page, the ght resource. more operators upgrade their 3G networks with technology, HSPA technology in parallel with a wealth of ades and products vanced HSPA handsets on the market. ed Recent figures from Wireless Intelligence, a comprehensive database covering the global mobile market, indicate that global Mobile Broadband connections have risen by more than 850 percent year-on-year (Q1 CY07 – Q1 CY08). Operators in Asia, Australia, Europe companies providing solutions now and America are all reporting an increase exploration into products, technologies and companies. Whether your goal is to research theNorth latest datasheet from a company, mp to a company's technical page, the goal of Get Connected is to put you in touchinwith right resource. Whichever level ofcurrently capathetheuptake of HSPA handsets gy, Get Connected will help you connect with the companies and products you areble searching for. of accessing the Internet at speeds ranging onnected from 1.8 Mbits/s to 7.2 Mbits/s. “The uptake of mobile services such as music and video downloads as well as Internet access is rising in many countries as users are experiencing the benefits of high-speed Mobile Broadband,” said Rob Conway, CEO of the GSMA. “We are witnessing the creation of a virtuous circle in which Mobile Broadband is achieving greater and greater economies of scale, driving down the cost of handsets and equipment and enabling more and more people Get Connected with companies mentioned in this article. to enjoy easy access to media-rich services www.portabledesign.com/getconnected over the air.”
End of Article
10
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The number of networks now offering commercial Mobile Broadband services has also increased significantly over the past year. The GSMA recorded a 44 percent increase, between May 2007 and March 2008, in the number of Mobile Broadband (HSPA)-enabled networks with 166 networks now available in more than 73 countries around the world. Over the past 16 months there has also been a significant increase in the number of commercially available HSPA-enabled devices. The GSMA estimates the growth of HSPA devices to be more than 265 percent, with 128 devices available in January 2007 and more than 467 available in March 2008. Mobile Broadband (HSPA)-enabled devices include mobile handsets, notebook PCs, data cards, wireless routers and USB modems. GSM Association, Atlanta, GA. (678) 281-6600. [www.gsmworld.com].
Synopsys to Acquire Synplicity
Synopsys, Inc. has announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Synplicity, Inc., a leading supplier of innovative field programmable gate array (FPGA) and IC design and verification solutions that serve a wide range of communications, military/ aerospace, semiconductor, consumer, computer, and other electronic applications markets. When completed, the acquisition will significantly expand Synopsys’ technology portfolio, channel reach and total addressable market. In addition to Synplicity’s leading solutions for FPGAs, Synopsys will gain a differentiated
rapid prototyping portfolio that complements its virtual prototyping business. Combining Synplicity’s hardware-based rapid prototyping and Synopsys’ software-based virtual prototyping solutions will enable electronics companies to meet tight market windows with proven designs, even as software content continues to grow exponentially. Under the terms of the agreement, Synopsys will pay $8 cash per Synplicity share, resulting in a gross transaction of approximately $227 million, and approximately $188 million net of cash acquired. The transaction is subject to regulatory and Synplicity shareholder approval, as well as other customary closing conditions, and is expected to close in the second calendar quarter of 2008. After the closing, Synplicity will become part of Synopsys, and Synplicity stock will cease trading. When completed, Synopsys anticipates the transaction to be accretive in fiscal 2009 and slightly dilutive in fiscal 2008, while remaining within the current 2008 non-GAAP earnings per share guidance range. Synplicity President and Chief Executive Officer Gary Meyers will join Synopsys as a general manager. Synplicity Co-Founder, Chief Technical Officer and Vice President Ken McElvain will join Synopsys to help architect the company’s systems solutions. Synopsys, Inc., Mountain View, CA. (650) 584-5000. [www.synopsis.com].
Motorola Announces Common Wireless Broadband Platform to Support Both WiMAX and LTE
Motorola, Inc. has announced a new common wireless broadband platform that will be used to support both WiMAX 802.16e access points and the Long Term Evolution (LTE) evolved Node-B (eNodeB). The new common platform is physically smaller
than the first-generation WiMAX product, further reducing operators’ deployment and operating costs. Motorola’s flexible modem technology allows the common platform to be software-configurable to support either WiMAX or LTE. “We’re building upon our OFDM expertise and early success in WiMAX 802.16e as we develop our LTE product solutions,” said Fred Wright, senior vice president, Motorola Home & Networks Mobility. “We can reuse about 75 percent of the basic application software and platform technology we developed for WiMAX in our LTE products, thereby advancing our development efforts. For example, the new common wireless broadband platform is expected to be commercially deployed in WiMAX networks in 2008, followed by the LTE application available by late 2009, giving us the advantage of deploying LTE technology on a field-proven platform.”
Motorola’s LTE solution is comprised of the common wireless broadband platform and a selection of radio options that include MIMO and smart antennas. The portfolio includes frame based-mounted radios, remote radio heads and tower top radios to support a wide variety of LTE deployment scenarios across newly available spectrum as well as existing GSM and CDMA spectrum. Motorola’s WiMAX solution is comprised of a number of tower top and ground based access point configurations utilizing MIMO B or smart antenna technology and can be operated in the 2.3, 2.5 and 3.5 GHz frequency bands.
Intel Capital Announces New US$500 Million China Technology Fund II
Intel Capital, Intel Corporation’s global investment organization, has announced its second China investment fund, the Intel Capital China Technology Fund II. The new US$500 million fund will be used for Intel Capital investments in wireless broadband, technology,
media, telecommunications and “clean tech,” which complement Intel’s corporate initiatives and help expand technology market segments in China. Intel Capital’s first US$200 million Intel Capital China Technology Fund has been fully invested in local Chinese companies. The Intel Capital China Technology Fund, established in 2005, was intended to help Chinese businesses nurture important technologies and develop innovative products. Examples of investments include: Neusoft Group, Supcon Group, A8 Music, Chinacache International, Chipsbank Microelectronics, DAC, HiSoft Technology International, Kingsoft, Legend Silicon, Montage Technology and Palm Commerce. Notable liquidity events involving portfolio companies from the first fund include: Actions Semiconductor, Kingsoft and Neusoft Group. Intel Corporation, Santa Clara, CA. (408) 765-8080. [www.intel.com].
Motorola, Inc., Schaumburg, IL. (847) 576-5000. [www.motorola.com].
APRIL 2008
11
analysts’ pages Softening Demand Dampens 2008 Semiconductor Outlook
Where the semiconductor market in 2007 was characterized by excess capacity and high demand, 2008 will be characterized by better capacity balance, but softening demand, reports In-Stat. The net result is forecasted revenue growth in 2008 of only 2.4%, the hightech market research firm says. The computer segment, whose share has been trending downward since 2000, is expected to remain the largest segment by a wide margin, although, by 2012, its share is forecast to be 41.8%, well below the 50% + levels of the 1990s.
nd
er exploration ether your goal speak directly ical page, the ght resource. technology, es and products
ed
companies providing solutions now
“Declining MPU prices have joined DRAM price gyrations as a significant factor in computer segment annual growth,” says Jim McGregor, In-Stat Research Director & Principal Analyst. Recent research by In-Stat found the following: • Worldwide semiconductor revenue is expected to grow to $261.9 billion in 2008. • The consumer segment will lead 2008 growth at 5.9%. • Semiconductor revenue growth is forecast to be 7.4% in 2009, followed by 9.7% and 11.6% in 2010 and 2011, respectively.
exploration into products, technologies and companies. Whether your goal is to research the latest datasheet from a company, mp to a company's technical page, the goal of Get Connected is to put you in touchIn-Stat, with the Scottsdale, right resource. Whichever level of AZ. (480) 483-4440. gy, Get Connected will help you connect with the companies and products you are[www.in-stat.com]. searching for.
onnected
From a Standing Start, UltraWideband Equipment Shipments Will Exceed 400 Million in 2013
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12
In 2006 it appeared that the market launch of ultra-wideband (UWB) was imminent. Several factors conspired to delay that, but ABI Research now expects UWB to see very strong growth starting in 2008, finding its first success in laptops and computer peripherals, and eventually in mobile handsets. Forecasts indicate that shipments of UWB-enabled devices will
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grow from virtually nil today, to more than 400 million in 2013. “The ultra-wideband market did not come out of the starting gates in 2006 as we had anticipated,” says senior analyst Douglas McEuen. “There were several reasons for the delay, including a shakeout from three competing flavors of the technology to one, and the absence of global standards.” Now, however, conditions are ripe for a rapid takeoff. We are starting from “Year Zero”: in 2007, only about 40,000 UWB-equipped devices shipped. This year, there will be perhaps a million, and ABI Research expects the curve to rise sharply thereafter. Because an official UWB standard has now been ratified in the United States, North America is expected to lead this market for some time to come. The current “sweet spot” in this market is UWB’s application as a wireless USB enabler, connecting computers (especially notebooks) with printers, hard drives and other peripherals. An initial UWB “hub and dongle” configuration will enable users to retrofit the vast number of existing PCs and related equipment with wireless connections. UWB modules are just starting to appear in selected laptops (initially from Lenovo, Dell and Toshiba), but true silicon integration will take more time. Later, other kinds of consumer electronics such as digital cameras and camcorders, HDTVs and portable music devices will start to build the numbers, but, says McEuen, “Real market acceleration will only occur when UWB debuts in mobile handsets, where it will be used—possibly bundled with Bluetooth—to transfer music, pictures and video files. Even a small handset market penetration will deliver huge numbers. For UWB to see wide adoption in handsets, however, the price of the chipset must fall quite significantly.” ABI Research, Oyster Bay, NY. (516) 624-2500. [www.abiresearch.com].
The worldwide market for consumer electronics products continues to be strong and will continue to expand through 2011, reports In-Stat. Shipments of personal computers and peripherals, traditional consumer electronics products and communications products will grow from 2.7 billion units in 2007 to 3.1 billion units in 2011, the high-tech market research firm says. “Traditional consumer electronics devices continue to be led by the conversion from analog to digital television (DTV),” says Brian O’Rourke, In-Stat analyst. “PCs will maintain their strong growth pattern with a compound annual growth rate of 9.7% through 2011, with growth being driven by increased sales in Africa, the Middle East, South America and Asia/ Pacific regions.” Recent research by In-Stat found the following: • India and China are driving the mobile phone handset segment, as low-cost handsets have been developed to meet the market requirements in less developed countries. • Asia/Pacific and Rest of World (including Africa, the Middle East and South America) regions will lead in overall annual growth rates. PCs shipments will be driven by a continued transition from desktop to mobile units. In-Stat, Scottsdale, AZ. (480) 483-4440. [www.in-stat.com].
Touch Screens Become New Display Touchstones
Touch screens have the Midas touch for growth, spurring a flood of competition, technologies and OEM interest. iSuppli Corp. has predicted global shipment revenue for the leading touch-screen technologies will rise to $4.4 billion by 2012, up from $2.4 billion in 2006, as presented in the attached figure. Projected Gains “Catalyzed by Apple Inc.’s iPhone, sales of touch screens using projected-capaci-
tive technology are growing dramatically,” said Jennifer Colegrove, senior analyst for emerging displays at iSuppli. “Projected capacitive touch screen technology is more durable and has better transmittance than the more commonly used resistive technology. More touch-screen manufacturers are developing and commercializing this type of screen. Furthermore, the average pricing gap between the capacitive and resistive display types is dwindling, making the technology more attractive.”
