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June 23, 2004 – Consumers soon could soon find a little more — and less — in their mobile phones, thanks in part to the packing power of integrated microsystems.
Agilent Technologies, Discera Inc. and Intel Corp. have announced progress in developing modules that combine such components as filters, antennas, duplexers and oscillators. One way or another, they all are taking steps toward the ultimate goal of one-chip integration.
“What we are doing is integrating pieces of the RF (radio-frequency) front end to reduce the parts count and include more into the module,” said Gary Carr, tactical marketing manager for Agilent’s Wireless Semiconductor Division.
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“What we would like to be able to do is get all of the front end into the module — take the parts count down to one. We’re working in that direction,” said Carr.
Agilent expects to produce millions of its new MEMS-enabled modules for mobile phones soon. The company said it’s the first front-end module to combine a power amplifier and a film bulk acoustic resonator duplexer, a vibrating membrane on a silicon substrate that allows two-way talk in a mobile phone.
The module enables manufacturers to produce smaller handsets with greater power efficiency and more functionality, such as cameras or multimedia capabilities. The module can also be used in phones with various frequency bands or air interface standards.
Meanwhile, Discera Inc. said in April it secured $12 million in a funding round that included wireless communications firm Qualcomm Inc.
Although Discera did not confirm any commercial agreements with Qualcomm, the strategic investment was an important step toward striking such a deal.
Discera CEO Didier Lacroix said the money would help move the company toward volume manufacture of its first product, a micro-oscillator, which it began sampling last year.
Discera recently switched its headquarters from Ann Arbor, Mich., to Campbell, Calif., but plans to expand operations in both places. Its original investor, Ardesta LLC, is Small Times Media’s parent company.
Discera was founded in 2001 with the goal of putting all of the electronics and mechanics of a phone onto a single chip. For now, it’s concentrating on its micro-oscillator, which is smaller, uses less power and could cost less than conventional technology when it is manufactured in volume.
“Why couldn’t we go faster to a higher level of integration? We need to demonstrate first we are able to come up with a low-cost, efficient way of building these devices in large volumes,” Lacroix said. “We can, through design, start to combine filters with resonators.”
Intel President Paul Otellini said in February at a conference that the company is introducing MEMS technology into its product line. He said the company can take the technology down to one chip on less than or equal to 90-nanometer silicon technology with the functions consumers crave.
Further, an Intel manager quoted in EE Times in April said the company was offering its first RF-MEMS front-end module to select customers. The modules integrate about 40 parts, such as resistors, capacitors and filters, and reduce space requirements by as much as two thirds.
Analyst Scott Smyser of iSuppli Corp. said the level of demand from corporate and mobile phone consumers will determine how far the firms move toward a one-chip solution.
“You’ve got to offer benefit to the end user and customer (by) easing design and easing cost,” he said. “The biggest thing for mobile handset is cost. It’s a commodity. Mobile handset manufacturers have to do everything they can to rip out cost of these handsets.
“The thing is, how do you streamline design and pull cost out of it? That’s what integration does.”