MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Feb. 8, 2016 – Palma Ceia SemiDesign (“PCS”), a provider of analog and RF IP for next-generation WiFi and mobile communications, today announced it taped out an 802.11ah transceiver for the Internet of Things (IoT), specifically machine-to-machine (M2M) applications.
“Completing this low-power, highly linear integrated transceiver – in record time – establishes Palma Ceia as the market leader for low-power RF IP needed for IoT,” said James E. Flowers, co-founder & chief operating officer of Palma Ceia. “This IP, targeted for TSMC’s 40LP process node and currently on an MPW for silicon verification, is a standard CMOS implementation designed for SoC integration. It features a complete digital interface and includes analog input and output for ease of testing on FPGA and with silicon baseband modules.”
Specific features of the PCS integrated transceiver include:
• Single-ended direct conversion receiver with a noise figure of less than 3db.
• RF and baseband peak detectors for simpler AGC schemes.
• DC offset correction and I/Q calibration scheme.
• Total RX current of 18.3mA and TX current of 22mA at max power.
802.11ah, known as WiFi HaLow, is a wireless networking protocol that utilizes sub-1-GHz license-exempt bands to provide extended range Wi-Fi networks, compared to conventional Wi-Fi networks operating in the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands. It also benefits from lower energy consumption, allowing the creation of large groups of stations or sensors that cooperate to share the signal, supporting the concept of the Internet of Things. The protocol is intended to be competitive with Bluetooth with its low-power consumption, but with a wider coverage range.