"This collaboration expands our relationship with imec and we're eager to leverage its R&D expertise in RF technology to accelerate time-to-volume of designs and deliver leading edge RF technology to our customers," said Peter Rabbeni, director of RF segment marketing at Globalfoundries.
According to the companies, a key challenge for next generation mobile devices is controlling the cost and footprint of the radio and antenna interface circuitry. A typical mobile device must support up to 28 bands today, with more complex carrier aggregation schemes and additional frequency bands are expected for future generations. These challenges, they continue, are driving the need for an agile radio that integrates many of the separate components into one piece of silicon, including power amplifiers, antenna switches and tuners. The partners are also looking for a flexible, low cost solution.
