News Article
TriQuint speeds up the smallest phones
The firm's devices incorporating gallium arsenide HBTs, deliver design flexibility for 2G, 3G and 4G mobile devices
TriQuint Semiconductor is now offering two QUANTUM Tx modules that are 40% smaller than the previous generation.
These transmit modules integrate TriQuint's new ultra-small GSM core, and enable more flexibility for smartphones, feature phones and low-cost voice-only phones.
"Design innovations have enabled cost and size breakthroughs without compromising performance," said Shane Smith, Vice President of Global Marketing for Mobile Devices. "Our 2G QUANTUM Tx module has already made significant inroads in the GSM market. Our new 3G/4G QUANTUM Tx module pairs with our new TRITIUM Duo family of dual-band PA-duplexer modules to create the industry's smallest, high-performance RF solution for global 3G/4G wireless devices."
Leading mobile handset manufacturers Samsung, Huawei and ZTE have selected TriQuint's new QUANTUM Tx modules. TriQuint has seen success with previous generations of its QUANTUM Tx modules; to date, more than 150 million units have shipped.
"We expect to ship more than 100 million QUANTUM Tx modules in the next 18 months alone, making it one of the highest volume product lines in our factory," Smith added.
TriQuint increased manufacturing capacity by 40 percent in 2011 to support customer demand for its growing mobile device portfolio.
Shipping in volume since mid-2011, TriQuint's 2G (GSM) QUANTUM Tx module, TQM6M4068, offers phone designers full GaAs HBT performance and a small size to enable flexible designs. At 5 x 6 x 1 mm, the TQM6M4068 is one of the industry's smallest Tx modules and has won "Best Product" in the 2011 EDN China Innovation Award program for the communications and networks front-end category.
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Approved for MediaTek's chipset reference design, the new product has been chosen for many new 2G phone platforms. "Close to 1.5 billion GSM based phones will be produced this year," said Neil Shah, an analyst from research firm Strategy Analytics. "Virtually all 3G and 4G capable phones incorporate 2G access technology, and 2G remains the dominant wireless communication technology in many areas of the world."
Shipping in volume since January 2012, TriQuint's TQM6M9069 QUANTUM Tx module features the same small 5 x 6 mm footprint, making it one of the smallest 3G/4G transmit modules on the market. This new part simplifies mobile device design and includes a GSM/GPRS power amplifier and WCDMA antenna switch. TriQuint plans to expand the QUANTUM Tx module family in the months ahead with product solutions that incorporate additional switch ports to support more frequency bands.
The QUANTUM Tx transmit modules implement TriQuint's proprietary CuFlip technology to replace wire bonds with copper bumps. This saves board space and enables superior system performance by eliminating noise-radiating wires. The copper bumps also dissipate heat better than traditional interconnect techniques. The QUANTUM Tx modules offer improved system efficiency and full RF transmit functionality in a compact 30 mm² package.
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