Nanotechnology Now - Press Release: Imec, Murata, and Huawei Introduce Breakthrough Solution for TX-to-RX Isolation in Reconfigurable, Multiband Front-End Modules for Mobile Phones: Electrical-Balance Duplexers Pave the Way to Integrated Solution for TX-to-RX Isolation

Home > Press > Imec, Murata, and Huawei Introduce Breakthrough Solution for TX-to-RX Isolation in Reconfigurable, Multiband Front-End Modules for Mobile Phones: Electrical-Balance Duplexers Pave the Way to Integrated Solution for TX-to-RX Isolation

Electrical-Balance Duplexer in 0.18µm SOI CMOS

Abstract:
At next week's Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain (MWC2015), imec, Murata and Huawei will present a stand-alone multiband electrical-balance duplexer in 0.18µm SOI CMOS. This type of duplexer is a promising alternative to the fixedfrequency surface-acoustic wave (SAW) filters implemented in mobile phones providing transmit-to-receive (TX-to-RX) isolation.

Imec, Murata, and Huawei Introduce Breakthrough Solution for TX-to-RX Isolation in Reconfigurable, Multiband Front-End Modules for Mobile Phones: Electrical-Balance Duplexers Pave the Way to Integrated Solution for TX-to-RX Isolation

Leuven, Belgium | Posted on March 1st, 2015

SAW duplexers are integrated into today's mobile phones to suppress TX-to-RX signal transfer and avoid unwanted frequency components in the RF signal. As SAW duplexers are functioning at a fixed frequency, more and more SAW duplexers would be needed so that mobile phones can support the evergrowing amount of bands adopted by operators. Due to their frequencyflexibility, electrical-balance duplexers are paving the way to an integrated multiband solution for TX-to-RX isolation in frontend modules in mobile phones.

The new 1.9-2.2GHz duplexer (1.75mm2) is implemented in 0.18µm RF silicon-on-insulator (SOI) CMOS technology enabling highquality integrated passive devices and highpower duplexer operation (+27dBm TX output). It achieves excellent linearity (more than +70dBm IIP3 in both TX and RX), which is comparable to conventional passive SAW filters. This prevents the duplexer from generating nonlinear distortion in the presence of external jammer signals at specific sensitive frequencies and its own large TX signal.

The duplexer achieves low insertion losses, at less than 3.7dB TX and 3.9dB RX, and has isolation characteristics competitive with stateoftheart SAW duplexers. The duplexer uses a singleended topology to avoid commonmode leakage issues that could cause the RX to compress for highpower TX input signals. Marking an industry first achievement reported upon at the International Solid State Circuits Conference (ISSCC), Feb. 22-26, it is the first electricalbalance duplexer reported to be linear enough to avoid RX desensitization due to inter and crossmodulation between the TX and typical 3GPP-defined jammers.

"We are pleased to have achieved these breakthrough results in close collaboration with our partners Murata and Huawei. Our solution paves the way to integrated reconfigurable multiband front-end modules for frequencydivision duplexing in next-generation mobile phones," stated Joris Van Driessche, program manager reconfigurable radios at imec . "Our industrial affiliation program on reconfigurable radios leverages on the multidisciplinary expertise of our global partner network and our own scientific expertise to develop disruptive solutions for today's ever evolving mobile and high speed wireless communications market."

The results were presented at this week's ISSCC 2015. The research received funding through the EU FP7 project DUPLO (no. 316369). Imec will present its ultra-low power radios, reconfigurable radios, mm-wave communication and sensing, wearable technologies for health, and IC design services at the Flanders Investment & Trade booth, Hall 7, 7G71 at Mobile World Congress 2015.

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About IMEC
Imec performs world-leading research in nanoelectronics and photovoltaics. Imec leverages its scientific knowledge with the innovative power of its global partnerships in ICT, healthcare and energy. Imec delivers industry-relevant technology solutions. In a unique high-tech environment, its international top talent is committed to providing the building blocks for a better life in a sustainable society. Imec is headquartered in Leuven, Belgium, and has offices in the Netherlands, Taiwan, US, China, India and Japan. Its staff of over 2,080 people includes more than 670 industrial residents and guest researchers. In 2013, imec's revenue (P&L) totaled 332 million euro. Further information on imec can be found at www.imec.be. Stay up to date about what’s happening at imec with the monthly imec magazine, available for tablets and smartphones (as an app for iOS and Android), or via the website www.imec.be/imecmagazine

Imec is a registered trademark for the activities of IMEC International (a legal entity set up under Belgian law as a "stichting van openbaar nut”), imec Belgium (IMEC vzw supported by the Flemish Government), imec the Netherlands (Stichting IMEC Nederland, part of Holst Centre which is supported by the Dutch Government), imec Taiwan (IMEC Taiwan Co.)and imec China (IMEC Microelectronics (Shanghai) Co. Ltd.) and imec India (Imec India Private Limited).

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