Review

Since speed is the name of the game in wired communications, it's understandable that the year 2003 saw a proliferation of 10 Gbps ICs to speed up communications links. An Ethernet switch here, a SERDES there, and on and on it goes as companies try to move data ever faster. Some examples are a 10 Gbps Ethernet Switch from Fujitsu Microelectronics America (fujitsumicro.com), a 10 Gbps transceiver from Mysticom (mysticom.com), and a 10 Gbps SERDES from Velio Communications (velio.com). Even FPGA maker, Xilinx (xilinx.com), got into the game with a 10 Gbps transceiver family.

The Fujitsu chip, the MB87Q3050BYL, was hailed as the industry's first 10-Gbps Ethernet switch on a single chip. It combines 12 Ethernet ports with buffer memories and I/O macros on a total area of 256-mm square. Mysticom's MY3124 XAUI-to-XAUI re-timing transceiver permits 10-Gb/s Ethernet data transfers over copper cables. Velio's VC1061 and VC1062 quad SerDes devices convert media independent interfaces (XGMII) to serial attachment unit interfaces (XAUI). The devices employ the company's GigaCore serial I/O technology that is said to provide seamless interconnections, low power consumption and error-free transmissions over pc board materials, copper cabling, or fiber optics. As mentioned, of the more interesting announcements in this space was the one from Xilinx. The RocketPHY family was introduced as the FPGA industry's first 10-Gbps silicon. Based on standard CMOS technology, the chip can interface with the company's Virtex-II PRO FPGA families and standard framer and media access controller (MAC) ASSPs.

In the wireless arena, there was lots of action in 802.11, Bluetooth, cellular, and GPS. An 802.11 example is the WLAN chipsets from Atheros Communications (atheros.com). These fourth-generation multimode wireless LAN chipsets, the AR5004X dual-band and the AR5004G single-band, promise to extend the range and reduce the power consumption of 802.11 wireless networks. They employ the company's eXtended Range (XR) technology, said to increase Wi-Fi range to twice that of existing designs and to reduce system power consumption by 60%.

A good example of progress on the Bluetooth front is the BlueCore3 line from Cambridge Silicon Radio (csr.com). It includes the BlueCore3-Multimedia and BlueCore3-ROM devices. BlueCore3 is said to represent the first complete implementation of Bluetooth v1.2, including all optional features. The line is targeted at my favorite Bluetooth application: wireless stereo headphones.

A variety of new comm ICs were targeted at the cellular market. For example, GSM/GPRS apps got a boost from ICs like the Aero 1 from Silicon Laboratories (siliconlaboratories.com). Hailed as the industry's most integrated single-package GSM/GPRS transceiver, the Aero I is expected to reduce component counts by 85% and board space by 75%. The transceiver allows an entire triple-band radio (excluding power amplifier and switch) to reside in an area measuring just 1.2-cm square using a total of 15 discrete components, including SAW filters.

Global positioning systems (GPS) were enhanced with ICs like California Eastern Laboratories (cel.com) UPB1008K RF receiver, a single-chip, double-conversion RF-to-IF I-Q frequency translator that provides a complete RF front end.

As you might guess, there were lots of other significant advances in wireless ICs that had nothing to do with standards. The 2.4-GHz TB32301-AFL transceiver from Toshiba America Electronic Components (toshiba.com/taec) is a good example. In addition to radio receive and transmit functions, the 36-pin QON package includes a low-noise amplifier (LNA), FM detector, VCO, power amplifier (PA), and a received strength signal indicator (RSSI). This level of integration is achieved using BiCMOS process technology and a low IF architecture. The transceiver operates over a frequency range from 2.4 to 2.5 GHz with clock frequencies from 4 to 20 MHz.

—Joe Desposito

Outlook

Scaling the Comm Heights
Although the communications industry, especially telecom and datacom, has been going through a terrible time the past couple of years, there's no end to the new developments in communications ICs. Whether for standards-based communications, such as 10 Gb Ethernet or 802.11, or for proprietary RF schemes, companies continue to produce the ICs needed to take communications to a new level. Expect to see more of the same in 2004 as these companies strive to deliver on the promise of 10 Gb Ethernet, 3G celluar, multiband 802.11, Bluetooth and many other communications technologies.

—JD