News: Microelectronics
10 September 2024
Broadcom producing RF FEMs for Wi-Fi 7 mobile based on Tower’s 300mm RFSOI
Specialty analog foundry Tower Semiconductor Ltd of Migdal Haemek, Israel has announced the production of Wi-Fi 7 RF front-end module (FEM) devices based on its 300mm radio frequency silicon-on-insulator (RFSOI) technology. Partnering with Broadcom Inc, Tower has enabled fully integrated Wi-Fi FEM devices on a single RFSOI die. The solution delivers superior performance and efficiency compared with existing non-SOI technologies.
“The unique advantages of Tower’s RFSOI technology have enabled Broadcom to design and bring to market a set of compact, high-performance FEMs for Wi-Fi 7 mobile applications,” comments Vijay Nagarajan, Broadcom’s VP of marketing, wireless communications and connectivity. “These FEMs - a product of our long-standing partnership with Tower - are tailored to meet the stringent size and power efficiency requirements for mobile Wi-Fi applications,” he adds.
The collaboration extends Tower’s RFSOI platform to enable “innovative architectural options for integrated front-end module designs, including unique devices for low-noise amplifiers (LNAs) and power amplifiers, and high-gate-density standard cells for size reduction in logic area,” says Tower’s president Dr Marco Racanelli. “Broadcom’s premier capabilities in RF FEM product design complement our technological strengths, allowing both companies to achieve unprecedented performance and integration,” he adds. “This partnership underscores our dedication to aligning roadmaps with our customers and advancing groundbreaking products.”
The highly integrated process reduces chip area despite the complexity of having to support new features and frequency bands. Tower’s RFSOI technology platform delivers what is claimed to be best-in-class silicon-based switch and LNA performance, as evidenced by its widespread adoption. Integrating a PA device into this technology eliminates the additional signal loss of propagating signals between separate dies, while the high-resistivity SOI substrate enhances PA efficiency by supporting passive elements like inductors with a higher quality factor.
