ST unveils industry’s most flexible and highest-performance integrated wideband RF synthesizer

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND: As the number of wireless standards and frequency bands grow to support an ever-expanding number of applications, STMicroelectronics is supporting both the demand for higher performance and integration.

The introduction of the STW81200 RF synthesizer leverages ST’s BiCMOS (SiGe) manufacturing technology by integrating in one chip wideband voltage-controlled oscillators (VCOs), a dual fractional and integer phase-locked-loop (PLL) core, low-noise voltage regulators, plus a set of programmable hardware options to comply with a wide variety of RF requirements.

In applications such as base stations, radio links, satellite, communications, and test and measurement, overall system performance is tightly linked to RF synthesizer phase noise characteristics. These applications demand integration and cost optimization with no compromise in RF performance.

In meeting these requirements, the STW81200 as the industry’s most flexible RF synthesizer supports development of multi-band, multi-standard software-defined radios across the wide frequency range of 50MHz to 6GHz, while delivering normalized in-band phase-noise floor of -227 dBc/Hz, a VCO phase noise of -135 dBc/Hz @1MHz offset with a 4.0GHz carrier, and a noise floor of -160 dBc/Hz.

The STW81200 is unique in its ability to be powered from a single unregulated supply at 5V, 3.6V, or 3.0V and tuned in consumption and performance extending the application range from traditional mains-powered infrastructure to battery-powered devices.

As the natural evolution of ST’s successful STW8110x family, the new synthesizer delivers higher performance and greater flexibility by ensuring the same board design can support multiple bands and RF standards (logistic). In addition, higher integration and a reduced Bill-of-Materials deliver greater savings.