Philips integrates 2 dozen discretes onto single chip

Electronic News, Dec 22, 1997

SUNNYVALE, CALIF.--Philips Semiconductors has used its double poly processing technology to integrate nearly two dozen discrete components onto a single chip aimed at the cellular phone market. The company plans to sample next year six new amplifiers and mixers which merge inductance loops, capacitors and resistors.

Peter Earl, business development manager for the company's RF and microwave group, says the double poly technology allows silicon chips to reach transition frequencies of up to 23 GHz, significantly higher than the current bipolar process which only reaches about 10 GHz.

Gallium Arsenide is currently used for applications that demand such high transition frequencies, but this material is expensive. In addition, moving to silicon allows much higher levels of integration. "This is the next step in moving towards a single chip for cell phones," he said.

Philips initially introduced the technology earlier this year. The company's double poly chips use two layers of polysilicon to lower the barrier voltages within the junctions on the chip. Philips plans to launch in mid-1998 six monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMIC), reducing the number of components within a cell phone from 30 to about six. These include three general purpose RF amplifiers, the BGA2001, BGA2002 and the BGA2003, which can be used for analog and digital cell phones, cordless phones, radar detectors and satellite TV tuners.

Mr. Earl noted that integrating all these discrete components will reduce size and cost, both important in portable wireless devices. In addition, having a single chip is expected to significantly reduce power consumption, a major advantage for handheld systems. Pricing for these components is expected to be down considerably from comparable parts made in GaAs, although specific prices have not been set.