Sirius Launches Software-Configurable Chip For 3G Applications

Brussels, Belgium-based Sirius Communications has released a software-configurable chip for third-generation (3G) wireless designs. The new chip, dubbed CDMAx, is an intellectual property (IP) core that designers can use to speed and ease the development of emerging wideband CDMA (W-CDMA) systems.

To provide an integrated test solution, Sirius has included a reconfigurable W-CDMA IP core, an ARM7TDMI-based microcontroller subsystem from Alcatel Microelectronics (France), and an RF front end interface with analog-to-digital (A/D) and digital-to-analog (D/A) converters on the CDMAx test chip. Sirius also optimized the interface to the ARM7TDMI microcontroller and designed a control/data interface to the ARM-based subsystem to ease development and test.

To deliver a reconfigurable architecture, the new IP core includes flexible symbol rates and chipping rates. In addition, the product sports a random-access memory (RAM)-based pseudorandom noise (PN) code storage on chip, supports multiple modulation schemes, and features programmable pulse-shaping filters.

Standards support
CDMAx is specifically designed for the ARIB- and UMTS-supported W-CDMA specifications as well as GPS, Glonass, and upcoming GalileoSat systems. In addition, designers can use this chip during the development of both handset and base station designs.

The new chip is equipped with support for 4, 8, and 16 Mchips/s speed grades. It also features physical layer support for 8 kb/s to 2 Mb/s services.

Sirius will provide engineers with 3G development accelerator tools, which support reconfiguration software development and receiver performance analysis. The ARM software development toolkit and debugging tools can also be used with CDMAx.

The CDMAx IP core will be available for licensing to foundries and telecommunication companies in the fourth quarter of this year. For additional information, contact Sirius at +32-16-44-44-02.