(ATO) have an entry opportunity now. In fact, Fujitsu Ltd. already has started using conductive polymer for some of its resistive-type touch screens. iPhone Impact Since the iPhone proved that multi-touch technology can be portable and affordable, multi-touch has become the hot topic in the industry. Many providers of alternative touch-screen technologies have announced multi-touch capabilities, such as the opti-
Unit Shipment & Revenue Forecast for Top-8 Touch Screen Technologies, 2006-2012 (Millions of U.S. Dollars) 5,000 Millions of U.S. Dollars
Consumer Electronics Market to Continue Expansion Through 2011
4,500 4,000 3,500 3,000 2,500 2,000 1,500
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
Source: iSuppli Corporation
Can’t Resist Resistive is the most commonly used touch screen technology in the marketplace. Although it is not very durable and has poor transmissivity, resistive’s low price and responsiveness to both finger and stylus touch has made it the No.1 touch-screen technology in terms of unit shipments during the last few years. However, the resistive market now is suffering a shortage of Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) film used to make such screens due to production expansions among several major manufacturers and limited numbers of ITO film suppliers. With several large manufacturers expanding capacity, other types of transparent conductive materials such as conductive polymer, carbon nanotube and Antimony Tin Oxide
cal imaging camera-based touch screens offered by touch-screen designer and developer NextWindow Ltd. Other examples include IR Touch Systems Technology Co. Ltd’s infrared touch screen and Stantum Inc.—formerly named JazzMutant—which has offered a multi-touch music controller since 2004. Feel the Touch Tactile feedback technology is finding usage in increasing numbers of touch-screen devices. The technology delivers a physical sensation similar to that of pressing a physical button. Tactile feedback is the differentiating factor for some new mobile phones, such as the Motorola Rokr E8. APRIL 2008
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analysts’ pages Handset Tests Although resistive is the dominant touchscreen technology for mobile phones, projected capacitive and infrared began to penetrate the wireless handset segment in 2007. Technological variations being commercialized on mobile phones in 2008 and 2009 include sensorin-pixel or in-cell touch, bending wave from Elo/Tyco Electronics, and polymer waveguide from RPO Inc. Despite the total of eight distinct, commercialized touch-screen technologies, i.e. resistive, surface capacitive, projected capacitive, surface acoustic wave, infra red, bending wave, active digitizer, optical imaging, even more novel touch-screen approaches have been invented. These include new touch technologies from N-trig, Sony, Sharp, TMD and Samsung. Several companies recently have announced plans to commence touch-screen manufacturing. Furthermore, several mergers and acquisitions have occurred, launching new participants into the market. For the touch-screen market, with more than 100 suppliers, in excess of 300 OEM/integrators and a wealth of technological alternatives, fascinating times are ahead.
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iSuppli Corporation, El Segundo, CA. (310) 524-4000. [www.isuppli.com].
companies providing solutions now
exploration into products, technologies and companies. Whether your goal is to research the latest datasheet from a company, mp to a company's technical page, the goal of Get Connected is to put you in touchThe with the right resource. level of Decline ofWhichever Cellular/3G Will gy, Get Connected will help you connect with the companies and products you areNegatively searching for. Impact the RF Power
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Semiconductor Device Market
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14
The RF Power Semiconductor Device Market below 4 GHz is comprised of six major segments, as defined in a recent report by ABI Research. These segments are wireless infrastructure, military, ISM (Industrial/Scientific/Medical), broadcast, commercial avionics and non-cellular communications, with each segment branching out into smaller niches to permit highly specific forecasts for the market. “Wireless infrastructure represents the largest segment for RF power semiconduc-
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tors, and it contains the largest sub-segment: cellular/3G,” says research director Lance Wilson. “But cellular/3G is in a sense a long-term market anomaly that is now in a decline that will continue steadily over the next five years.” More efficient air interfaces, coupled with Average Selling Price erosion and the build-out of the infrastructure base, are what drive this
sub-segment downward from a revenue standpoint. On the device side, wide-scale adoption of plastic packages diminishes revenue as well; and over the 2007-2012 forecast period, revenues for the cellular/3G sub-segment will decline at a compound annual growth rate of nearly 8%. “WiMAX, another sub-segment within wireless infrastructure, remains controversial,” explains Wilson. “Although fixed WiMAX is deploying, mobile WiMAX (802.16e) is in a state of flux from a highpower standpoint. There is a potential large upside to mobile WiMAX, but there are no guarantees that this will actually occur in a wide sense. “In spite of this possibility, the overall wireless infrastructure segment will decline by a compound annual growth rate of 2% over the 2007-2012 forecast period.” Overall, the entire marketplace will exhibit a five-year growth rate of only 2.9%—illustrating the effect of cellular/ 3G’s decline. However, the remaining major segments show a healthy compound annual growth rate over the forecast period of 9.5%, with the military and ISM segments leading the pack. ABI Research, Oyster Bay, NY. (516) 624-2500. [www.abiresearch.com].
Day One, Numonyx Emerges as Number One in Mobile Memory
A new number-one supplier of memory chips for mobile handsets was born today with the announcement of Numonyx BV, but iSuppli asks: can this semiconductor spin-off find success in a business where no one has posted a profit in three years? Created from the combined NOR-type flash business units of semiconductor giants Intel Corp. and STMicroelectronics, Numonyx begins its existence with a 26 percent share of global market revenue for all types of memory used in mobile phones, according to iSuppli Corp. Numonyx plans to use its position in mobile phones to expand its role from NOR supplier to become a provider of comprehensive memory solutions for wireless handsets and other products. This appears to be a shrewd move given the poor conditions in the NOR market lately. Worldwide NOR revenue declined by nearly 9.3 percent in 2007, capping a three-year period of weak growth or contraction—and zero profitability among suppliers. Revenue is expected to decline by nearly 2 percent in 2008. “The NOR market has been devastated by plunging prices in recent years, spurred by intense competition and slowing demand growth in the key market for such memory: mobile handsets,” said Mark DeVoss, senior analyst for iSuppli. “Because of this, Numonyx plans to broaden its focus, looking at new technologies, new types of parts beyond stand-alone NOR devices and new markets beyond the handset realm.” While Intel and STMicroelectronics produced NOR exclusively, Numonyx has established close ties with South Korean memory chipmaker Hynix Semiconductor Inc. to supply NAND flash and DRAM products. This will allow Numonyx to offer a wide range of mobile and embedded memory solutions to a broad base of applications, including mobile phones. Numonyx’s focus will be offering valueadded products that combine two or more
memory types in a single Multichip Package (MCP) to mobile applications. Some of these MCP configurations will be suitable for placement directly atop the applications processors, making them suitable for space-constrained applications like mobile handsets. Numonyx has development plans for a floating-gate flash manufacturing technology at the 32 nanometer geometry. This should
provide a cost-effective memory manufacturing solution through the year 2012 or perhaps slightly longer. However, Numonyx also is developing and has produced sample devices from a new technology called Phase Change Memory (PCM). PCM is being touted as the technological heir apparent to NOR-type flash memory for applications that have code-storage requirements. “If PCM emerges as a cost-effective nonvolatile code-storage and execution medium with fast read and write capability—without the flash erase mode requirement similar to DRAM—it may usher in a new memory option where a single device is capable of replacing the existing combination of NOR and RAM, and perhaps some portion of NAND further in the future.” DeVoss said. Numonyx management asserts that since the initial announcement, it has consolidated R&D and design efforts by eliminating overlapping responsibilities and duplication of tasks formerly associated with its respective parent companies. At launch, Numonyx will
have about 7,500 employees and company management says this is the right size to meet the market demand for competitive flash product solutions. Numonyx will begin life well into volume production with 65 nanometer products, which gives it a manufacturing technology lead at the outset. However, competitive pressures from Spansion will mount at the 65 nanometer level for the balance of 2008. Both Numonyx and Spansion are planning 45 nanometer production in 2009. To meet anticipated demand, Numonyx owns various 200 millimeter wafer fabrication and test and assembly plants located in China, Israel, Italy and Singapore as well as supply agreements in place with contract or foundry sources. This will allow Numonyx to access an additional six 200 mm fabs and three 300 mm fabs if required. “iSuppli expects the tough environment in NOR to continue but also believes that Numonyx will demonstrate the staying power to remain a top supplier of the memory for the foreseeable future,” DeVoss said. iSuppli Corporation, El Segundo, CA. (310) 524-4000. [www.isuppli.com].
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cover feature CMOS power amplifier technology
CMOS Power Amplifier Technology – The Next Step Toward the SingleChip Cell Phone Integrate the PA with the rest of the CMOS devices in a cell phone? It can be done. by Donald McClymont, Vice President of Marketing, Axiom Microdevices, Inc.
T
The market for mobile phones has created a landscape for technological innovation that goes beyond any other consumer product in recent history. The seemingly unstoppable demand for mobile phones has created economies of scale that have driven down the cost of handsets and enabled semiconductor manufacturers to justify the investments necessary to achieve the cost points demanded. In the last five years we have seen the headline revolution of 3G and its derivatives HSDPA, HSUPA and now LTE, but the quiet revolution has been the demand for simple ultra-low-cost (ULC) phones capable of addressing the emerging cell phone markets. Indeed the global ULC market has been estimated as growing more than 14 times faster than the global handset market and will exceed 330m shipments per year by 2011. The price points necessary to satisfy the emerging markets are demanding. Consider-
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able fanfare accompanied the drive for $30 phones pushed by the GSM Alliance, but now sub-$20 phones are being demanded and this downward trend is undoubtedly set to continue. Like no other consumer market—cost really is king! Semiconductor manufacturers have done a good job of rising to this challenge and have achieved cost reductions by reducing process geometry, using lower cost processes and integrating more and more components onto a single die—reducing aggregate component cost as well as taking cost out of the handset manufacturing process. One key factor in this has been the trend away from specialist technologies and standardization on mainstream CMOS technology offering a superior cost point and greater manufacturing capacity. The economies of scale inherent in the CMOS process have driven the semiconductor industry to make significant investments in this process, creating
cover feature volumes that have outlasted, and will continue to outlast, any niche process offerings. For example, transceiver blocks, previously realized in specialty BiCMOS processes from vendors such as Infineon, NXP and Skyworks have long since been implemented in CMOS, and in some cases, integrated with the handset’s main processor inside a system-onchip (SoC) offering. Audio codecs and power management are other examples of functions previously realized in specialty processes. Designers have repeatedly found that implementing an analog block in standard CMOS has paid off in the long run, despite the hurdles of implementing challenging circuit blocks in a less forgiving process. Traditionally, the power amplifier (PA) has been the last bastion of non-CMOS technology. Typically, this block is manufactured using a specialty GaAs or LDMOS process coupled with a hybrid module packaging technology, in total an expensive manufacturing flow, which has made it a substantial part of the cell phone bill of materials. The specialty semiconductor process is required to provide a high-gain, high-frequency transistor element with a high breakdown voltage. The hybrid packaging technology provides high Q passive components to generate the 50 ohm matching circuit. What is needed, to propel the next stage of the downward cost curve, is a way to implement the PA using mainstream CMOS and ultimately integrate the functionality onto the system-on-chip.
compared to a resonant match, meaning that a transformer structure can have lower Q and still perform the impedance transformation to the same degree of satisfaction. An example is illustrated Figure 2. Simply using a conventional transformer structure does not solve the problem, as the primary and secondary windings require inductance values, which are not feasible to implement. Axiom’s solution to this problem is a technique known as distributed active transformer (DAT) technology. It employs a figure 1 unique geometry that enables a relatively Rload/r1r2r3 Rload/r2r3 Rload/r3 low Q semiconductor metal to be used to provide a transformer -based matching circuit. The first step in 1st Stage 3rd Stage 2nd Stage this technology is to note that the Q Resonant Match of a metal slab considered as an inductor is significantly Conventional PA Module Resonant Match higher than that of a
figure 2 Resonant Match
One of the key challenges in designing a PA on CMOS is how to achieve the impedance transformation needed to get the necessary high output power from a low voltage supply. A conventional PA Module implements a resonant match as shown in Figure 1. However, in order to maintain a reasonable passive efficiency, high Q components are needed, and this makes it difficult to implement such a circuit on a typical CMOS process where Qs in the range of only 5 to 15 are achievable. An alternative approach, as used by Axiom Microdevices, is to use a transformer. This has the benefit that inductively stored energy is low
Transformer Match
Rin
7A Cs
1V
The Distributed Active Transformer
Rload
7V
7V
1:7
7A
1A 7V
7A Lp 1A
7V
Input
Input 7A
1V
1A
Rload
Rload
M
Inductor Stored Energy = 49 VA
Inductor Stored Energy ~ ~ 7VA
Transformer stored energy less than LC match.
