ICs & Semiconductors

Nine RF integrated passive devices (RF IPDs) from STMicroelectronics combine antenna impedance-matching, balun, and harmonic filter circuity optimised for STM32WL wireless microcontrollers.

The STM32WL MCUs combine application-level processing and wireless communication for smart, connected devices. They integrate an Arm Cortex-M4 microcontroller with a sub-GHz long range radio managed by a Cortex-M0+ core. The radio is LPWAN-compliant, supports multiple modulation schemes, and comes with LoRaWAN and Sigfox stacks included in the STM32CubeWL microcontroller software package.

The RF IPDs are in tiny chip scale packages. They connect the STM32WL microcontroller to its antenna and help maximise the RF performance. By integrating all the components on one die, STMicro said performance is consistent and avoids the process variations that affect conventional matching networks built with discrete components. They also simplify circuit design, save on bill of materials, and permit a smaller form factor, added ST.

The nine RF IPD variants let designers choose the optimum parameters according to the RF frequency range and power, microcontroller package type, and two- or four-layer PCB. 

The series comprises the BALFHB-WL-01D3 through BALFHB-WL-06D3 for applications at 868MHz and 915MHz. The BALFLB-WL-07D3, BALFLB-WL-08D3, and BALFLB-WL-09D3 are optimised for 490MHz. Each integrates the complete receive and transmit signal paths between the microcontroller and antenna. The integrated filter provides high attenuation of unwanted transmitter harmonics, for designers to satisfy the regulations set by radio licensing authorities worldwide.

All devices are in production now. They are offered in a 2.13 x 1.83mm eight-bump wafer-level chip-scale package with a profile below 630 micron after reflow. 

http://www.st.com

InnoPhase IoT, a fabless semiconductor company specialising in low-power Wi-Fi IoT solutions, Eoxys, an IoT solution provider, and Nuvoton, a microcontroller unit (MCU) supplier, are targeting intelligent and secure IoT devices for smart home, industrial and medical automation applications.

The Eoxys’ Xeno + Nano ML module integrates InnoPhase IoT’s Talaria TWO low- power Wi-Fi and BLE5.0 solution with Nuvoton’s NuMicro M2354 secure IoT MCU. It accelerates customers’ deployment of IoT sensor products by leveraging the intelligent compute with the security and wireless connectivity of the Xeno+ Nano ML module, freeing the customer to focus only on adding sensors and their secret sauce.

InnoPhase IoT’s Talaria TWO multi-protocol Wi-Fi and BLE5-long range module integrates digital, programmable RF and dual-stack architecture, which addresses the variable throughput and low-power needs of IoT applications. This is claimed to reduce battery usage by two- to eight-times compared to current Wi-Fi products and enables 10-plus years of connected sensor battery life. The Talaria TWO’s low-power wireless module allows customers to add AI and ML processing on IoT sensor devices while meeting stringent battery life requirements. The ubiquity and high data transfer rates of Wi-Fi eliminate the need for an additional gateway device, providing less complexity and lower cost.

InnoPhase IoT specialises in low-power wireless connectivity solutions for IoT products. Its award-winning Talaria TWO Wi-Fi modules with BLE5 enable battery-based, intelligent, always-on, cloud-connected IoT products by increasing battery-life performance by up to eight times current solutions with its patented digital radio design. It is ideal for remote security cameras, video doorbells, connected sensors, wearables, lossless audio and other energy-critical wireless IoT devices.

https://innophaseiot.com