RF Front-End Integrated Circuit Solutions for the IoT (Internet of Things) / M2M (Machine-to-Machine) Market

Fabless semiconductor company RFaxis announced today additional products that expand its portfolio of RF front-end integrated circuit solutions for the global IoT (Internet of Things)/M2M (Machine-to-Machine) market. The new products expand RFaxis's family of RF front-end ICs for sub-GHz and 2.4GHz frequencies, which are primarily used to extend the operating range of various classes of IoT wireless communication systems.

The new additions to RFaxis’s IoT portfolio are the RFX2403, RFX2413, and RFX1030 RFeICs. The RFX2403 integrates a high-efficiency linear power amplifier (PA), a low-noise amplifier (LNA), a transmit/receive switching circuit for 802.15.4 ZigBee/Thread, and an ISM radio dedicated to the 2.4 GHz band, while simultaneously supporting linear modulation such as BLE (Bluetooth® Low Energy). By adding a directional-coupler-based output current meter circuit and a bypass mode, this product is pin-to-pin compatible with the widely used RFaxis RFX2401C, allowing users to directly upgrade their wireless systems through extended operating range, extended battery life with low power consumption, improved tolerance for antenna impedance deviation, and enhanced coexistence capabilities with nearby wireless communications.

Equipped with a low-noise transceiver, there is almost no current inflow in receive mode.

Likewise, the RFX2413 product is also integrated with a high-efficiency PA, an antenna diversity switch, and a current meter circuit for the 2.4GHz band. The RFX2413 is ideal for wireless IoT systems, featuring a transceiver that already has a low noise figure thanks to low bypass insertion loss, and offering the additional benefit of virtually no current inflow in receive mode.

The RFX1030 is integrated with 1-watt high-power, high-efficiency PAs, LNAs, transmit/receive switching circuits, directional current meter circuits for sub-GHz 802.15.14, and dedicated ISM radio topologies such as LoRa®, SigFox®, Weightless®, and Narrowband Cellular IoT (NB-CIoT). All three new products are integrated with matching networks, single-die/single-chip RF decoupling filters and harmony filters, and bulk CMOS devices in ultra-small 2.5x2.5mm 16-pin QFN (Quad-Flat Non-Lead) packages. Additionally, they feature heat resistance up to 125°C ambient temperature, which is required by most applications, particularly for smart LED lighting, smart homes, smart offices, and smart buildings. Samples will be available in the first quarter of 2016.

Growing to a total of 20 billion connected devices by 2025

(Image source: http://www.metering.com/silicon-labs-and-rfaxis-team-up-on-internet-of-things-solutions/)


As wireless connectivity for IoT and M2M evolves from smart energy to smart homes, smart offices, smart buildings, smart cities, and more recently to Low Current Wide Area Networks (LP-WAN), the need for high-performance, high-cost, simple RF front-end solutions has become more critical than ever. The IoT/M2M wireless connectivity market for LP-WAN, as well as fixed and short-range radio, is projected to grow to a total of 20 billion connected devices by 2025 (Machina Research, May 2015).

"Our latest products for IoT are designed to meet customer demands for improved performance and reliability in 2.4GHz and sub-GHz wireless networks," said Oleksandr Gorbachov, CTO of RFaxis. He added, “Since the advancement of IoT services is a key driver in the growth of wireless connectivity, these radio RF front-ends must adequately address the demands for cost and performance,” and “RFaxis is fully prepared to support this emerging market with its innovative, single-die, single-chip CMOS RF front-end product family.”