Wispry Incorporated Tunable RF Solutions

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Wispry IncorporatedTunable RF Solutions

• Mark Chapman
• Vice President , Business Development
• mark.chapman_at_wispry.com

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Wispry Overview

• Fabless Product Company
• Established in October 2002 Spin-Out of Coventor
• 28 Employees, Headquartered in Irvine California
• Raised 8M in Venture Capital (Seed and A Rounds)
• Team has Worked On Wispry Core Technology Since
  1999
• Sampling Customers with RF Switch Module Products
• Tunable RF Filter Development Program with
  Leading Handset Supplier
• Start Production Shipments in 4Q 05

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What is The Problem

• Integration has largely driven cost out of
  Transceiver
• CMOS Has Driven Path to Single Chip Transceivers
• Yet Critical RF Filters and Duplexers Remains
  Discrete

Antenna
Duplexer
Baseband
Transceiver
Diplexer Switch
Power Amp
Isolator
Duplexer
TX Filter
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On Chip RF Filters are Key to Further Silicon
Integration of Radio Subsystems

• WiSpry Uses RF MEMS to Create Tunable RF Filters
  Which
• Increase Integration
• Lower Cost and Size
• Reduce Power Consumption While Improving
  Performance
• Simplify RF Design
• Supply Through Successive Levels of Integration
• Initially RF Front End Components and Modules
• RF Subsystem Modules
• Fully Integrated PAs and Single Chip Transceivers

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New Wireless Technologies Continue to Evolve
IEEE-802.11a IEEE-802.11b IEEE-802.11g IEEE-802.1
1n
1000 500 200 100 50 20 10 5 2 1 .5
IEEE-802.16 IEEE-802.16a IEEE-802.16d IEEE-802.16e
IEEE 802.11 Proprietary
Wireless MAN
Wireless LAN
Mbps
GSM GPRS EDGE CDMA 2000 3G 802.20
Wireless PAN
Bluetooth UWB IEEE-802.15.1 IEEE-802.15.3 IEEE-802
.15.4
Wireless WAN inc Cellular
.1 1 10 100
1,000 10,000
Distance (meters)
.. A Proliferation of Wireless Bands and
Standards
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Advancing Radio Complexity Means More Filters

• Proliferation of new Standards and new Frequency
  Bands
• Each Additional Band has its own Filter
• Each New Standard has its own Unique Filter
  Requirements
• 3G Phones (CDMA WCDMA) are Full Duplex
• Requires Additional Costly Duplexer
• Increases Insertion Loss, Lowers Sensitivity,
  Lowers Battery Life
• Diversity Receive and MIMO Systems use Multiple
  Radios
• Each with its own RF Chain
• Each Requiring Additional Filters, Switches etc

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Wisprys Approach.
Standard Design Library
MEMS RF Products
Standard CMOS Compatible Manufacturing Process
.Leverage Existing Semiconductor Infrastructure
and Processes
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Digital Switch Technology

• Separate Signal and Control Path
• No Coupling of Control Signal into RF Path
• High Isolation Delivers Excellent RF Performance
• Intra Switch Isolation Enables High Device
  Density
• High RF Performance
• Excellent Linearity, Insertion Loss, Isolation,
  Low Power
• Patented Tri-Layer Beam Creates Isolated
  Structures
• Eliminates Charging Effect, Improves
  Reliability, Size

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wiSpry RF-MEMS Devices in Action

• Actuation of RF-MEMS
• Voltage is applied to the cantilever and
  substrate
• This results in an electro-static field like a
  capacitor
• The field causes the plate to deflect in an
  upward or downward motion
• The switch opens and closes completing a circuit
  path for the RF input

Click on this picture for animation
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Dual SP2T MEMS Switch
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MEMS Switch Technology

• Significant Performance advantages over Type III
  IV semiconductors and SOI at 6 GHz
• Lowest insertion loss lt(0.40 dB)
• Best return loss characteristics (gt20 dB)
• Best (on or off) Isolation (gt75 dB)
• Best linearity at Intercept Points (IPs) 2 3
• Easy migration to 10 GHz and beyond.

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wiSpry Switch Product Evolution
30 V Control
3 V
RF
RF
MEMS Controller DIE
30V
3 V 2-bit Control
RF
RF
30V
30 V Control
RF
RF
High Voltage Version
Low Voltage Version
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3V Switches with Integrated Chargepump

• Production Low Voltage 3V Packaged Switches
• 3V External, 30V Internal Operation, SP2T, SP4T
  and SP6T Versions
• Two Die Solution,- Chargepump and Switch
• 24 pin 5 x 6 x 1.5mm Ceramic QFN SP2T, SP4T
• 32 Pin 5 x 6 x 1.5mm Ceramic QFN SP6T

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Switched Capacitor Options

• Continuously variable capacitor
• Two-state capacitor bank

• Switched fixed capacitor arrays

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Digital Capacitor Overview

• Electrostatically Operated Binary State MEMS
  Capacitor
• Completely Isolated Digital Control
• Up (low) and Down (high) Capacitive States
• Hard Down Stop Provides Precise Control
• Capacitor Value Controlled by Dielectric Type and
  Plate Size
• Each MEMS Capacitor Has a Fixed and a Tunable
  Portion
• Array Formed by Selecting Various Capacitor Types
• Wide Range of Values Achievable, Several Cap
  Structures Developed
• Binary Progression of Capacitor Values provides
  Compact Structure

Binary State MEMS Cap
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MEMS Capacitor Arrays
Detail Showing Digital MEMS Capacitor Array
MEMS Capacitor Array Offers a unique solution for
precision tuning in RF Devices
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Layout of Capacitor Die

• Shows 2 Capacitors on Die
• 8 Tuning Bits per Cap
• Central Structure is Fixed Cap
• Top Pins are Drive, Bottom RF

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CMOS Project Status

• Building RF-MEMS in 8 Inch CMOS
• The basic ingredients for MEMS switched
  capacitors have been demonstrated.

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Capacitor Overview Cont

• Future Implementation Will add Control and Driver
• 3.3V External operation
• Integrated High Voltage Driver and Control
• Internal Control Multiplexer (e.g. 3/8, 8/64,
  Serial, I2C etc)

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Overcoming Key MEMS Manufacturing Challenges.
WiSPRY Innovation
Perceived Issue in Handsets
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Next Generation Applications
RF Transceiver with MEMS Components
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Next Generation Applications
Smart Antenna with MEMS Components
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MEMS in Advanced Radio Architectures- Optimized
Antenna Matching

• Impedance variations
• On metal surface impedance / 2
• Open/closed clamshell
• Temperature swings
• 10 power reflection -gt0.5 dB loss
• Band switching
• Match shift and optimization
• Reconfigurable antenna
• Use RF MEMS for variable transformer and/or to
  implement switchable antenna configuration

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Future MEMS-Driven Applicatons
Dynamic Load Control Tunable Amplifiers

• Power control
• Load matching
• Frequency matching

• Optimum transistor load line at full power
• (3V)2/2 watts 4.5 ohms
• Optimum transistor load line at 10 power
• (3V)2/0.2 watts 45 ohms
• High Q MEMS Capacitors adjust output impedance
  and PA internal matching
• Possibly separate harmonic adjustment
• Maintain efficiency near 50

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Summary

• Handsets and other Wireless Platforms Require an
  Increasing Number of Complex Filters and Switches
• Filters Limit Level of Integration and Cost
  Reduction
• Only WiSpry Offers High Performance, Tunable
  Filters and Switches That Are Integrated with
  Active Silicon, Optimizing Size, Power, Cost and
  Performance