Transformer can have lower Q. Resonant Match vs. Transformer Match
APRIL 2008
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nd
cover feature
figure 3 VDD a) GND
GND
magnetic fields
Output VDD
VDD ac current
GND
GND VDD
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Output VDC
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VDC
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M2 M3
M4 M 5
M6 M7
+ -
+ -
+ -
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GNDDC
GNDDC
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Structure of a Complex Slab Inductor
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multi-turn spiral, in fact, of the order of 20-30. The challenge then is how to connect an active circuit to it, in such a way that the increase in Q is not instantly lost due to the parasitic efcompanies providing solutions now fects of the connections themselves. exploration into products, technologies and companies. Whether your goal is to research the latest datasheet from a company, mp to a company's technical page, the goal of Get Connected is to put you in touch with the right resource. Whichever of Axiom’s solution lies level in distributing the gy, Get Connected will help you connect with the companies and products you arepower searchingamplifier for. core into several blocks and onnected combining the power using the transformer structure. Each power core is differential in nature, which amongst other advantages, allows one terminal of a slab inductor (as described above) to be connected to it and the opposite phase of a neighboring amplifier core. A tuning capacitor is connected in parallel with the output of the differential pair, thus providing a resonant structure that is tuned for frequency response. A single turn secondary loop is placed in close proximity to the primary slabs, Get Connected with companies mentioned in this article. creating a transformer structure with high paswww.portabledesign.com/getconnected sive efficiency. The power from each core is
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combined, and the impedance is transformed relative to the ratio of the number of distributed primaries to the single secondary. In the example shown in Figure 3, there are eight slab inductor primaries and a single turn secondary. The impedance transformation is 1:64, thus allowing an equivalent drain impedance of 0.8Ω while driving a 50Ω load. There are several other major implementation problems that are addressed with this technique: • Use of a differential amplifier means that a low impedance ground is not required. In single-ended implementations this is, of course, not the case. • There is also a virtual ground at the supply connection. In traditional single-ended implementations, a high value supply choke is required. • As both supply and ground are then AC grounds, sensitivity to wire bonding variation is significantly reduced. • As the amplifier cores are distributed about the die, thermal hot spots are more spread out, making heat dissipation less of an issue. • It is only in the secondary of the transformer that high voltages (in excess of 20V) are generated. In the primary circuit there are no voltages that exceed the design rules for the standard CMOS technology. • And finally, as the output connection has to be singled-ended, simply grounding one of the outputs of the secondary provides a neat differential to single-ended conversion. While the outline above indicates the overall principle of operation, there are many detailed points of engineering required in order to implement the DAT in the target 0.13u standard CMOS process. Each core is configured as a compound differential pair. The bottom pair is switched by the input drive signal while a second, cascaded pair of transistors is stacked on top, in order to drop excess voltage, which would otherwise cause a catastrophic device breakdown resulting in the destruction of the amplifier. The cascaded upper pair is also used as an actuator for the case when the power amplifier is required to produce less power than its maximum. This,
cover feature coupled with other innovative circuit techniques, allows the device to withstand supply voltages as high as 5.5V while still producing full output power. Unlike GaAs equivalents, with the power core now on CMOS, the small signal control circuitry required to bias and regulate the power of a GPRS-type power amplifier, may now be integrated in the same die as the main power stages, further reducing the cost of the whole subsystem (Figure 4). Axiom’s first commercial product, the AX502, a quad-band GSM/GPRS device, integrates a closed-loop-type power controller on the same die as the power core, and has demonstrated that CMOS PAs are commercially realizable as a stand-alone product. This does raise the question about how this technology can be further integrated with transceiver and baseband functions and whether it can keep track of evolving requirements.
Integrating PA with Other Adjacent Blocks Already in CMOS
Linear modulation schemes. GPRS is all well and good, but there will be a demand to achieve the same kind of cost point with EDGE and 3G-enabled phones in the future. The disadvantage of CMOS is that the fundamental power producing transfer function is highly non-linear. Nevertheless, the overriding advantage is that in CMOS it is very easy to add control circuitry of considerable complexity at minimal cost in terms of die size. Furthermore, because all this control circuitry resides on the same die, it tracks the main power-producing components with temperature, voltage and process. Battery technology evolution. The DAT was originally demonstrated operating from a 2V supply during the early development of the technology. As battery technology evolves to lower voltages, the DAT technology is ideally placed to take advantage of these changes. Interference. At its maximum operating point the power amplifier produces RF voltages in excess of 20V, which couple to almost every point on the die. Careful design and layout are required in order that the small signal circuitry operates reliably in this environment.
Integration of the power control circuitry of the AX502 on the same die as the power core proves that this is possible. Heat dissipation. The advantage of CMOS is that it is a better thermal conductor compared to GaAs and the die can sit directly on a figure 4 metal slug in the packDCS age, which thermally DCS/PCS Output Input bonds to the PCB. This mechanism enRF ables Axiom’s AX502 Detector product to operate at up to 50% duty cycle without exceeding Power BS Control a die temperature of TXEN 125°C. Given that a VRAMP SoC integrating the PA would be in a larger RF package compared to Detector the PA alone, there is EGSM/850 EGSM/850 ability to incorporate a Input Output larger metal slug in the package and hence improve thermal transfer Signal-Control Circuitry Integrated with PA further to accommodate the increased heat generated by the combination of PA, baseband and transceiver. Design process. Perhaps the greatest hurdle is the design process itself. In the realization of AX502, Axiom found that traditional simulation techniques were not sufficient to predict the large signal RF performance of complex passive and active structures. Computationally intense simulation tools to predict passive performance, which had been traditionally deployed for non-IC applications, had to be integrated into a more conventional IC design flow. These tools are still embryonic and integrating them into the design flow for a complete SoC may be challenging. In summary, for the first time, the elements are in place to integrate the PA with the rest of the CMOS devices in the cell phone. There appear to be no fundamental obstacles, but there is much detailed engineering to be done, which will require the expertise of engineers skilled in the confluence of microelectronics and electromagnetic design. APRIL 2008
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wireless communications troubleshooting wide-band RF systems
Characterizing and Troubleshooting Digital RF Amplifier Systems New wireless technologies can wreak havoc on RF PAs designed for voice-only communication. by Darren McCarthy, RF Technical Marketing Manager, Tektronix, Inc.
W
With the emergence of high-speed data services on the wireless mobile networks, new challenges have been placed on the design and operation of power amplifiers. The bursted nature of new wireless access technologies (3GPP - HSPA, LTE, WiMax and 3GPP2 - 1xEV-DO) can wreak havoc on the modern amplifier design that previously had been designed for voice-only communication. The dynamic fluctuation of the asymmetric demands for delivering high-speed data services, coupled with a desire to reduce operations expense with improved efficiency, has lead to a new class of Digital RF amplifiers, the power of digital computing applied to RF amplifiers. Digital RF amplifiers employ complex linearization techniques enabled by the advances in DSP and availability of low-cost CMOS. By taking advantage of digital corrections, the amplifier efficiency can be maximized by operating near saturation. These techniques often
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PORTABLE DESIGN
require a feedback loop to sense and correct non-linearities adaptively during all operating conditions. However, these new amplifiers must be developed to ensure proper spectrum and modulation quality behavior during the dynamic operating conditions. The linearization techniques with adaptive feedback loops can exhibit short-term transients when not properly implanted due to poor behavioral modeling, software errors and memory effects. These transients can reduce or limit the overall communication link efficiency and represent a new class of challenges for the wireless service providers and network equipment manufacturers. Due to the transient bursted nature of the new wireless signals and the desire to fine tune operating efficiency and spectrum performance at an acceptable level of modulation quality, it is imperative that correlated analysis of spectrum (ACPR), amplitude statistics (CCDF) and
modulation quality (EVM) can be assessed on the same set of time-varying data. Fortunately, advanced Real-Time Spectrum Analyzers (RTSAs) are available to facilitate the acquisition, measurement and analysis of digitally modulated signals. With wide capture bandwidth, deep memory and inherently correlated multi-domain measurements, these instruments enable the efficient and accurate characterization and troubleshooting of today’s Digital RF amplifier systems.
figure 1
Data In
Digital Base-band
Modulator DSP
IF
RF
RF
IF
Digital Base-band
Demodulator DSP
ADC
DAC
Data Out
RF & IF filters for harmonic, spurious & interface control.
Digitally Modulated Signals
When a RTSA is used to measure the vector parameters of modulated signals, the instrument will act as the receiver in a Transmit/ Receive (Tx/Rx) pair. Figure 1 illustrates the components of a generic Tx/Rx chain and the role the RTSA plays in replacing the Rx function. The receive chain begins with a low-noise RF amplifier tuned to the receive frequency. In an RTSA, a pre-amplifier may be used for lowlevel signal measurements, but is not needed for high-level measurements of transmitters. Like a receiver, the RTSA contains an intermediate frequency (IF) filter for spurious and interfering signal control; its bandwidth is that of the instrument’s capture bandwidth, which may allow unwanted signals into the measurement. Vector measurements of digitally modulated signals require the incoming signal to be compared to an ideal signal of the same modulation type and data. The signal analyzer must be aware of, and capable of reproducing, the modulation parameters of the signal, including frequency, symbol rate, modulation type, transmit/receive filters and transmitted symbol values. Once the signal has been demodulated and the reference signal constructed, vector measurements can be performed, such as Error Vector Magnitude (EVM), Magnitude Error, Phase Error, Origin Offset, Gain Imbalance and rho (Figure 2). PAR and CCDF Modern amplifiers use sophisticated techniques to limit the Peak-to-Average-Ratio (PAR) of the amplified signal in order to optimize output distortions and amplifier efficiency.
Receiver Block Diagram
Transmitter Block Diagram
Spectral shaping filters for modulation spectrum control. This combination of filters is referred to as the system filter or reference filter on the RTSA. The filter pair is chosen to minimize inter-symbol interference, channel bandwidth and noise. Data encoding, symbol mapping & I-Q generation.
Synchronization symbol decision & data decoding.
The RTSA acts as the receiver in a Tx/Rx pair when measuring vector signal parameters.
figure 2
Examples of vector measurements made by an RTSA or VSA. Other panels display magnitude vs. time, EVM vs. time and constellation display of the same time period.
APRIL 2008
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wireless communications
PAR is the ratio of a signal’s peak power compared to its average power over a defined period of time. Complementary Cumulative Distribution Function (CCDF) is a statistical characterization that plots power level on the x-axis and probability on the y-axis of a graph. Each point on the CCDF curve shows what percentage of time a signal spends at or above a given power level. The power level is expressed in dB relative to the average signal power level. ACPR and ACLR Adjacent Channel figure 3 Power Ratio (ACPR) and Adjacent ChanDigital I PAR Limiter + nel Leakage Ratio DAC PA Digital Q Linearizer (ACLR) are terms that DSP tend to be used interchangeably, and the differences between them are slight. ACPR is the term used to deADC nd scribe the power level in a channel adjacent er exploration ether your goal to the transmit channel Representative transmitter with digital pre-distortion. speak directly without regard for any ical page, the ght resource. receive filter that may technology, be used in the comfigure 4 es and products munication system of ed interest. ACLR is a Arbitrary PA more recent term that Waveform Generator takes into account the receiver filter used in the system of interest. The ACLR meacompanies providing solutions now surement method of exploration into products, technologies and companies. Whether your goal is to research the latest datasheet from a company, mp to a company's technical page, the Workstation goal of Get Connected is to put you in touch with the right resource. Whichever of RTSAs difthelevel latest RTSA gy, Get Connected will help you connect with the companies and products you are searching for. fers from swept techonnected Workstation calculates niques. Up to the limwaveforms & distortion its of the maximum coefficients capture bandwidth (110 MHz for leading Digital Pre-Distortion Development System. RTSAs), the measurement is performed on a contiguous set of time domain data containing all of the channels to be measured. Resolution bandwidths, channel bandwidths and receiver filtering are performed mathematically after the signal is digiGet Connected with companies mentioned in this article. tized. The ACLR measurement in the RTSA is www.portabledesign.com/getconnected no different from measurements in other do-
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mains; it is merely another mathematical calculation performed on the captured signal. Since the underlying signal is the same for all measurements, this allows the RTSA to correlate measurements of modulation vs. time, CCDF and frequency domain together for enhanced troubleshooting.
