How are radio chipsets developed to handle multiple modes? Can a chipset be configured to handle two modes in the same band (such as WiFi and Bluetooth)? What's the state of the art in reconfigurable radios? What is a reasonable implementation of reconfigurable radios with the scenarios expected by operators? If multiple radios are operating simultaneously, how would reconfigurability help to save size, cost, and performance in the silicon?

1. ©2008 BitWave Semiconductor Inc.
Multimode, Multiband Programmable
Radio Transceiver Using Low Cost
Digital CMOS
How to support more applications, wireless protocols &
frequency bands with a single low-cost digital radio
Multimode, Multiband Programmable
Radio Transceiver Using Low Cost
Digital CMOS
How to support more applications, wireless protocols &
frequency bands with a single low-cost digital radio
David J. Donovan
VP Business Development
IWPC Workshop
May 6th – 8th 2008

2. ©2008 BitWave Semiconductor Inc.
Agenda
BitWave Semiconductor Backgrounder
Radio & Antenna Density in HS
Typical SDR Solution Approach
New Programmable Radio Approach
Extensibility

3. ©2008 BitWave Semiconductor Inc.
A Mid-Stage Fabless Semiconductor
Company
Founded in 2003, VC Financed in 2004
Small Multi-Disciplinary Team with more than 15 years average
design experience.
Completed multiple Silicon Runs Producing 100+ Circuits from
Tunable LNAs to Complete Transmit and receive chains for the
Bitwave Softransceiver platform.
BW1101 Softransceiver Alpha RFIC w/Evaluation Boards
Sampling Since May 2007 with API & Mode Files
BW1102 Softransceiver Production Path RFIC Q408
Providing Programmable, Flexible Single Chip Transceiver Platforms That Work Over
Any Frequency And Protocol For Wireless Infrastructure And Handheld Devices
Providing Programmable, Flexible Single Chip Transceiver PlatforProviding Programmable, Flexible Single Chip Transceiver Platforms That Work Overms That Work Over
Any Frequency And Protocol For Wireless Infrastructure And HandhAny Frequency And Protocol For Wireless Infrastructure And Handheld Deviceseld Devices

4. ©2008 BitWave Semiconductor Inc.
Wireless: Multi-Mode, Multi Band Future
Adapted from: Driving Wireless Broadband Convergence
Chris Bergey, Broadcom
Jan 24, 2007
MIMO
Proliferation of Services and Access TechnologiesProliferation of Services and Access TechnologiesProliferation of Services and Access Technologies

5. ©2008 BitWave Semiconductor Inc.
Terminal Designs for Multiple Bands
and Protocols
Sudhir Dixit
Research Fellow
Nokia Research Center
Helsinki, Finland
July 2006
“Diverging Applications driving need for
as many as 8 radios and 11 antennas”
How it’s done
today
A Better Way

6. ©2008 BitWave Semiconductor Inc.
SDR Architecture
Performance Requirements for Wideband Apps
Source: “SDR Compliant RF Frontend Concepts for Cellular Terminals”,
Dr Linus Maurer, DICE, Linz, Austria

7. ©2008 BitWave Semiconductor Inc.
SDR Architecture
ADC Requirements for Wideband Apps
Traditional SDR architecture (high-end systems)
– High-speed, wide-band converters sample and convert at the carrier
frequency
– All control and data path processing is performed in the digital
domain
1 kHz 1 MHz 1 GHz
1 W
1 mW
1 W 1 kW
Signal Bandwidth
Resolution
(bits)
Downconversion & Filter
Filter
The
leading
edge
Adapted from R. H. Walden, Performance Trends for
Analog-to-Digital Converters, IEEE Communications
Magazine, February 1999, pp. 96 -101.
Power Consumption of ADC’s
as a function of signal
bandwidth and resolution

8. ©2008 BitWave Semiconductor Inc.
Frequency: Continuous 700 MHz to 3.8 GHz
Modes: GSM, EDGE, UMTS, WCDMA, HSDPA
HSUPA ,CDMA2K, 1XRTT, EVDO and A
WiFi, WiMax, DVB-H, etc.
A Disruptive CMOS Softransceiver Platform
RECEIVER
– Receiver Type
– Center Frequency
– Receiver Gain
– Analog Domain Filtering
– ADC Type
– Sampling Rate
– Digital Domain Filtering
– AGC Type
TRANSMITTER
– Transmitter Type
– Digital Domain Filtering
– DAC Sampling Rate
– Analog Domain Filtering
– Center Frequency
– Transmitter Gain
SYSTEM
– Baseband Interface
– Finite State Sequencing and
Timing
– Tx Power Calibration Algorithm
– DCO & I/Q Balance Algorithm
– RF Front End Control

