Silicon Wave Delivers Single-Chip Cable Tuner

The SiW100 cable tuner integrated circuit (IC) is the first tuner to completely integrate all critical RF elements onto a single, low power device for cable modems and cable set top boxes. Designed by Silicon Wave (San Diego) to meet the price, power, and size requirements for consumer broadband access devices, the SiW100 chip includes all the front-end receiver and channel selection functions of a high performance dual-conversion CATV tuner in a single 48-pin leadless package. The SiW100 chip includes the front-end Low-Noise Amplifier (LNA), Automatic Gain Control (AGC), VCO, and Synthesizer with no external resonant elements.

Using experience gained from developing 2.4 GHz transceiver ICs for the Bluetooth market, Silicon Wave is achieving system level integration while still meeting the most demanding performance specifications of both distortion and low phase noise. The integrated VCO and synthesizer provide significant improvements by eliminating the need for externally 'tuning' the chip during production as well as emitting very low phase noise. The SiW100 chip performs clear and concise on-chip tuning over the entire cable system 880 MHz spectrum.

It dissipates less than one watt in full power mode and offers variable power and sleep modes optimal for services powered through the cable provider's network. Unlike other tuners recently announced, this design utilizes a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) BiCMOS process, which delivers lower power, smaller size and better isolation than traditional CMOS or bipolar technologies.

The highly integrated system-on-chip design of the SiW100 device achieves the demanding performance specifications required for the broadband CATV industry, including DOCSIS (256 QAM) specifications, while keeping total power dissipation below any other silicon solution announced. A low power, small tuner is essential for providing multiple tuners in a cable-based consumer broadband access device and more importantly, for cable telephony. In addition, the chip performs over the full outdoor, industrial temperature range from –40°C to +85°C. The SiW100 chip is also compatible with the US, European and Japanese cable requirements having a selectable IF-frequency output (36 MHz – 57 MHz).

The price for the SiW100 chip is expected to be under $10 in 10K lots; limited quantities will be available in the second quarter of 2000.