Kaben Develops Synthesizer IP for WiMAX in IBM7WL

– Kaben Research Inc., a leading developer of mixed-signal, Intellectual Property (IP) blocks for Wireless, System-on-a-Chip (SoC) manufacturers, announced today that it has developed a synthesizer IP block for WiMAX applications in the IBM7WL process.

“Kaben's Delta-Sigma Synthesizer IP block enables SoC manufacturers to address the synthesizer phase noise requirements of a WiMAX transceiver.” said Seste Dell'Aera, Kaben's VP Marketing. “Wireless chip vendors can keep the design team focused on the balance of the system which is usually where their value proposition lies”

In designing WiMAX systems, error vector magnitude specifications on the received and transmitted signals are more demanding to permit higher data throughputs. This means that there is a very demanding close-in phase noise and an rms phase noise requirement on the synthesizers. These demanding specifications can be met using the KR-SDS-60-IBM7WL-01 synthesizer. The synthesizer IP is designed to operate up to 6 GHz and over a temperature range of -10 to +125 degrees C. The Kaben KR-SDS-60-IBM7WL-01 IP cell is available in the IBM7WL process for integration into customer's WiMAX chips.

In a wireless system, frequency synthesizers are used to convert signals up or down in frequency in both the receiver and transmitter. Phase noise is the amount of jitter present on a signal. High phase noise can reduce the receiver's ability to detect high data rate orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) signals. This phase noise problem is increased when the signal is mixed up to a higher frequency of 6 GHz.

The Kaben Synthesizer solves this problem because it has a low phase noise of -100 dBc/Hz at a 20 kHz offset from a 6 GHz output frequency while the frequency resolution is 40 Hz when using a 40 MHz crystal frequency. The design also has an integrated crystal oscillator to help in reducing the off-chip bill of materials.

About Kaben
Kaben Research is an IP company focused on design, development, and licensing of mixed-signal building blocks that are key to creating future SoC products. The company delivers high-performance, proven IP blocks to SoC manufacturers in the wireless communications market that significantly reduce risk, cost, and time to market. Kaben's IP product offering includes: Frequency Synthesizers, Sampling IF Filters, D/A Converters, and Programmable Clock Generators. For more information, please visit our Web site at www.kabenresearch.com.