9. ©2008 BitWave Semiconductor Inc.
A Platform for use in Multiple designs
Lowers product development costs, supply chain costs, decreases time-to-
market, improves time to revenue
Lower BoM costs for Handset and Femtocell
Multiple products, multiple markets with a single RFIC Platform Single
integrated transceiver RFIC
Reduces the cost of developing Handset Variants. Savings : $1-2M per
variant.
Superior Performance with Flexibility
Power, performance and cost all equal to or better than single function
ASICs
Tunable performance - optimization
Reconfigurable in real time
Digital CMOS implementation
Software control and digital interfaces
Programmable for different frequencies and wireless standards
Faster time-to-market, de-risks product development, better reliability
Benefits to this Approach

10. ©2008 BitWave Semiconductor Inc.
Solving Industry Problems
Accelerating Time to Market for the OEM
•RFIC Transceiver Design Today•RFIC Transceiver Design Today
CMOS Softransceiver Chip + Mode Files = Greatly Improved Time to Revenue
•Custom ASIC Design @ ~2 years
•60 person-years @ $15-20M
•System Spec Analysis •–•2 months
•Functional Block Design •–•1 year
•Layout and Verification •–•3 months
•Tape out•–•2 months
•Debug / Characterization
•–•5 months
•Softransceiver Configuration @ < 6 months
•System Spec Analysis •–•2 months
•Software Coding •–•2.5 months
•Test and Characterization •–•1.5 months
•Transceiver Design Using BitWave•Transceiver Design Using BitWave
•2.5 person-years @ $0.5M

11. ©2008 BitWave Semiconductor Inc.
Solving Industry Problems
Handset BoM Reduction
Nokia E60
Transceiver Silicon
Die Area = 49.5 mm2 in 3 BGA Packages
using > 59 passive components
@ $0.25 / mm2, and $0.01 / passive
ASP = $12.96
On this platform, a CMOS
programmable radio might use 1/3 of
the transceiver ASICs, 40% of the
board area, 80% of the passives and
30%of the cost
Nokia E60Nokia E60
Tri Band, GSM/GPRS/EDGETri Band, GSM/GPRS/EDGE
Single Band UMTSSingle Band UMTS
WiFiWiFi
Source: Portelligent

12. ©2008 BitWave Semiconductor Inc.
Looking to 4G
Subscriber has higher expectations on features,
cost & performance
More radios, more antennas, higher data rates, new
frequency bands
Semiconductor vendors need fundamental changes
in integration strategies
Platform cost containment

13. ©2008 BitWave Semiconductor Inc.
Bitwave - Platform RoadmapFUNCTIONALITY
2008 2009 2010
BW1102F – Q408
Handset & Femtocell
1Rx, 1Tx
BW1102H – Q408
Reduced BOM and Power
1Rx, 1Tx
Chatham – 2H09
Femto & Handset
3Rx, 2Tx
Chatham- Q2/2010
Handset and Femto
3Rx, 2Tx
+ Fixed Functions
Wellfleet – Q1/2010
LOW COST
Femto & Handset
1Rx, 1Tx

14. ©2008 BitWave Semiconductor Inc.
Summary
Crowded handset platform with multi-band multi-mode and
peripheral radios is an opportunity challenge
Traditional SDR approaches for consumer applications hare
costly tradeoffs
Bulk CMOS implementations yields cost, scale and integration
possibilities not found with RF CMOS
Programmable radio and baseband technology plus smarter
RFFE’s will help reel in operator CapEx and OpEx and improve
TTM and overall user experience

15. ©2008 BitWave Semiconductor Inc.
Wish List
New technologies that integrate the RFFE and make
it more programmable, ie reduce TCO
Hope that operators see the value in this approach
such that they will help pull it through the value
chain for handsets much like they did for femtocells
I’m hiring!