Digitally Pre-Distorted Signals
Whether it is a high-power satellite ground station, a multi-carrier cellular base station or even a low-power mobile system, modern transmitters employ a variety of pre-distortion techniques to reduce out-of-channel interference and optimize operating efficiency. One popular distortion reduction method is Adaptive Digital Pre-Distortion. This approach uses a sample of the transmitter’s output to calculate error vectors, which are then used to pre-distort the incoming signal. To reduce analog-circuitry distortions, the signal in the chain is kept in digital format for as long as possible. Figure 3 shows an amplifier with a low-level signal coupled from its output, down-converted and digitzed. This digitized sample is used to feed the digital signal processing circuitry, which performs analysis of the non-linearities present in the signal. These non-linear coefficients are used to alter the incoming In-phase (I) and Quadrature (Q) signals in the transmit chain. This signal, now pre-distorted and with PAR reduction applied, is fed to the amplifier after being converted back to analog by the DAC, which can be seen in the transmit chain. The resultant output signal exhibits reduced spectral distortion and lower ACLR than the signal without pre-distortion techniques. During development, prior to the availability of all parts of the design, it is common to substitute test equipment for essential elements of the design, and to substitute a workstation for the DSP system while it is under development. Figure 4 shows a common configuration of this type of development system. An Arbitrary Waveform Generator (AWG) is used in place of the I and Q signals and DAC, and the correction loop down-converter and ADC have been replaced with a RTSA. The I and Q vectors from the RTSA are then sent to an offline processor where pre-distortion and PAR reduction techniques are applied.
used to trigger any other test equipment to help localize the problem. Due to its wide capture bandwidth, deep memory and inherently correlated measurements, the RTSA is an ideal tool for the analysis and troubleshooting of wide-band RF communications systems. Today’s leading RTSAs allow spectrum and vector measurements to be performed over bandwidths up to 110 MHz with high dynamic range and low residual EVM. Measurement correlation
figure 5 Time Domain (Analog)
Time Domain (Digital)
Frequency Domain
DAC DSP DAC
PA
I/Q Modulator VCO
Troubleshooting Tools
The process for finding faults and troubleshooting consists of three common steps: discover, capture and trace. Discovering the problem can be a difficult challenge. However, leading RTSAs employ a unique and powerful spectrum-processing engine. This window into the spectral domain will capture any fault within the capture bandwidth of duration as brief as 24 microseconds with 100 percent probability of capture, ensuring that transient signals are captured on the analyzer’s screen. Once the problem has been recognized and its characteristics understood, RTSAs allow the creation of a frequency mask trigger (FMT) to capture the signal for complete analysis in multiple domains. This is easily accomplished by referring to the spectrum display, determining where the desired signal exists and drawing a mask to trigger on any signal outside this area. After the problem has been identified at the RF output, logic analyzers and oscilloscopes can be put to use in the baseband and IF portions of the circuit to track the problem to its source. The trigger output of the FMT can be
wireless communications
When capturing distortion products, the test instruments signal fidelity in both amplitude and phase domains are vital. The signals captured during development may contain very long sequences of specialized data, which are intended to exercise the limits of the amplifier by creating the worst-case operating scenario. These sequences may be one second in length or more, depending upon the design requirements. Top RTSAs have the ability to capture up to 1.7 seconds of I and Q data at their maximum capture bandwidth of 110 MHz. Longer captures are possible at reduced capture bandwidth. Capturing long record lengths allows the user to examine the performance of devices in response to real-world signals. The ability to capture many packets of data is very useful in understanding design limitations, especially as they relate to changes in the signal including modulation type, number of active code channels and adaptively changing power levels.
Signal Source
LA
Data Transfer Trigger
RTSA
Scope Trigger
Oscilloscope, logic analyzer and RTSA used in a signal path to troubleshoot faults.
across multiple domains and frequency mask triggers greatly improve troubleshooting efforts. And new signal processing technologies enable immediate discovery of transients as brief as 24 microseconds, improving awareness of transient spectral splatter. With these capabilities, the acquisition, measurement and characterization of digitally modulated and pre-distorted RF signals are quick, efficient and accurate. Tektronix, Inc. Beaverton, OR. (503) 627-4027. [www.tektronix.com]. APRIL 2008
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consumer electronics mobile TV: 2008 outlook
Mobile TV: 2008 Outlook So, what’s it going to be—T-DMB, DAB-IP, MBMS, DVB-H, MediaFLO, S-DMB, ISDB-T, ATSC-MH, DVB-SH? Here’s a global roundup of the state of play.
by Yannick Levy, CEO of DiBcom
A
As 2008 begins, Mobile TV boasts a promising outlook. As always, new technologies take time to emerge from initial market studies to trials and finally mass market adoption. The 2005 Mobile TV trials led to some regional commercial launches in 2006, and we can expect these to gradually develop into global deployments over 2008-2009. Presently, Japan is selling up to two million units per month, just three years after its MDTV launch. Korea has reached seven million subscribers after 24 months, and Italy has reached more than one million subscribers paying about nine dollars per month. Small potatoes compared to the one billion cell phones sold in 2007? Not if we compare the numbers to the launch of other wireless technologies in the past. Orange, one of the world’s largest mobile communications companies, recently reminded the industry that it took five years to reach the first
24
PORTABLE DESIGN
million GSM subscribers in a country like France. The more recent 3G has now reached 20% penetration onto mobile phones, more than eight years after the big hype of 2000. Most countries that have launched Mobile TV have seen this level of adoption within two years.
The Standards Fragmentation Continues, with a Clear Consensus Emerging for DVB-H
At the end of 2005, a long list of Mobile TV standards appeared in articles and analysts’ reports, sparking concern that Mobile TV would not be viable if the market was fragmented by complicated standards. A plethora of standards, such as T-DMB, DAB-IP, MBMS, DVB-H, MediaFLO, S-DMB, ISDB-T, ATSC-MH, DVBSH and Chinese CMMB, confused the industry and created uncertainty (Figure 1). Many contemplated whether it was appropriate to initiate
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consumer electronics
a Mobile TV project prior to confirming which standard or standards would ultimately win. Reality has shown that each of these choices is associated with a set of constraints that extend the decision making process beyond business or technical issues.
figure 1
Fixed Reception
Mobile Handheld
Mobile
Service
Supporting Standard
Front-End Duration power using a 2W Consumption Battery
# Prog. Per Channel
50m W
6.5hrs
30
EU + Part DVB-T of AP +India
DVB-H
Nokia, Motorola, Samsung, Siemens Crown Castle
US
ATSC
Media-Flo
Qualcomm ? (proprietary)
?
?
ISDB-T 13 Segments
ISDB-T 1 Segment
Japanese Companies
120m W
5.5hrs
2
Korea
ATSC
T-DMB
LG (Samsung)
300m W
2hrs
5
China
DMB-T or DVB-T
DVB-H or other?
Universities
?
?
?
nd
er exploration ether your goal speak directly ical page, the Japan ght resource. technology, es and products
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companies providing solutions now
exploration into products, technologies and companies. Whether your goal is TV to research the latest datasheet from a company, International Mobile Broadcast Standards mp to a company's technical page, the goal of Get Connected is to put you in touch with the right resource. Whichever level of gy, Get Connected will help you connect with the companies and products you are searching for.
onnected
End of Article Get Connected
with companies mentioned in this article. www.portabledesign.com/getconnected
26
Among the broadcast solutions, ISDBT (Japan), T-DMB (Korea), DAB-IP and MBMS/TDD (in commercial trials in UK) are narrowband solutions, offering at most five TV channels. Although it has been relatively successful in South Korea, commercial results have been disappointing in Germany and the UK where both T-DMB and DAB-IP have been stopped. Most trials have shown that consumers expect at least 15-20 channels to attract users, and more importantly, to make paying for Mobile TV more acceptable. Ko-
PORTABLE DESIGN
Get Connected with companies mentioned in this article.
rea is struggling to find an acceptable business model for broadcasters that pay for the broadcast network, while the service is free to the end consumers. ISDB-T had an innovative approach, allowing Mobile TV within the same spectrum as HDTV, thus adding marginal costs for broadcasters wanting to include free Mobile TV in their offering. Japan does not have as many TV channels to carry as other parts of the world and therefore has found enough spectra to enable this. Broadband solutions like DVB-H and ATSCMH or Media-Flo, as well as satellite-focused standards such as DVB-SH and CMMB in China, will be deployed more and more often as they demonstrate clear superiority over narrowband solutions. Why is it taking more time to see these broadband solutions arrive? Two reasons: First, countries need time to find appropriate and available UHF band frequencies. Second, handsets must be developed to create sufficient choice for customers to adopt this new technology. Amongst broadband solutions, terrestrial deployment is well suited for urban areas. Therefore, DVB-H, the mandatory EU standard for Mobile TV, will become the solution for the GSM-based community, which represents 80 percent of all handset sales worldwide. MediaFLO may develop into a solution for the CDMA-based community in the U.S. MediaFLO is a proprietary solution that limits supplier options when compared to DVBH, and involves royalties that could limit its adoption. For these reasons, the U.S. is considering an open standard called ATSC-MH, a mobile version of the ATSC standard already deployed for U.S. home TV. After the 2006 Italy and South Africa launches, 2007 saw several countries launch DVB-H in Africa (Nigeria, Kenya, Ivory Coast), in South East Asia (Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia), South America (Uruguay, Peru) and Europe (Finland, Albania). Large emerging countries like India, Brazil and China may see wide-scale commercial trials in some areas with DVB-H or DVB-SH, ISDB-T and CMMB. The low cost of infrastructure, combined with affordable handsets, will contribute to Mobile TV development in places where 3G may never be launched. In Europe, Germany and France
After Long Debates Between Streaming and Broadcasting, Each Technology Seems to Have Found its Mission
Streaming and broadcasting Mobile TV will coexist, and users will not differentiate which network they are using. Several mobile operators have launched 3G streaming solutions, which have been in place for a few years. Despite the fairly low video quality on the first handsets, quality is improving with the recent progress of HSPA (also called 3G+) offering up to 7.2 Mbits/s. The number of streaming Mobile TV subscribers is constantly increasing. On the commercial side, the introduction of flat-fee subscription rates at six to ten dollars/month (even on streaming networks), demonstrates the operator commitment to develop Mobile TV on a larger scale and at an acceptable price point for consumers. At 300 Kbits/s, it takes only one user in a 3G network, and two to three users in HSDPA, to absorb the capacity of a base station. Operators who formerly believed their 3G networks would be sufficient to offer Mobile TV for a number of years, now realize the saturation of 3G networks is already very possible. Operators must quickly develop a complementary broadcast network to accompany the Mobile TV demand. By combining 3G and broadcasting, operators will potentially offer hundreds of channels (Orange is already offering more than 70 in France). As a result, larger audiences will use broadcast networks and smaller
audiences may use high-speed or low-speed streaming on 3G/3G+. Consumers will better understand why they should pay five to ten dollars if they can access hundreds of channels rather than five!
A Clearer Business Model, a Better Understanding of the Infrastructure Costs
While 3G network infrastructure costs resulted in “sticker shock� for mobile operators after the 2000 bubble crash, network cost estimates for DVB-H deployments have been clarified since 2006. First, deep-indoor coverage (which allows consumers to receive quality reception in apartments, office buildings, etc.), for Mobile TV, will cost approximately eight times more than outdoor coverage. Mobile TV trials in developed countries have shown that consumers expect deep-indoor reception. Calculations have shown a cost of approximately ten dollars/inhabitant in urban areas to provide good deep-indoor coverage. Assuming 20 cities are covered, including 20 million inhabitants, the cost will be approximately 200M dollars, which is in line with what Italian operators like H3G have spent to cover large urban areas in Italy. The cost is much lower in highly populated countries like China or India, since the population density is much higher in these urban areas. Note that integrated solutions have been developed for transmitters (also called gap fillers in Mobile TV) and provide solutions as low as 50k dollars/base station. Compared to 3G network costs, such an investment is profitable in two years, assuming one to two million subscribers. In addition, operators can increase revenue by winning new subscribers interested in Mobile TV, and protect revenue by holding onto consumers ready to access Mobile TV. This last portion of revenue is more difficult to assess, and a valid concern for mobile operators affected by the strong decrease in revenue related to voice (increased use of VoIP at home) and data (with the replacement of SMS by cheaper solutions such as Windows Messenger or Exchange Server). Increasing, or at least maintaining, the current ARPU will require Mobile TV, similar to Triple Play in the home.
Finally, interactive TV and advertising will accompany this revenue stream for broadcasters and operators once the threshold of two to five million users is exceeded. This may ensue two years into implementation, and will make Mobile TV an extremely profitable business, comparable to home TV today. Broadcasters, who see more and more advertising business move to the Internet, will also want to source additional revenue. Mobile users are not yet accustomed to advertisements on their mobile phones, meaning Mobile TV can become a genuine opportunity for broadcasters seeking to maintain their current level of revenue.
