STMicroelectronics has developed integrated RF synthesizers with embedded voltage-controlled oscillators, featuring low integrated phase noise and large band coverage. The device is manufactured in proprietary BiCMOS SiGe technology. The introduction of the STW81101 and STW81102 meets the increasing demand of equipment manufacturers for space and cost-efficient solutions in radio applications from cellular base stations to satellite communications.

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ST’s STW81101 and STW81102 exhibit the good integrated phase-noise performance for single-chip RF Integer’N synthesizers. The measured values are 0.2 ° RMS at 1 GHz, 0.5 ° RMS at 2 GHz, and 1.3 ° RMS at 4 GHz, with a frequency step of 200 kHz. Outstanding suppression of random frequency fluctuations in a signal provides more design margin and the low phase noise also satisfies the stringent requirements of system manufacturers for minimized bit error rates in voice and data transmission.

ST’s new RF synthesizers provide multi-band capabilities and unparalleled frequency coverage. The combination of embedded VCOs (voltage-controlled oscillators) with automatic center-frequency calibration and multiple output options allows the devices to operate in multiple bands, over an extremely wide spectrum from 750 MHz to 4.65 GHz. Equipment suppliers can now fit any multi-band radio application, such as a quad-band base station transceiver, with a single ST synthesizer. Versatility of the STW8110x product family is further enhanced by the dual digital interface, with the I²C protocol for connecting multiple devices, complemented with the fast, Serial to Parallel Interface (SPI) bus.

The evaluation kits include an evaluation board, the STWPLLSim software for PLL filter design and noise simulation, the programming GUI (Graphical User Interface), and the guidelines for application board design. The new STWPLLSim is a powerful and user-friendly interactive tool enabling very fast and accurate PLL design and optimization of the STW8110x devices, starting from high-level parameters such as the loop bandwidth and the phase margin. The accuracy of the noise modeling ensures successful first–loop-filter design in a course of minutes.

Pin-to-pin compatible with their predecessor (STW81100), the STW81101 and STW81102 synthesizers are supplied in QFN-28 lead-free packages. Evaluation kits and production devices will be available in May 2006. The STW81101 and STW81102 will be sold at a unit price of $3 in volume.