ST improves performance of rf front end process technology
1 min read
Looking to meet growing demand for faster wireless broadband connections, STMicroelectronics has developed a process technology that increases the performance and reduces the size of the rf front in mobile devices.
The process – called H9SOI_FEM – is said by ST to be an evolution of the H9SOI silicon on insulator process introduced by ST in 2008. It claims the Ron x Coff figure of merit is 207fs.
"H9SOI_FEM enables our customers to develop state of the art front end modules that are half the size or smaller than today's front end solutions," said Flavio Benetti, general manager of ST's mixed process division. "We have achieved a simplified process flow to enable short overall lead times and supply flexibility, which are crucial for end customers in this market."
H9SOI_FEM is a 0.13µm process with dual gate 1.2V and 2.5V mosfets.It can support full monolithic integration of all key rf front end functions, including rf switches, low noise amplifier, multimode multiband cellular power amplifiers, diplexers, rf coupling, antenna tuning and rf energy management.
According to ST, H9SOI_FEM is suitable for devices targeting the low end of the market, where low cost and integration are crucial, as well as the high end, where a number of frequency bands is needed to support a range of connectivity standards.
