Innovation by Design

News Release from: Cadence Design Systems
Subject: Virtuoso and Encounter
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial Team on 7 February 2005

Rising gets RF chip right first time

Rising Microelectronics is sampling an SCDMA/GSM dual mode radio frequency transceiver designed using the Cadence Virtuoso custom design and Encounter digital IC design platforms.

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Rising Microelectronics has started sampling an SCDMA/GSM dual mode (1.8GHz SCDMA and 900MHz GSM) radio frequency integrated circuit (RF IC) transceiver. The transceiver was designed using the Cadence Virtuoso custom design and Encounter digital IC design platforms, and implemented on IBM's leading-edge 0.18um BiCMOS 7WL process and process design kit (PDK) developed and qualified by IBM for Virtuoso technologies. The SCDMA/GSM transceiver is targeted at China's growing SCDMA wireless phone market, which is projected to increase from 3 million customers in 2005 to more than 20 million users by 2007.

SCDMA, developed by Datang Telecom Group and Xinwei Telecom in China, has been installed in six provinces and cities, and is the only locally developed wireless communications system in China.

'We believe this transceiver is the first SCDMA transceiver designed by a Chinese company, and the only one in the world that can be used for both SCDMA and GSM dual mode handsets', said Chen Jianci, Vice President of marketing at Rising.

'The transceiver shows our abilities to deliver high-quality work and achieve first-time silicon success at advanced process technology nodes'.

'By collaborating with wireless leaders such as Cadence and IBM, we can design cost-effective, leading-edge products, such as RF IC transceivers, for our customers in China'.

'Cadence is pleased to collaborate with other leaders throughout the design chain to create innovative solutions that address the industry's most challenging issues, such as low-power wireless design', said Wayne Tang, General Manager, Cadence China.

'Rising's first-time silicon success for its dual mode, RFIC transceiver demonstrates how collaborative solutions between Cadence and IBM are crucial for bringing new products to market on time'.

'Our SiGe BiCMOS and RF CMOS processes are ideal for cost-sensitive wireless and RF applications', said Tom Reeves, Vice President, Semiconductor Products and Solutions, IBM Systems and Technology Group.

'By combining these processes with our state-of-the-art PDKs qualified for the Cadence Virtuoso platform, we can enable customers such as Rising to build wireless and RF products with first-time silicon success'.

Using the Encounter and Virtuoso platforms, Rising performed the design work for its SCDMA/GSM transceiver, from front-end circuit design and system simulation to final layout design and test.

Rising used key technologies from the Virtuoso platform, including the Virtuoso Spectre Circuit Simulator and Virtuoso Spectre RF Simulation Option, for fast, accurate simulations of its RF and high-frequency ICs.

Rising also used the IBM PDKs to link leading IBM process technologies with the Virtuoso platform, accelerating the design of silicon-accurate RF applications.

The SCDMA/GSM transceiver consists of integrated low noise amplifier (LNA), mixer, receiver C, transmitter VGA, VCO and PLL, lowpass filter (LPF) and digital block, all in a QFN56 package.

With a chip size of only 8 x 8 x 0.9mm, the transceiver is powered by two sources with low power consumption and cost.

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