Lime Microsystems Rolls-Out Transceiver IC for Femtocell Applications

Lime Microsystems, a semiconductor company specializing in digitally configurable transceivers for wireless broadband systems, announced the availability of its multi-band multi-standard RF transceiver IC, LMS6002D, which is tailored for small cell base stations and femtocells.

 

Featuring integrated high performance dual analog to digital converter, or “ADC (News - Alert),” and digital to analog converter, or “DAC,” the company’s new offering is a single chip transceiver solution suitable for 3G, WiMAX (News - Alert), and LTE operation, said officials with Lime Microsystems in a press release.

 

This high frequency agile transceiver operates at user-selectable frequencies between 375MHz and 4GHzand delivers increased levels of integration over the company’s analogue version, the LMS6002.

 

The LMS6002 transceivers can be digitally configured to operate in the full range of frequency bands, with 16 user-selectable bandwidths up to 28MHz. The LMS6002D can be digitally configured to operate in the full range of frequency bands between 375MHz and 4GHz, with 16 user-selectable bandwidths of up to 28MHz.

 

With this, LMS6002D is capable of transmitting as well as receiving data across all WCDMA and CDMA bands, and those used or planned for WiMAX and LTE (News - Alert). This eliminates the need for individual transceiver chips for each of the different bands, and allows a small cell base station to be reconfigured rapidly and simply. With reduction in bill of materials, cost as well as inventory will reduce for OEMs.

 

According to Ebrahim Bushehri, CEO of Lime Microsystems, as more femtocell products come onto the market, cost reductions have become critical, both for established players launching second and third generation products as well as for new entrants seeking to enter the market competitively.

 

“The LMS6002D transceiver meets our customers’ demands for cost reduction by increasing the level of integration and reducing component count while maintaining high performance and design flexibility,” Bushehri said.

 

In addition, the high performance dual 12-bit ADC and DAC blocks present in the LMS6002D provides the necessary multiplexed parallel interface to all currently available base band ICs on the market for femtocell applications.

 

Packaged in a 9x9mm 116-pin DQFN package, the LMS6002D is available alongside an evaluation platform and reference design, said officials.

 

Recently, Lime Microsystems reportedly announced an alliance with Israel-based Percello (News - Alert) Ltd., in order to develop a flexible high-performance reference platform for femtocell designs. This reference platform actually integrates Percello’s PRC6xxx high-performance baseband IC’s capabilities with company’s multi-band, multi-standard RF transceiver IC, the LMS6002.

 

The reference platform will be leveraged to develop femtocell designs for high data rate UMTS/HSPA+ air interfaces and will also allow faster adoption of femtocells in the existing and emerging markets worldwide.