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Combining its digital architecture with 0.13 µm CMOS process, fabless semiconductor start-up MaxLinear has developed a new silicon tuner for mobile TV applications, which the developer claims is the world’s smallest. Labeled MxL7001, it measures only 1.9 mm x 1.9 mm. According to MaxLinear, the new mobile TV tuner is 1/10th the packaged area of its MxL5000-family ICs (6 mm x 6 mm), which set the previous record for small size and low power.

Using a standard digital CMOS process, the MxL7001 consumes only 60 mW (maximum) power, reducing battery draw and minimizing heat dissipation--two important criteria for mobile TV applications, said the manufacturer. The highly integrated MxL7001 supports both ISDB-T 1-segment and 3-segment applications. It eliminates the need for an external balun, SAW filters and IF amplifier, which reduces both board footprint and BOM costs. Plus, it requires a standard crystal frequency. It includes on-chip RSSI function and standard I²C interface.

“Handsets will not get bigger just to support broadcast TV. They don’t have to, thanks to this new family of silicon tuners that leverage digital CMOS process technology. By employing our novel radio architecture, MxL7001 sets altogether new size, power consumption, and performance norms,” said Kishore Seendripu, MaxLinear’s CEO and president. He added, “The first market for the MxL7001 tuner is Japan, which is the only mobile television market with significant volume today and also experiencing rapid growth.”

MaxLinear said that its MxL7001 is enabling several handset designs that target the Japanese mobile television market, which analysts estimate will grow to 20 to 30 million units in the next 12 months. This market will expand beyond Japan into other countries like Brazil, where a variant of ISDB-T has been adopted as the standard for both mobile and fixed terrestrial digital television transmissions. Future product extensions of MxL7001 will support other mobile television standards like DVB-H, according to MaxLinear.

Some key specs of the silicon TV tuner are:

• RF frequency range: 188-198MHz & 470-770MHz VHF-III & UHF Bands
• Max voltage gain: 107 dB
• NF: < 4 dB
• IIP3 (out of band blocker): > 25dBm @ max. backoff
• IIP2 @ maximum gain: > 40dBm @ max. gain
• AGC range: 120 dB
• Attenuation/filtering: > 90dB atten. of Adj. channel Picture carrier
  > 100dB atten. of Adj. channel sound carrier
• P1dB @ min. gain: +6 dBm
• IF output swing: 0.7 Volt (pk-to-pk)
• IF output frequency: 500 kHz, 1 MHz 1-segment and 3-Segment
• Phase noise: 1kHz -85 dBc/Hz; 100 kHz -95dBc/Hz; 1 MHz < -130dBc/Hz.
• PLL settling time: 150 µs
• Supply voltage: 1.4V
• Current: 45 mA

The MxL7001 is now sampling and will be available in production quantities early summer 2007. In 10,000 units, the MxL7001 is priced at $4.