Microwave Journal
www.microwavejournal.com/articles/19091-skyworks-secures-reference-design-with-ti-for-smart-energy-industrial-and-networking-applications

Skyworks secures reference design with TI for smart energy, industrial and networking applications

February 1, 2013

Skyworks Solutions Inc., an innovator of high performance analog semiconductors enabling a broad range of end markets, announced that it has secured a reference design with Texas Instruments Inc. (TI) for smart energy, industrial and networking applications including electric/gas/water meters, street lighting, telematic and tracking systems. Skyworks’ highly integrated, power efficient front-end solutions are in volume production and compatible with single-chip transceivers for wireless systems requiring high performance at low power and voltage.

“TI is delighted to be collaborating with Skyworks to develop a new reference design using TI’s sub-1 GHz RF performance line transceiver and Skyworks’ front-end solutions,” said Terje Lassen, industrial business manager, Wireless Connectivity Solutions, TI. “With Skyworks, we have created a proven design for customers in a rapid development cycle and removed the guess work in producing high-performance RF designs for a variety of smart energy, industrial and networking applications.”

“Skyworks is excited to partner with TI in creating a solution that leverages our newest family of front-end modules with their radio platforms,” said David Stasey, general manager of analog solutions at Skyworks. “This collaboration is yet another example of how Skyworks continues to meet customer demand and address opportunities in diverse, high growth markets.”

About Skyworks’ Front-end Solutions

  • SKY65313-21 is a high performance transmit/receive (T/R) front-end module (FEM).  The device transmit chain features +30dBm output power and 40 percent power added efficiency (PAE), while the device receive chain contains a low noise amplifier (LNA) with a 1.4 dB noise figure (NF) and 16.6 dB gain.  The cascaded NF and gain, taking into account the 0.5 dB insertion loss T/R antenna switch, are 1.9 dB and 16.1 dB respectively – making the FEM ideal for medium power microwave links such as 900 MHz ISM band applications.  The 28-pin, 6 x 6 x 0.9 millimeter (mm) device, packaged in a multi-chip module, surface-mounted technology unit, also has a shut-down mode and LNA bypass mode to minimize power consumption – allowing for a highly manufacturable, low cost solution.
  • SKY65364-11 is a high performance, T/R, 6 x 6 x 0.9 mm FEM that provides a complete T/R chain with T/R switches. The device transmit chain on the 28 pin FEM features +30.5 dBm output power and 40 percent power added efficiency. The device receive chain offers a LNA with a 1.7 dB NF and 16.0 dB gain.  The cascaded NF and gain, taking into account the 0.5 dB insertion loss T/R antenna switch, are 2.2 dB and 15.5 dB, respectively, which makes it ideal for medium power microwave links such as 900 MHz ISM band applications. The module also has a shut-down, power amplifier and LNA bypass mode to minimize power consumption. It is housed in a surface-mounted technology (SMT) package, which allows for a highly manufacturable, low cost solution.
  • SKY65366-11 is a high performance T/R FEM that provides a complete T/R chain with T/R switches. The device transmit chain features +30.2 dBm output power and a 40 percent PAE. The device receive chain features a LNA with a 1.5 dB NF and 22.2 dB gain.  The cascaded NF and gain, taking into account the 0.3 dB insertion loss T/R antenna switch, are 1.8 dB and 21.0 dB, respectively. The 400 MHz module also has a shut-down, PA and LNA bypass mode to minimize power consumption.  It is mounted in a 28 pin, 6 x 6 mm multi-chip module SMT package – allowing for a highly manufacturable, low cost solution.

About TI’s CC1120 sub-1 GHz RF High Performance Transceiver

A member of TI’s low-power RF performance line, the CC1120 is a fully integrated, single-chip RF transceiver designed for high performance at low power and voltage operation in cost effective wireless narrowband systems. The sub-1 GHz RF performance line can be more than 30 times closer to other RF systems and potential connection "interferers" than competitive offerings, allowing streamlined coexistence between various connected devices in one environment. With 65-dB adjacent channel rejection at 12.5-KHz offset and 90-dB blocking, TI delivers the industry's most reliable sub-1 GHz connections. With a 139-dB link budget, the products' range reaches well beyond 10 km and provides maximum indoor penetration. Advanced RF sniff mode also allows systems to listen for RF packets using very low power consumption, with less than 3mA in receive (Rx) sniff mode, while maintaining full RF performance.