The Challenge
With the increased demands in wireless communications, the need for improved data rate and network capacity has resulted in an increasing number of frequency bands. A key advantage of the new bands for 5G UHB and Wi-Fi 6/6e is their capacity to enable greater bandwidth than previous generations allowing for higher throughput.
While new frequency band allocations are embraced by the consumers, the market is driving for smaller and sleeker devices with new functionality. This drives the smartphone developers to squeeze in desirable features such as superior displays, neural processing and high-end cameras. Consequently, the available area allocated for the RF front-end’s (RFFE) is significantly reduced. This trend applies pressure to make radio components smaller and more integrated. The conventional RFFE module design simply cannot keep up with the rapidly increasing complexity and market demands on a smaller form factor.
As new frequency bands are being unlocked around the world for 5G (around 3-5 GHz) and Wi-Fi (5-7.2 GHz), the industry is struggling to design RF filters capable of adequately filtering out interference to efficiently operate in those bands. While the growing number of bands improve capacity, it has caused volatility to interferers preventing the user from experiencing the performance their devices “theoretically” offer.
To prevent radio communication failure and block-outs, off-chip acoustic-wave RF filters are conventionally adopted. As these filters are not tunable, they result in increased area, cost and introduce significant signal loss. Additionally, these filters are not able to suppress the interreference from adjacent RF channels and limiting performance in wide-band systems such as Wi-Fi 6e.
The Solution
It might appear surprising that something novel can still be discovered about RF front-end circuits and filters. Our determination to solve the seemingly impossible has us uniquely positioned to enable disruptive front-end IC’s that will change traditional RF designs addressing performance challenges in today’s cellular and wireless connectivity systems.
QuantalRF, leveraging its Quantal Technology, is the first company to provide patented RF front-end solutions, including filtering, compatible with CMOS-SOI integration at frequencies ranging from sub-1GHz up to mmWaves. Combining our interference resilience techniques and patented tunable filtering technology, named Quantal Amplifier, enables a robust and fully integrated front-end.
Quantal Amplifier technology includes highly linear receive and transmit paths featuring sharp on-chip filtering eliminating the need for off-chip acoustic-wave filtering components. In addition, our patented PA Technology, with its superior linearity and efficiency, allows the system to off-load the need for any pre-distortion or linearization methods.
QuantalRF offers unique RF front-end technologies, with highest level of integration in CMOS-SOI, to reduce size and boost system performance for applications such as Wi-Fi 6/6e and 5G UHB. Combined with our system expertise and industry’s most innovative scalable technology, we help accelerate and solve the challenges associated with the next generation of RFIC chipsets.
Quantal Technology enables exciting possibilities in an unexplored path of innovative, scalable integrated design and providing superior interference handling while reducing overall power dissipation.