The Availability of a Wide Range of Terminals Is the Key for Success
In 2007, DVB-H was available on less than ten commercial handsets, from Samsung, LG and Nokia—neither Motorola nor SonyEricsson offered this. The number of vendors and handsets is expected to increase substantially by the end of 2008, offering greater choice to operators and consumers. This will happen for DVB-H in GSM-based countries, ISDBT (in Japan/CDMA) and T-DMB (in Korea/ CDMA). Deploying a large number of handsets with the Mobile TV function is key to attracting customers. The business model will only work if an adequate number of major brands offer these handsets. Within this framework, DVB-H can succeed, and T-DMB will not see new commercial launches (in GSM countries) where DVB-H will. The standards fragmentation has started to end, since handset manufacturers cannot spend more money adapting handset technology. Operators are not able to influence the choice of manufacturers unless they order several 100,000 units of a specific model, which due to the number of handsets available, does not happen on a single country basis. In this context, new initiatives for further standards are very unlikely. DiBcom, Ladera Ranch, CA. (949) 365-0051. [www.dibcom.com].
APRIL 2008
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consumer electronics
will launch in 2008, which will create an important market opportunity spanning 150 million inhabitants. After the 2008-2009 urban deployments of pure terrestrial standards like DVB-H, the beginning of complementary technologies using satellite will occur in 2009-2010. During this timeframe, the DVB-SH satellite initiative with ICO in the U.S. and with CMMB in China, may create the next wave of technologies to cover rural areas and smaller cities, as well as border areas where it is traditionally difficult to find available spectra. By 2009, handsets will typically support both DVB-H and DVB-SH.
portable power advanced dynamic voltage scaling
Advanced Dynamic Voltage Scaling via VSEL, One-Pin 2 EasyScale or I C Interface Interface and DVS functionality gives the system designer a new and highly advanced tool to achieve the best results in today’s complex applications.
I
by Alexander Friebe, Worldwide Product Marketing Engineer, Texas Instruments
In today’s applications dynamic voltage scaling (DVS) means either optimizing battery lifetime in portable applications, or saving energy and reducing heat in complex, multiprocessor environments. In both areas systems are running with one or several types of processors, starting from basic microcontrollers and ARM-type processors to complex digital signal processors (DSP), graphic processor units or application processors. Most types use either a constant supply voltage for the complete processing unit, or several voltage rails for different internal building blocks such as core supply, I/O supply, memory supply and others. Depending on the application, its environmental situation and the processor type, one or several of the supply rails could to be changed on-the-fly during operating. For example, in an earlier Portable Design article, “Reducing Power with Dynamic Voltage Scaling” [1] a
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PORTABLE DESIGN
standard DSP is designed with two main operating points. Today most processor types support two operating points for different operating situations. However, I/O ports and memory supply rails also can be scaled during operation to save battery power, increase system run-time or reduce overall power consumption. The latest generation of power management components offers several options for implementing selectable output voltages. Linear regulators (LDOs), DC/DC converters with integrated power FETs, as well as highly integrated multichannel power management units, are capable of voltage scaling with integrated DVS.
Voltage Select
The most basic option is a simple voltage selection pin. With a spare I/O port on a processor/microcontroller, a voltage select pin (VSEL) on the power management compo-
portable power One-Pin Interface EasyScale
Another more advanced option is using a one-pin serial interface called EasyScale. It’s a simple serial, 16-bit protocol for communication between the processor and power manage-
200mV/div
ment IC and uses a master/slave structure. The key advantage over other one-pin interfaces is its independence from the bit transmission rate. It automatically detects bit rates between 1.7 Kbits/s up to 160 Kbits/s. Initially this interface became popular on figure 1 white LED backlight driver ICs due to the VSET PIN TOGGLE improved digital dimming capability and Transitioning from 3.15V to 1.85V VOUT IOUT = 10mA immunity to audible noise. VOUT Power management components using this interface include dualVSET channel buck DC/DC converters, as well as single-channel boost DC/DC converters. These ICs offer sevTime (20µs/div) eral advantages over basic VSEL models Linear regulator with VSEL between 3.15V and 1.85V. such as greatly increased flexibility. Most processors work figure 2 very well with two operating points. How2.7V to 6.5V 0.9V to 3.6V ever, next-generation VIN VOUT IN OUT processors (or special 1µF 1µF application procesTPS728 sors) can operate with On multiple operating EN Off points. Power management devices driving On (VOUT2) these systems need to Off (VOUT1) VSET GND provide fast transient changes when sweeping through voltage levels, highly accurate Basic schematic of a LDO with VSEL pin. voltage regulation, and enough options on voltage step-sizes to offer enough flexibility for optimization (Figure 3). Power ICs with the above capabilities offer three main benefits: 1) extend the amount of supported processors significantly; 2) increase the chance of a perfect adjustment to those
-
nent can be toggled between two preset output voltages. Usually those voltages are preset on the integrated circuit’s (IC) manufacturer side and can be programmed to systems engineer requirements. This enables a wide choice of selectable voltage options. Additionally, odd combinations easily are possible as long as they are within the minimum and maximum device ratings. Practically all of the above listed power management families offer this choice. It is relatively easy to implement on the IC side, as well as easy to use by systems engineers. The two selectable output voltages can be precisely implemented. Depending on the applied output voltage range, process technology, power rating and device family, their output voltage values can be specified in increments, for example 50 mV, 100 mV, 250 mA or others. Taking into account today’s output voltage accuracies, which typically are between approximately three to seven percent for lowerpower DC/DC converters, the step-size from which to select a voltage is usually larger than the output regulation of the device itself. For example, a DC/DC converter with approximately five percent accuracy swings at 3.3V output voltage between 3.135V and 3.465V. This is ±0.165 mV, much smaller than the common 50 mV increment. On the other hand, ICs controlled by interintegrated circuits (I2C) easily can achieve 25 mV step-size or less, so using the latest generation power management ICs with an accuracy of ±1.5 percent or less is a viable option. For a simple 200 mA-rated LDO with VSEL, 3.15V and 1.85V can be switched with a transient of ~100 μs at 10 mA load current. Optimizing output capacitors reduces over/undershoot magnitude, but increases duration of the transient response (Figures 1 & 2).
APRIL 2008
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portable power
figure 3 VIN 2.5V-6 V
TPS62401
VIN
FB1 SW1
10 µF EN_1
Processor
L1
Vout1 400 mA: DEF_1 = 0: 1.575 V DEF_1 = 1: 1.1V
VCore
10 µF DEF_1
EN_2
SW2
MODE/ DATA
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VCore_sel Vout2 600 mA: TPS62401: 1.8V TPS62403: 2.8V
VI/O
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GND
Dual-channel DC/DC buck converter using DVS on both channels for powering two processor rails.
dedicated operating points; 3) enable easy testing, prototyping and lab exercises in a new system. Mode/Data DC/DC converter 2V/Div step-sizes with EasyScale interfaces again depend on the required output voltage range, process VOUT1:1.5V VOUT1:200mV/Div technology, power rating and device family. V 3.8V IN These are usually 25 ACKN = off IOUT1=150mA mV, 50 mV, 100 mV VOUT1:1.1V REG_DEF_1_Low or larger (Figure 4). Using the dualchannel buck DC/DC Time Base - 100 µs/Div converter as an example, two choices EasyScale transient response signal changing from 1.1V to 1.5V within 50 are available for ms at 150 mA. selecting a certain output voltage. First, the fully adjustable version gives full setting controls for any output voltage, which is limited only by the minimum/maximum ratings on the IC specification. Step-sizes can be as small as 25 mV and are limited only by the internal register settings for both channels. This en-
figure 4
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30
PORTABLE DESIGN
ables a very fine adjustment of each operating point. If the simulation shows that the processor works best at 1.875V instead of the given datasheet point of 1.8V, only a small change in the DC/DC converter’s communication protocol is necessary to achieve best performance and thermal behavior. A detailed table with all possible step-sizes/voltage options and combinations can be found in the TPS62400 datasheet [2]. The second option for choosing an output voltage is to use the factory pre-programmed IC versions. This is similar to VSEL and simplifies the use of this device. Instead of setting the full 16-bit protocol, two main voltages are available and toggle with the help of the EasyScale interface just between those two operating points. A practical example is using this during testing and prototyping a system. During test and lab conditions, use the fully adjustable version to optimize processor operating points, power management schemes and other conditions. However, during mass production or ramp-up, limit the selection to two key voltage points.
I2C Interface
Still another even more advanced option is using a standard I2C interface. The two most common modes of operation are standard mode with 100 kHz and fast mode with 400 kHz bus clock speeds. Both operating speeds are very common and widely used in today’s available processors or microcontrollers. Therefore, it’s also becoming popular in the latest generation of higher integrated, multichannel power management units, which are optimized to powerdedicated applications or graphics processors. Several power management unit (PMU) building blocks such as LDOs, DC/DCs, battery chargers, A/D converters, LED drivers and others require a fairly large amount of information to operate flexibly. The I2C interface can be used to adjust voltage rails, optimize sequencing, enable-disable building blocks, support start-up or power-save mode and many more (Figure 5). While I2C is common in multichannel PMUs, it is not necessarily common in single- or dualchannel power management ICs. Thus far, the
portable power need for advanced dynamic voltage scaling in devices with limited functionality such as LDOs and DC/DC converters can be covered by VSEL and one-wire EasyScale interfaces. Nevertheless, next-generation power management ICs are part of the complete system approach. They are driven from portable applications that are battery powered. Application processors are designed for maximum performance at lowest total power consumption. Therefore, advanced power management ICs will play a key role in those system-level approaches. I2C will be used in standard and fast mode as well as in high-speed mode, which allows a bus clock of up to 3.4 MHz. This enables real-time power adjustments on a single I2C bus, and even more advanced data or command communication on a second I2C bus.
figure 5
Conclusion
Interfaces and dynamically scalable voltages in power management ICs have at least two main functions. The first is to optimize processor operating points for best performance, maximizing battery life in portable applications or limiting overall system power consumption. Second, they are easy to use during prototyping, system evaluation and testing before an application enters mass production. The increased flexibility in adjusting voltages on-the-fly via software shortens testing time, optimizing and evaluating new applications. It also minimizes laboratory changes on the PCB or to hard-wired components such as resistor dividers to achieve the required voltage. Alternatively, as power management engineers are required to better understand software, optimum results can be achieved through much closer teamwork between processor, software and hardware engineers. Interface and DVS functionality gives the system designer a new and highly advanced tool to achieve the best results in today’s complex applications. Texas Instruments Inc. Dallas, TX. (800) 336-5236. [www.ti.com].
