Radio Frequency Technology Accelerates 3G Application

JasonYoo

Radio Frequency Technology Accelerates 3G Application [Copy link]

[Abstract] The demand for convergence has brought unprecedented challenges to mobile devices. If handheld devices are required to support a variety of converged services, in addition to powerful processors, they must also support many wireless protocols such as WLAN, UWB, Bluetooth, Zigbee, DVB-H, UMTS, etc. These protocols are used to support the needs of mobile communications, entertainment experience, and computing applications. However, how can we achieve all-round coverage? Upgrading RF (Radio Frequency) technology is an important part of the solution.
Changes in RF in 3G Systems

　　The direct significance of the upgrade of wireless communication technology to the 3G era is that wireless chips and digital chips will become more complex, consume more energy, and be larger in size than the existing 2G solutions. In addition, due to the higher data transmission rate provided by 3G, the functionality of the terminal chipset will increase, so the chipset structure will be more complex. In addition, 3G functions such as video calls will require more powerful application processors and larger memory. More importantly, the RF end must focus on reducing power consumption, accelerating the integration of different processes and reducing costs. At the International Microwave
Conference (IMS2006) held not long ago , the latest developments in wireless RF technology were displayed in a concentrated manner: dual-mode and multi-mode mobile phones, high-frequency base stations, and seamless switching technologies have gradually matured, outlining a more colorful future for 3G.

　　Although the upgrade of RF chip technology itself cannot be a decisive force in promoting the development of 3G. From the perspective of terminal technology, the development of 3G depends more on low-power and high-performance processors; from the perspective of marketing, it depends on whether there is content that attracts consumers. This relationship is very similar to the impact of the development of tuner chip technology on digital TV.

　　However, mobile phones have their own characteristics. With the upgrading of RF chip technology, firstly, the emergence of multi-mode and multi-service RF chips has greatly expanded the application functions of 3G mobile phones and promoted the development of 3G; in addition, RF chips with high integration, low power consumption and good usability can help save more system resources, such as current and PCB area, which promotes the development of 3G from another perspective.

　　The future of RF is in Asia Pacific

　　With the expansion of market demand and the maturity of the competitive environment, the Asia-Pacific region represented by China is becoming the most important market for microwave communication and RF technology applications. John Mc Caffrey, RF product manager of Freescale, said: "The issuance process of China's 3G licenses will be the main factor affecting the entire RF market. If it can be issued within 2006, the entire RF device market will enter a period of rapid growth." At present, world-renowned semiconductor manufacturers have increased their investment in the Asia-Pacific market to tap this last gold mine.

　　With the full investment of foreign manufacturers, the competition faced by China's semiconductor industry is becoming increasingly fierce. China does not lack the ability to define system indicators, nor does it lack the market. What it lacks is the ability to design ICs to implement standards, which is very obvious in TD-SCDMA. However, the situation is changing. With the introduction of the "Eleventh Five-Year Plan", semiconductors and wireless radio frequency technology will become the top priority of the strategy of building a strong country in science and technology in the next five years. We have seen initial results in this IMS2006 seminar: 3% of the 980 technical papers submitted to the conference came from China; in the exhibition held at the same time, we also saw more Chinese manufacturers.

　　Although there are still many difficulties to be overcome in RF technology, such as power supply, baseband processor, RF transmitter, etc., with the rapid development of semiconductor technology at a speed that breaks Moore's Law, it is believed that in the future there will be more RF products with minimized power consumption, minimized cost, and minimized size that will become a powerful tool to promote wireless applications.

　　IMS2006: A feast for microwave engineers

　　On June 11, the 2006 International Microwave Symposium was held at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. This week-long event has become the largest gathering of microwave engineers in the world so far. Microwave engineers from all over the world flocked to San Francisco, with more than 10,000 representatives attending. This is also an event that integrates various technical projects with the exhibition of new microwave products and services, including technical lectures, evening parties, seminars, group discussions and special discussions. During the period, three major seminars were held: the International Microwave Symposium (IMS), the Wireless Frequency IC Symposium and the Automation RF Technology Group Conference. At the IMS2006 seminar, 980 submitted technical papers were selected, of which 3% were from China, which also shows that the level of domestic microwave engineering has gradually improved and is in line with the world. The submitted papers were sorted out by 32 technical committees as a refresher course for some engineers in microwave technology, and also provided an option for other engineers to summarize current technological progress.

Source: Communications Industry News