Test chips in CMOS 90nm, a key milestone for reconfigurable radio
TechnoConcepts has announced an important milestone in the implementation of reconfigurable radio for high volume commercial markets. The company has been successful in implementing its advanced radio technologies, such as the bank select filters and wideband low noise amplifiers, onto TSMC's (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company) CMOS 90nm semiconductor technology.
These filter and amplifier circuits are some of the critical pieces that enable end devices such as wireless handsets, laptops, infrastructure, and in allied segments such as automotive infotainment systems to be reconfigured by software control. This provides forward compatibility with future standards, with lower power requirements with an overall cost savings.
This implementation is also a key milestone in the company's pursuit of software radio in advanced CMOS processes such as 65nm and beyond.
According to Chun Lee, VP of Engineering at the company, "The industry has been evaluating software radio for the last decade due to the rapidly changing standards, protocols, and applications that characterise the wireless communications and entertainment markets. With this milestone, TechnoConcepts has taken an important step in realising the considerable advantages of software reconfigurability, but with the added benefit of low power consumption, through its implementation in of CMOS technologies."
