Most cell-phone transceivers for GSM/EDGE/UMTS WCDMA require external surface acoustic wave (SAW) filters to provide the selectivity needed. Some also require external low-noise amplifier (LNA) RF amplifiers. The MB86L01A multimode transceiver module, Fujitsu’s initial release in the mobile-phone RF transceiver market, fixes those problems and others. It appears to be a strong product that should reduce development time, cost, and overall design effort.

The MB86L01A is the first multimode transceiver to eliminate the 3G TX and RX interstage SAW filters and LNAs. This design enables cell-phone manufacturers to reduce component count, board space, and bill of materials (BOM). The chip also is programmable, which helps to significantly reduce development time. It is optimized for quad-band GSM/EDGE and up to four WCDMA bands.

The transmitter section includes six outputs that drive the power amplifiers directly, so no external SAW filters are needed (see the figure). The receiver’s seven inputs eliminate the need for external LNAs and SAW filters. The receiver section also incorporates anti-aliasing filters, digital channel filters, digital gain control, and high-dynamic-range analog-to-digital converters (ADCs).

The MB86L01A supports GSM bands (GSM850, EGSM900, DCS1800, PCS1900), WCDMA (Bands I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VIII, IX, X, and XI), and WCDMA HSDPA category 10 and HSUPA category 6. The transceiver includes a 3G DigRF interface to the baseband IC. Additionally, the module offers either a serial peripheral interface (SPI) and/or general-purpose I/Os (GPIOs) to control power amplifiers (PAs), switching regulators, and the antenna switch. An embedded microcontroller enables simplified timing and control.

Fujitsu brings to the cellular transceiver arena a high-level programming model for controlling the radio using an open-standard digital interface like the 3G DigRF/MIPI. Its revolutionary RF programming method reduces development time and improves RF subsystem implementation with a simplified layer-one programming process enabled by embedded intelligence.

With this innovative approach, an engineer can enter a single command stating the desired channel and power level. The command sets the parameters and times the events to ensure system compliance—a unique feature indeed. This RF API slashes radio integration time and can result in smaller radios and faster time to market as well.

The MB86L01A’s development was enabled in part by Fujitsu’s April acquisition of the licenses and rights to Freescale’s RF transceiver products for cellular handsets and related intellectual property. Fujitsu also acquired the RF design team from Freescale Semiconductor in Tempe, Ariz. More than 130 of those design engineers are working on RF transceiver IC design, architecture, validation, verification, and reference designs. The group is also working on the next generation of products with engineering samples already available on a multimode WCDMA/EGPRS/LTE transceiver with a 4G DigRF interface.

The MB86L01A is manufactured in 90-nm CMOS process technology and is available now in a 142-pin, 7.1- by 5.9- by 1-mm land-grid array (LGA) package. Production samples are available now. Volume pricing is available upon request.

Fujitsu Microelectronics America Inc.