Six-channel PMU with I2C interface
[1] “Reducing Power with Dynamic Voltage Scaling,” Alex Friebe, Portable Design, October 2007: http://www.portabledesign.com/ article?article_id=100. [2] Download the TPS62400 datasheet here: www.ti.com/sc/device/tps62400. APRIL 2008
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product feature Low-Power Design Flow Supports UPF A full tool flow that supports a pending low-power standard.
by John Donovan, Editor-in-Chief
In the ongoing race to the standards finish line between Cadence’s Common Power Format (CPF) and the Unified Power Format (UPF) supported by Synopsys, Mentor Graphics, Magma and others, the CPF camp has often flogged its competition about the lack of tool support, despite notable efforts by Mentor and Magma. Synopsys has now met that argument head on. Synopsys has introduced the Synopsys Eclypse Low Power Solution, a comprehensive suite of proven system-level, verification, implementation and signoff tools, intellectual property (IP), methodologies and services for low-power chip development. All the tools in the Eclypse tool flow support the Unified Power Format (UPF) language, which is used to capture low-power design requirements. The Eclypse solution aligns Synopsys’ design tools into a streamlined, low-power workflow that encompasses each phase of the design process. Advanced low-power design techniques, such as MTCMOS power gating, multi-voltage and dynamic voltage and frequency scaling (DVFS), force a major shift in how engineers create and verify chips. These techniques can dramatically reduce power consumption in deep submicron chips, but have traditionally required ad-hoc, time-consuming, risk-prone and manual verification and implementation approaches. The Eclypse Low Power Solution combines a wide array of advanced techniques, methodologies, standards and automation to simplify advanced low-power design and verification. Enhanced clock gating and low-power clocktree synthesis allow designers to optimize their clock structures for low power while also achieving required skew and timing goals. Advanced multi-threshold leakage optimization, which constrains the ratio of Vt, options utilized, provides optimal leakage power recovery independent of a design’s process corners. Enhanced automation for power switch insertion and optimization enables power planning exploration and “whatif” analysis using IR drop and area constraints. The following UPF-enabled tools are included: MVRC and VCS with MVSIM, key components of the Discovery Verification Platform; and Design Compiler, Power Compiler, IC Compiler, DFT MAX, Formality and PrimeTime, key components of the Galaxy Design Platform. Completing
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PORTABLE DESIGN
the solution are additional tools for low-power design, including Innovator, HSPICE, HSIM, NanoSim, TetraMAX and PrimeRail, as well as DesignWare IP and Synopsys Professional Services. The Eclypse solution supports open methodologies, including those described in the “Low Power Methodology Manual” (LPMM), co-authored by Synopsys and ARM. In conjunction with its launch of Eclypse, Synopsys will conduct a series of Eclypse Low Power Seminars in which ARM will participate. These seminars are designed to help chip development teams understand how they can employ the latest advanced low-power design techniques with the Eclypse solution. The seminars will include an overview of the Eclypse solution and detail key elements of an automated low-power design workflow. Information on the seminar series is available at www.synopsys. com/eclypse. The Eclypse Low Power Solution with UPF support is available today. Pricing is based on configuration. Synopsys, Inc., Mountain View, CA. (650) 584-5000. [www.synopsys.com].
products for designers 400 mA Low-Power DC/DC Converter for Portable Designs Texas Instruments has introduced a space-saving, 400 mA step-down converter for portable designs. The 95-percent efficient converter extends battery life in mobile phones, portable navigation systems and lowpower DSP and microcontroller applications. TI’s TPS62270 synchronous DC/DC converter efficiently regulates output voltages down to 0.9V with +/-1.5 percent accuracy, enabling the device to power TI’s newest C5000 DSPs, low-power MSP430 microcontrollers and controllers with ultra-precise processor core supply requirements. The switcher’s voltage select (Vsel) pin gives designers the ability to switch between two fixed voltage levels to customize and cut power consumption in the processor core through dynamic voltage scaling. The TPS62270 provides up to 400 mA of output current, and can be powered by a single-cell lithium-ion battery with an input voltage range of 2.0V to 6V. The converter automatically enters a power save mode during light load operating conditions, consuming only 15 uA of quiescent current. For low-noise applications, the device can be forced into fixed frequency pulse width modulation (PWM) mode by pulling the MODE pin high. In the shutdown mode, the TPS62270’s current consumption is reduced to less than 1 uA. The TPS62270 comes in a 6-pin, 2 mm x 2 mm x 0.8 mm SON package, and is shipping in volume from TI and its authorized distributors. Suggested retail pricing for the TPS62270 is $1.05 in 1,000-piece quantities. Texas Instruments Inc., Dallas, TX. (800) 336-5236. [www.ti.com].
Integrated Overvoltage Protection Controller for Portable and Consumer Devices ON Semiconductor has introduced the NCP361, an integrated overvoltage protector dedicated to USB charging applications for portable and consumer devices such as cell phones, MP3 players, set top boxes and computers. The NCP361 uses an internal P-channel FET, making the need for an external device unnecessary and thus reducing the system cost and the Printed Circuit Board (PCB) area of the application board. If overvoltage from a wall adapter occurs, causing the input voltage to exceed the overvoltage threshold, the NCP361 instantaneously disconnects the output from the input to protect the downstream system for optimal protection. The NCP361 offers lower quiescent current than competitive ICs and very low current consumption at 20 μA. For added protection, the NCP361 features overcurrent protection at 750 mA typical. It has a negative-going flag (FLAG) output, which alerts the system that a fault has occurred. The enable pin allows this overvoltage protection (OVP) device to be forced to an off-state. It also offers protection of VBUS up to +20V, a more precise voltage threshold than discrete zener-based devices. The NCP361 is offered in the lead-free very small 2.0 mm x 2.0 mm uDFN-6 package. Budgetary pricing for the NCP361 is $0.40 per unit in quantities of 3,000. ON Semiconductor, Phoenix, AZ. (602) 244-6600. [www.onsemi.com].
Synchronous 600 mA (ISW) Boost & 400 mA (IOUT) Buck Regulator Linear Technology Corporation has announced the LTC3523/-2, a combination of a 600 mA (ISW) synchronous boost and a 400 mA (IOUT) synchronous buck regulator in a 3 mm x 3 mm QFN-16 package. Both the boost and the buck regulators switch at 2.4 MHz in the LTC3523-2 (1.2 MHz for the LTC3523), and use current mode, synchronous topologies. The LTC3523/-2 operate from an input voltage range of 1.8V to 5.5V, making them appropriate for single-cell Li-Ion/Polymer or dual-cell alkaline/NiMH applications. In particular, the combination of a buck and a boost makes it ideal for dual-cell alkaline applications, in which a processor 3.3V I/O rail and a 1.2V (or lower) VCORE rail are required. Synchronous rectification enables efficiencies of up to 94%, and Burst Mode operation lowers quiescent current to only 45 uA, providing extended battery run-time in handheld applications. Constant synchronized frequency 1.2 MHz (LTC3523) or 2.4 MHz (LTC3523-2) operation offers low-noise, high-efficiency operation. Combined with a 3 mm x 3 mm QFN-16 package, small inductor and capacitor sizes provide a tiny solution footprint required in handheld applications. The boost converter in the LTC3523/-2 incorporates an integrated output disconnect function for reliable operation and also regulates when VIN>VOUT, extending usable battery run-time. Its output voltage is adjustable between 1.8V and 5.25V. Similarly, the buck converter operates from the same VIN range and can deliver 400 mA outputs as low as 0.6V. Both converters offer internal compensation, soft start and have separate Power Good pins. For low-noise applications, the Burst Mode feature can be replaced with a lower-noise forced continuous mode. LTC3523EUD and LTC3523EUD-2 are both available from stock in 16-lead QFN packages. 1,000-piece pricing starts at $2.95 each. Linear Technology, Milpitas, CA. (408) 432-1900. [wwwv.linear.com].
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Memory Compiler and Logic Library IP Portfolio for TSMC 40 nm Process
Maxim Integrated Products has introduced the MAX8821, the only white-LED (WLED) driver to combine a highly efficient, negative charge pump with a fully differential, bridged audio amplifier and two low-noise, low-dropout (LDO) current regulators. To maximize efficiency, this LED driver features a negative architecture that completely eliminates high-side, in-line switch resistance loss in 1x mode, delaying 1x to 1.5x mode transitions during battery discharge. The MAX8821 utilizes independent adaptive-mode switching for each LED to further extend battery life, even with large LED forward-voltage (VF) mismatching. Moreover, the audio amplifier accepts differential input signals, offering excellent noise immunity to improve audio reproduction. This superior performance and integration make the MAX8821 ideal for use in cell phones, smartphones, PDAs and portable media players in which every milliamp-hour of battery life is precious and PCB space is limited. This innovative device drives six WLEDs with 1% accurate current matching. To maximize flexibility, the MAX8821 supports I2C dimming control with 32 pseudo-logarithmic dimming levels. Additionally, this WLED driver achieves low, 70 microamp quiescent current, and features an on-chip, TA derating function that reduces the current above +40°C to prevent the LEDs from burning out. The integrated, dual LDO regulators deliver over 200 mA of current output with low, 45 microvolt noise and low, 60 dB PSRR for sensitive circuitry. The MAX8821’s Class D audio amplifier delivers 2W to the speaker differentially by the use of a bridge-tied load (BTL) output stage. This provides up to four times more output power than a conventional, single-ended output stage and eliminates the need for an output-coupling capacitor. In addition, at 1 kHz, this device achieves a high, 65 dB PSRR gain, which the flexible -3 dB to +24 dB gain settings realize in 3 dB steps. Integrated click-and-pop suppression circuitry ensures rich, clean sound quality. The MAX8821 is available in a 4 mm x 4 mm x 0.8 mm, 28-pin TQFN package and is fully specified over the -40° to +85°C extended temperature range. Prices start at $2.55 (1000-up, FOB USA).
Virage Logic Corporation has announced the availability of memory compilers and logic libraries for TSMC’s 40 nanometer (nm) process. The new SiWare product portfolio provides semiconductor companies with silicon-proven 40 nm physical IP that is designed to enable System-on-Chips (SoCs) to run faster, manage power more efficiently, use less area and achieve higher manufacturing yields. The SiWare product line, first introduced in October 2007 for the 65 nm process node, addresses the increasingly complex design requirements placed on physical IP at advanced process nodes. The SiWare Memory compilers and SiWare Logic libraries provide designers with a complete “dashboard” of options for maximum flexibility in effectively managing design trade-offs to meet their specific requirements. As the first commercial IP provider with silicon-proven memory compiler and logic library IP for TSMC’s 40 nm process, Virage Logic offers customers early access to design more competitive chips at reduced risk while helping enable them to take advantage of significant cost savings. Primary end markets for SiWare IP on TSMC’s 40G process include computer, graphics, networking and storage applications, while primary end markets for SiWare IP on TSMC’s 40LP process include wireless, battery-operated and consumer applications. With its advanced trade-off capabilities, SiWare Memory users can achieve static power savings of up to 35 percent, 70 percent and 90 percent depending on their selection of the built-in light sleep, deep sleep and shutdown modes available in both the 40G and 40LP memories. Silicon-proven SiWare Memory compilers and SiWare Logic libraries are available now for early adopters of TSMC’s 40G and 40LP processes. Project pricing starts at $100,000. The SiWare product portfolio supports all major electronic design automation (EDA) tool flows targeted for the 40 nm process including Cadence Design Systems, Magma Design Automation and Synopsys.
Maxim Integrated Products, Inc., Sunnyvale, CA. (408) 737-7600. [www.maxim-ic.com].
Virage Logic Corporation, Fremont, CA. (510) 360-8000. [www.viragelogic.com].
ARC Introduces “Sonic Focus-Ready” Audio Subsystem ARC International has introduced the newest addition to its ARC Sound Subsystem family, the ARC Sound 210E. This fully programmable, licensable solution enables system-on-chip (SoC) designers to build devices that achieve high-quality audio using a very low power budget. As with all ARC Subsystem products, the AS 210E is multi-standard and supports a wide range of popular digital audio formats. The ARC Sound 210E Subsystem also supports Sonic Focus audio post-processing software, and incorporates the recently introduced ARC Energy PRO power management technology. The new AS 210E Subsystem’s advanced Energy PRO power management techniques reduce power consumption by turning off the subsystem when no activity is registered. Energy PRO techniques can also conserve power by adjusting operating frequency to match the workload of the device. If enabled by MQX software, Energy PRO can manage power to the entire chip. Not only do these techniques lower the power consumption by over 25 percent when the device is in operation, but also cut power to almost nil when idle. In addition, the ARC Sound 210E Subsystem is completely pre-verified and pre-integrated. To reduce overall design effort and time-to-market, the AS 210E can be integrated into Cadence’s Low-Power Solution EDA flow leveraging CPF (Common Power Format). Lastly, available with the ARC Sound 210E is a library of software codecs for popular audio formats such as MPEG-2/4 AAC and Dolby Digital, among others. The ARC Sound 210E Subsystem and library of audio codecs are available for licensing immediately. ARC International, San Jose, CA. (408) 437-3400. [www.arc.com].
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products for designers
Integrated WLED Driver with Class D Amplifier
products for designers
Audio Processor for Portable Communication Devices AMI Semiconductor has announced the latest member in the BelaSigna family of ultralow-power high-fidelity audio processors. BelaSigna 300 targets portable communication devices such as mobile phones, hands-free kits (HFKs) for automobiles, and wireless headsets. BelaSigna 300 is designed for communication device manufacturers and audio processing algorithm developers looking to improve audio clarity. The device’s unique, patented dual-core architecture enables multiple advanced audio algorithms, such as echo cancellation and noise reduction, to run simultaneously while maintaining ultra-low power consumption. A 24-bit open-programmable DSP core and a highly configurable accelerator signal processing engine enables BelaSigna 300 to deliver the flexibility of a generic DSP with the power consumption and size of a fixed function ASIC. The addition of advanced analog audio inputs combined with the 24-bit signal path allows for superior audio quality. BelaSigna 300 can be designed into new or existing designs with little or no impact on the overall form factor of the communication device. The BelaSigna 300 audio processor is available in an RoHS-compliant 3.63 x 2.68 mm WLCSP package. Samples are available now, with production scheduled for the second quarter of 2008. For pricing information, please contact your local AMIS sales office. To learn more, please visit www.belasigna.com. AMI Semiconductor, Pocatello, ID. (208) 233-4690. [www.amis.com].
