STRATEGY ANALYTICS: Silicon-on-Sapphire Disrupts RF Switch Market; Technology Well Suited to Antenna Switch Modules.BOSTON -- In its latest Insight report, "Silicon-on-Sapphire Switches for Handsets: Stopgap or Disruptive Technology?" Strategy Analytics, the research and consulting company, evaluated CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) Pronounced "c-moss." The most widely used integrated circuit design. It is found in almost every electronic product from handheld devices to mainframes. silicon-on-sapphire (SoS) RF switches, and found that SoS has begun to disrupt established approaches to transmit-receive (T/R T/R Transceiver T/R Transmit/Receive T/R Transmitter/Receiver (also seen as TR) T/R Thanks and regards T/R Tail Rotor (helicopter) T/R Tip/Ring T/R Trust Receipt T/R Transmission/Reflection ) switching in multi-mode, multi-band cellular handsets. Peregrine Semiconductor has shipped several million CMOS SoS RF switches to customers for GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) The first high-speed digital data service provided by cellular carriers that used the GSM technology. GPRS added a packet-switched channel to GSM, which uses dedicated, circuit-switched channels for voice conversations. handsets. Recently, the company released SP7T "HaRP" SoS RF switches for dual-mode W-CDMA See WCDMA. handsets, claiming that these offer superior performance to GaAs p-HEMT switches. "After evaluating this technology, we have concluded that Peregrine's SoS RF switches offer advantages that could displace GaAs in dual-mode WCDMA (Wideband CDMA) A 3G high-speed digital data service provided by cellular carriers that use the TDMA or GSM technology worldwide, including AT&T (formerly Cingular) and T-Mobile in the U.S. handsets," says Asif Anwar, Director of the Strategy Analytics GaAs service. "However, GaAs vendors have already moved to address p-HEMT switch shortcomings A shortcoming is a character flaw. Shortcomings may also be:
"CMOS SoS will continue to have its greatest success in displacing p-i-n diodes in antenna switch modules," adds Chris Taylor, Director of the Strategy Analytics RF and Wireless Components (RFWC RFWC Rock Family Worship Center ) Service. "The multiple p-i-n diodes required for complex antenna switch modules (tri- and quad-band) draw significant current. Peregrine has already demonstrated the suitability of its technology for this application." About Strategy Analytics Strategy Analytics, Inc. - a global research and consulting firm - provides timely insights and strategic business solutions to companies operating at the convergence of information, communications and entertainment technologies. With worldwide headquarters in Boston, MA, and principal offices in England, France and Germany, Strategy Analytics focuses on market opportunities and challenges in the areas of Automotive Electronics & Multimedia, Digital Consumer, Wireless Strategies and Enabling Technologies. For more information, see www.strategyanalytics.com |
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