EDA Integrated Solution Expected to Cut RF-PCB Development Time in Half Mentor Graphics Corp. and Agilent Technologies have announced a jointly developed solution that can significantly improve productivity for the design of RF circuits on printed circuit boards. The industry-first solution is expected to cut PCB design cycle times in half and improve the quality of mixed-technology designs. This tightly integrated solution enables PCB mixed-signal designers (RF, analog and digital) to concurrently design a PCB using Mentor’s Expedition Enterprise or Board Station XE flows and seamlessly integrate it with Agilent’s Advanced Design System (ADS) EDA software for RF design and simulation. Agilent’s ADS is an industry-leading high-frequency, high-speed electronic design automation software platform. It offers complete design integration to designers of products such as cellular and portable phones, pagers, wireless networks, radar and satellite communications systems, and high-speed digital serial links. Mentor Graphics’ Expedition Enterprise and Board Station XE design flows provide users with the most advanced PCB systems design technologies and address the business needs of the world’s leading electronics companies: shorter time-to-market, reduced development and product costs, and the most competitive end-products. The RF design solution is now available as an option to Mentor’s Expedition Enterprise and Board Station XE flows, with prices starting at approximately $9,000. Agilent’s Advanced Design System is available now, with prices starting at approximately $9,000. Agilent Technologies, Santa Clara, CA. (877) 424-4536. [www.agilent.com]. Mentor Graphics Corporation, Wilsonville, OR. (503) 685-7000. [www.mentor.com].
Pico Projector for Handsets At CTIA Wireless 2008, Microvision demonstrated advanced pico projector prototypes enabled by the company’s PicoP display engine. Microvision expects the PicoP will first be incorporated as a handheld accessory product that can connect to multiple consumer devices to project large, vibrant color images onto any surface. Additionally, the Company is designing PicoP to meet the size and power requirements necessary to allow it to be integrated inside cell phones and other consumer devices. Microvision’s stand-alone pico projector prototype connects directly to laptops, mobile phones, portable media players (PMPs), digital cameras and other mobile devices to project large, high-resolution images and video onto any surface. The projected display is always in focus and can range anywhere from 8 inches (20 cm) to 100 inches (2.5m) in size depending upon the ambient lightning conditions. A production version of an accessory device is expected to offer approximately 2.5 hours of continuous battery life, sufficient to watch a full-length movie without a need for recharging. Whether designed as an accessory device, like the SHOW prototype, or embedded directly into a cell phone, Microvision stated that PicoP-enabled devices can project a widescreen, WVGA (848 X 480 pixels), DVD-quality image—offering a very different experience from the tiny 2-inch display solutions available today on various portable devices. Designed for viewing high-quality projected information in a variety of controlled lighting environments, the PicoP projection angle is nearly twice that of many competing products, leading to an image that is more than three times the size for the same projection distance. This, coupled with the always-in-focus operation and higher perceived brightness, enables PicoP to deliver a compelling and user-friendly experience. Microvision, Redmond, WA. (425) 936-6847. [www.microvision.com].
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SensorLogic has launched its XpressIQ Service Suite. SensorLogic’s new software-as-a-service (SaaS) offering will dramatically decrease the time-to-market for M2M applications. With XpressIQ, M2M applications that might normally take six months to a year to develop can be completed and ready for deployment in less than 90 days. The quick deployment time can help make it possible for companies to achieve profitability sooner and broaden their market reach. SensorLogic is the first company to offer fully integrated, SaaS-enabled location, monitoring and control applications that combine network communications, application tools for customization and hosted services. Prior to XpressIQ, M2M developers spent countless hours on research, development, contract negotiation, vendor management and “reinventing the wheel”—costly steps that many companies follow when building a new application. By standardizing and simplifying the backend requirements, SensorLogic has enabled XpressIQ users to focus on using feature-rich, dragand-drop development tools to customize applications and use branding elements to create a truly unique look and feel. Wireless communications networks are already integrated into the system, further reducing development effort and speeding up the process to get devices connected. Having all the benefits of a SaaS platform, there is no software to install, no infrastructure to manage, and simple subscription pricing makes it easy for developers to get started quickly. SensorLogic, Addison, TX. (972) 934-7375. [www.sensorlogic.com].
Touch Sensing Solution for Button and Slider Replacement Cypress Semiconductor Corp. has introduced the CapSense Express capacitive touch sensing solution for button and slider replacement. The CapSense Express solution enables designers to implement up to 10 buttons and/or sliders in as little as five minutes—with no coding. The PSoC Express visual embedded system design tool and CapSense Express configuration tool allow designers to monitor and tune the performance of the buttons and sliders in real time using a graphical user interface. Competing solutions require designers to program and test each adjustment, adding design time and cost. The CY8C201X0 and CY8C201X2 CapSense Express devices offers up to ten capacitive and/or general-purpose I/Os (GPIOs), allowing design flexibility to implement combinations of buttons, sliders and general-purpose functions like LED control and interrupt outputs. For battery-powered applications, the devices offer low power consumption of just 1 mA active current and 2.6 µA in sleep mode. The new devices offer a wide operating voltage of 2.4V to 5.25V and an industrial temperature range of -40° to +85°C. In addition, 2 Kb of flash memory and an I2C communication interface are provided so designers can choose whether to store tuning values in flash or load them over I2C at power-up. The new CY8C201X0 and CY8C201X2 CapSense Express devices are available today. They are packaged in 8- and 16-pin SOIC and 16-pin QFN packages. Cypress is offering three evaluation kits for designers using the CapSense Express solution. The CY3218-CAPEXP1 kit features three CapSense buttons, three backlighting LEDs, three LEDs for status and 1 mechanical button. The CY3218-CAPEXP2 kit offers a 5-segment slider with four status LEDs and 1 Mechanical button. The CY3218-CAPEXP3 features two CapSense buttons with two status LEDs using the smallest package, the 8-pin SOIC. The kits are available from the OnLine Store at www.cypress.com and from authorized distribution partners. The three kits are priced at $44.99 each.
Multi-Threaded, Multiprocessor IP Core for the Embedded Market MIPS Technologies has introduced the MIPS32 1004K coherent processing system—the industry’s first embedded multi-threaded, multiprocessor licensable IP core. The new multicore offering provides among the best performance efficiency and configurability in a multiprocessing system—up to four single- or multi-threaded processors integrated with advanced system coherency. MIPS Technologies’ multicore debut marks yet another performance milestone for the company, following last year’s launch of the high-performance MIPS32 74K core—the industry’s first single-threaded processor core to achieve frequencies greater than 1 GHz. MIPS has optimized single-core performance by maximizing single pipeline efficiency via multi-threading in the MIPS32 34K core, as well as achieving increased processor headroom and generating 1 GHz+ frequencies with a superscalar, out-of-order pipeline in its 74K core. For many high-volume embedded applications, the need for significantly higher performance levels is now driving a move to coherent multicore implementations that minimize system resources and maximize SoC performance on mainstream silicon processes and clock speeds. The 1004K core optimizes CPU performance on a shared memory system, enabling multiple functions and applications to be implemented in a single product—all running concurrently and responsively under symmetric multiprocessing (SMP)-based operating systems. The 1004K coherent processing system helps lower SoC development costs, since for many applications, fewer processors are needed than with other multiprocessor solutions. Multi-threading in each CPU provides significant performance gains over single-threaded multiprocessor offerings. A wide array of key vertical applications, including digital home entertainment, home networking and office automation, are strongly poised to benefit from coherent multiprocessing using multi-threading. In addition, the 1004K core offers a broad array of options for increased design flexibility. Designers can add CPUs to scale performance for their specific application requirements. The multicore Coherence Manager (CM), the foundation block for intelligent system coherency, is configurable for one to four single- or multi-threaded cores with an I/O Coherence Unit (IOCU), which provides optional hardware coherence for I/O peripherals to remove the overhead of implementing this function in software. Additionally, the 1004K core provides a highly scalable performance migration path for the popular MIPS32 24K and 34K core families. Since the 1004K core is MIPS32-compliant, designers can leverage an extensive base of existing software. Two initial versions of the 1004K core family will be available this quarter: the MIPS32 1004Kc, which provides a coherent processing system using base integer cores, and the MIPS32 1004Kf, which uses integer cores plus floating-point units. MIPS Technologies, Inc., Mountain View, CA. (650) 567-5000. [www.mips.com].
Cypress Semiconductor, San Jose, CA. (408) 943-2600. [www.cypress.com].
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products for designers
Service Suite to Speed Time-to-Market for M2M Applications
second opinion Why GPS Will Change the Face of Consumer Electronics Years Earlier Than Expected by Peter Gammel, CTO and Vice President, Engineering, SiGe Semiconductor
G
PS is the core technology for position-tracking services, as well as for a wide range of anticipated location-based applications such as directory services and social networking that utilize where a user is physically located. Given the perception that there was a high incremental cost for introducing a stand-alone GPS solution into consumer devices—including RF, baseband and application software—GPS functionality was not a high-profile feature on the evolutionary roadmaps of personal electronics devices. Several recent advances in technology, however, have changed the value equation for GPS, making it possible to cost-effectively bring GPS to devices such as cellular handsets and personal navigation devices years earlier than the market ever imagined. Among these changes are the increased processing capacity generally available in portable devices because of ubiquitous support for multimedia data and applications, software-based GPS baseband processing, Assisted-GPS for cellular applications, and deployment of the complementary Galileo satellite network. Together, these advances will shift the perception of GPS as a revenue feature to that of a must-have, product-differentiating feature in a wide range of portable applications.
GPS for $1
One of the key factors in enabling position tracking in portable electronics is overcoming cost as a barrier to entry. Today’s portable devices, from handsets to media players, support digital audio and video playback, already requiring the availability of high-performance processing resources and large color LCDs necessary for position-tracking applications. Supporting GPS, then, can be achieved with the addition of only an RF subsystem and therefore at a relative low incremental cost. Moreover, ongoing innovation will continue to shave away at cost, thereby making it feasible to introduce GPS into any consumer electronics device where position tracking can add value. The GPS industry is already beginning to make the shift from hardware-enabled baseband processing to a software approach much in the same way software modems revolutionized the PC industry. By leveraging underutilized and captive processing resources, software GPS can eliminate the cost of a dedicated baseband processor. By way of example, users cannot watch a video while simultaneously looking at a position-tracking map, so these 38
PORTABLE DESIGN
resources can be sequestered for GPS processing. Because of this need to effectively partition processor resources, GPS software will likely be bundled with hardware. Coupled with market pressures and higher volumes, the GPS industry anticipates the incremental hardware cost of a GPS radio solution to quickly approach $1.
High Performance and Low Power
GPS performance is often thought of in two ways: first, how quickly a system can lock onto your location (TTFF: Time to First Fix), and second, how accurately it can maintain that position fix. The availability of high-performance processors and advanced positioning algorithms has substantially decreased TTFF over the years. In addition, the cellular industry has also begun development of what is known as A-GPS (or Assisted-GPS). A-GPS utilizes a telemetry link, such as a cell phone’s connection to the network, to download up-to-date satellite orbital data. A-GPS substantially reduces TTFF, down to under 10 seconds under most circumstances. A-GPS also increases the possibility of using GPS technology inside buildings where satellite signal access is often seriously degraded. In terms of maintaining position fix, significant innovations, such as dead reckoning and interpolation, have been made to improve how well devices can perform even when satellite signal access is limited, such as driving through a tunnel. These techniques can also be used to reduce processing overhead and overall power consumption, making position tracking attractive even in battery-powered applications.
next must-have feature in portable consumer electronics.
More Satellites
Adoption of GPS will also be spurred forward by the deployment of the emerging European Galileo satellite system comprising an additional 30 satellites. Recently, the transport ministers of the European Union nations reached final agreement regarding Galileo such that the program is now fully funded and can move forward. Designed to complement U.S.run GPS, Galileo makes more satellites available for position-tracking systems to acquire from any particular location. Access to more satellites results in even greater position accuracy in urban canyons to the point of being able to determine which side of the street a person is walking on. Such accuracy increases the usefulness, reliability, and, fundamentally,
www.knowledgefoundation.com
Small Fuel Cells 2008 10th Annual International Conference
Untitled-8 1
SiGe Semiconductor Inc. Ottawa, Ontaria, Canada. (613) 820 9244. [www.sige.com].
KNOWLEDGE FOUNDATION PRESENTED BY:
TECHNOLOGY COMMERCIALIZATION ALLIANCE
April 30-May 2, 2008 Atlanta, GA USA Conviently timed with
Fuel Cell & Battery Hybrid Systems Special 1 Day Symposium April 30, 2008
Portable & Micro Fuel Cells for Commercial & Military Applications 3/5/08 3:30:50 PM
APRIL 2008
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second opinion
GPS is slated to become the
the desirability of position-tracking applications. Galileo was specifically designed to use the same frequency as GPS in the L1 band, enabling one radio to track satellites from both systems. Additionally, devices that implement baseband processing in software will be capable of supporting Galileo without substantial modification to existing GPS architectures. The ability to upgrade existing designs through software to support Galileo once it is available also eliminates costly timeto-market delays and lost opportunity. In this way, early adopters are protected from quickly out-of-date position-tracking technology and devices can be designed to support Galileo as soon as signals are available. All of these factors together will influence consumer expectations of GPS-based position tracking. With accuracy increasing to the point of enabling devices to know which side of the street they are on, initial position-lock occurring in seconds rather than tens of seconds, and price quickly sliding down a cost-curve toward $1 for a complete GPS subsystem, GPS is slated to become the next must-have feature in portable consumer electronics.
ceo interview Tom Hart Chairman, President, and CEO
QuickLogic
After a decade or two of competing head-on with Altera and Xilinx in what CEO Tom Hart refers to as a “Coke and Pepsi market,” QuickLogic looked for other ways to leverage its programmable technology. In 2007 QuickLogic reinvented itself as a purveyor of “customer-specific standard products,” or CSSPs. Building on their ArcticLink and PolarPro OTP platforms, QuickLogic offers semicustom parts tailored to customer designs, including proven IP blocks, custom logic and software drivers. Customers stock an inventory of products that may be 80-90% programmed for their designs and customize the rest as the need arises— a sort of “roll your own ASSP.” QuickLogic is primarily focused on portable designs, where cost and low power are of paramount importance. Portable Design sat down with QuickLogic’s CEO Tom Hart to explore how and where this approach fits into the portable arena.
Portable Design: Earlier this year you finally got tired of duking it out with Altera and Xilinx and repositioned QuickLogic as a provider of customerspecific standard products, or CSSPs. OK, Tom, the obvious first question: Just what IS a CSSP?
Hart: A CSSP is basically a combination of programmable fabric and hardwired logic on the same piece of silicon. That gives us the flexibility to be able to create solutions for our customers in a hardware-programmable fabric, and then offer software to make the solution complete. We can be an excellent companion device to the system processor or apps processor in battery-powered, handheld mobile devices.
Portable Design: The arguments against ASICs are certainly compelling, and they’re the same ones the programmable logic camp has been making all along. But if I can find an ASSP that seems to address my needs, why wouldn’t I use it?
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Hart: You would. The thing that’s changed really is that people aren’t designing products anymore, they’re designing platforms. They want to be able to spin multiple products off of those platforms. And the problem is that if you use ASSPs, the only functionality you are going to get is what is designed in. If you use a CSSP, now you can begin to do hardware variants as well as software variants, and therefore get more timein-market out of that platform, which amortizes your R&D over more revenue and products. That’s the real reason for CSSPs. The other thing is that the ASSP guys don’t always get it right. You may find you need another SDIO port, or you need to connect to another CE-ATA hard drive. Or you need a faster UART. Or the processor has UARTs, but they don’t allow you to connect to Bluetooth. Those kinds of things we can do in our programmable fabric, and therefore extend the life of that platform.
Portable Design: The low power and instant-on capabilities of your products give them serious advantages over SRAM-based FPGAs. But since your CSSPs rely on OTP Vialink technology, you sacrifice flexibility once you program the links. Doesn’t that put you at a disadvantage vs. flash-based FPGAs that can be reprogrammed later to accommodate evolving standards or changing feature sets?
Hart: The argument that’s been used for re-programmability for a long time is that it gives you insurance in the future to be able to reprogram things. The reality is that’s just bunk, especially when you talk about portable devices. Nobody is going to go back and update those devices from a hardware perspective, though they do it all the time from a software perspective. So that’s really a specious argument. The fact is once our product is programmed, it’s there for life—it looks like an ASSP. When you couple that with very low power, we have a significant advantage over both flash-based and SRAM-based devices.
Portable Design: Have you considered adding some embedded flash to ArcticLink? You’ve already got a NAND flash controller on board.
Hart: We haven’t considered adding NAND flash, per se, because then you’re into a different process, adding six more steps to the process, making a substantially more significant wafer cost. But if you’re talking about the ability to do a ROM, for example, we can do that in our technology, which is one-time programmable. You can bet that is on our horizon.
Portable Design: How and where do you see ArcticLink and PolarPro fitting into portable designs?
Hart: They fit into a broad range of portable designs. Let’s take the example of a tier-1 GPS supplier. He was using SLC NAND, and that supplier was jerking him around. He wanted to get into MLC, but MLC required a different controller. MLC has a built-in controller, so what he really wanted to do was figure out whether there was a way to boot from managed NAND so that he could get rid of the NOR device and some other devices as well, and we did that for him. We gave him the ability to eliminate early devices from the end product, bringing down the bill of materials costs; but we also gave him the ability to negotiate across a broader range of MLC suppliers, which brought down his memory costs. So the net savings in BOM was significant.
Portable Design: Handset sockets are generally pretty sticky. Are you looking to steal sockets— and, if so, from whom?—Or gain access by lowering the overall BOM cost?
Hart: Well first, nobody redesigns old products; they only spend engineering dollars on new products. So you’re not really stealing sockets in the sense that if we weren’t there, one of the programmable logic guys would be there. Clearly Altera and Xilinx are not going to be there at all, because their power just knocks them out of the game. There’s the potential for a flash-based guy to be there, but they’re focused mainly on mainline FPGA applications rather than being tightly focused on batterypowered applications as we are.
FPGA supplier—we dealt with thousands of customers worldwide, through distribution and reps. Now we’ve gotten away from that model and are focused on 10 tier-1 customers, people like Motorola, Nokia, Samsung and Sony Ericsson; plus we’ve got about 40 tier-2 customers, 100 tier-3 customers, and that’s it. It’s a very different sales model, it’s much more direct. We’re selling to the CTOs now and the architects. What that does is get us involved much earlier in the design cycle where we can look at the whole design and be able to help them architect that for power or for BOM cost reduction.
Portable Design: What can portable designers expect from QuickLogic over the next couple of years?
Hart: If you look at where we add value, it’s really along the dimensions of doing things more efficiently than you can do in a conventional 32-bit microprocessor. If you ask where the energy is being consumed by an apps processor, one of the biggest areas is audio and video, video in particular. We expect to be heavily involved with video, and while we’re not ready to share our roadmap yet, our devices are really intended to be companion devices or coprocessors to the apps processor or baseband processor—and you’re beginning to see the apps and baseband merge together now. We’ll basically be a companion device to offload some of the functionality that takes a lot of energy, and to expand the I/Os and address the connectivity issues that you’re seeing in these kinds of systems. QuickLogic Corporation Sunnyvale, CA. (408) 990-4000. [www.quicklogic.com].
Portable Design: How has changing your business model changed the way you do business?
Hart: Significantly, in many dimensions. We were the conventional
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The RTC Group is a media services company specializing in bringing companies and their products to a focused group of electronic and computer manufacturers. RTC is proud of its track record of blazing new trails in search of marketing value for our clients. Portable Design magazine is the newest addition to RTC Group’s collection of publications.
event calendar 04/29/08
Real-Time & Embedded Computing Conference Chicago, IL www.rtecc.com/chicago2008 04/30 – 05/02/08
Small Fuel Cells for Commercial & Military Applications
advertiser index Austin Semiconductor
4
www.austinsemiconductor.com
Design Automation Conference - DAC
25
www.dac.com
Display Week 2008
33
www.sid2008.org
Linear Technology
2
www.linear.com
Linear Technology
43
www.linear.com
Mentor Graphics
9
www.mentor.com
Mouser Electronic
7
www.mouser.com
National Semiconductor
44
www.national.com
Small Fuel Cells 2008
39
www.knowledgefoundation.com
Atlanta, GA www.knowledgefoundation.com 05/01/08
Real-Time & Embedded Computing Conference Minneapolis, MN www.rtecc.com/minneapolis2008 05/06/08
Real-Time & Embedded Computing Conference Greenbelt, MD www.rtecc.com/greenbelt2008 05/07/08
EDA Tech Forum Austin, TX www.edatechforum.com 05/08/08
Real-Time & Embedded Computing Conference Boston, MA www.rtecc.com/boston2008 05/22/08
EDA Tech Forum Ottawa, ON www.edatechforum.com 05/28-30/08
MicroTCA Summit East Chantilly, VA www.microtcasummit.com If you wish to have your industry event listed, contact Sally Bixby with The RTC Group at sallyb@rtcgroup.com
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PORTABLE DESIGN
Redefine the portable world. We’ve got the broad line of performance driven analog products to make it happen. Today’s breakthrough portable products demand analog solutions that are compact, low profile and highly efficient. Our high performance analog ICs are key in many of Power management ICs today’s market-defining portable products. We provide the highest quality power Battery chargers management and signal processing components for handheld consumer, industrial and Display & LED drivers communications applications. All our products are backed by the hands-on expertise DC/DC converters RF PA & power controllers of our highly trained applications team. They’ll work with you to design the most efficient portable solutions, ensuring that your next product works right—the first time. Get your FREE high-performance portable analog solutions brochure at www.linear.com/designtools/brochures/index.jsp Performance Driven Products
LT, LTC and
are registered trademarks of Linear Technology Corp.
®
PowerWise Solutions Increase Energy Efficiency national.com/powerwise Digitally-Programmable LP5552 Energy Management Unit Extends Battery Life and Enables New Features PWI 2.0 Bus PWI 2.0 Slave ENABLE RESETN PWROK
Adaptive Voltage Regulator
Processor Core
(Adaptive Supply Voltage)
PWI 2.0 MASTER
Hardware Accelerator
Advanced Power Controller
Adaptive Voltage Regulator
DSP (Adaptive Supply Voltage)
Programmable LDO
GP01 GP02 GPO3
GPO Control
LP5552
Programmable LDO
VPPLL/Analog
Programmable LDO
VIO
Programmable LDO
V Peripheral
Programmable LDO
V Memory
Embedded Memory TCM Cache Dual Core System-on-Chip IC
Applications Dual core processors, cellular handsets, handheld radios, PDAs, battery powered devices, and portable instruments
NEW
Product ID
# of Outputs
Output Voltages & Current
VIN Range
Interface
Package
LP5550
4
1 Buck: 0.6V to 1.2V, 300 mA 3 LDOs: 0.6V to 3.3V, up to 250 mA
3V to 5.5V
PWI 1.0
LLP-16
LP5551
6
2 Bucks: 0.6V to 1.2V, 300 mA 4 LDOs: 0.6V to 3.3V, up to 250 mA Nwell bias: -0.3 to +1V (to supply) Pwell bias: -1V to +0.3V (to GND)
2.7V to 5.5V
PWI 1.0
LLP-36
LP5552
7
2 Bucks: 0.6V to 1.235V, 800 mA 5 LDOs: 0.6V to 3.3V, up to 250 mA
2.7V to 4.8V
PWI 2.0
micro SMD-36
For samples, datasheets, and more information about PowerWise products, visit: national.com/powerwise Or call 1-800-272-9959
© National Semiconductor Corporation, 2008. National Semiconductor, , and PowerWise are registered trademarks of National Semiconductor Corporation. All rights reserved.