First commercially available 480Mbps Certified Wireless USB/WiMedia PHY
Austin, TX October 10, 2005 – Alereon, a leading fabless semiconductor company developing wireless solutions for the WiMedia and Wireless USB (W-USB) markets, today announced two new products: The AL4000 PHY chipset and the AL4300, a combined W-USB Media Access Controller (MAC) and BaseBand Processor (BBP). The AL4000 PHY chipset consists of the AL4100 Analog Front End (AFE), and the AL4200 BBP. The AL4300, when combined with the AL4100 AFE makes a complete two chip W-USB solution for portable products, PC peripherals and consumer electronics products.
The AL4100 AFE is a highly integrated WiMedia based RF transceiver designed to optimize throughput while minimizing the power per Megabyte transferred in noisy RF environments. Featuring superior interference rejection capability and support for all WiMedia data rates up to 480 Mbps in both TFI and FFI time frequency modes, the AL4100 assures maximum throughput in the office, at home, or on-the-go. For ease of integration, the AL4100 includes an internal transmit/receive switch, power amplifier, all required filters and synthesizers, and a single ended antenna output eliminating the need for an external balun. When combined with the AL4200 BBP, a crystal and a small number of passive components, the two-chip set meets all mandatory WiMedia physical layer (PHY) specifications for band group 1 in a small footprint on a two layer circuit board. Implemented in highly cost effective 0.35 um SiGe BiCMOS from Jazz Semiconductor, the AL4100 is offered in a very small 5mm x 5mm 32-pin VQFN package.
The AL4200 BBP is a highly flexible WiMedia based BaseBand Processor including Alereon's CogniPHY™ cognitive radio technology. Designed to accommodate a wide variety of interference and regulatory scenarios, its highly programmable design includes extensive real time monitoring and diagnostic capabilities in excess of WiMedia requirements, all available through the standard WiMedia MAC/PHY interface. These features enable optimal system performance over a wide variety of operating conditions. The AL4200 supports all mandatory and optional data rates of the WiMedia PHY specifications from 55Mbps up to 480Mbps at full throughput and includes an industry standard WiMedia MAC/PHY interface for seamless integration with the wide variety of MACs, SOCs, and MPUs slated for release in 2006. The AL4200 is implemented in 130 nm CMOS and is available in a compact 10mm x 10mm 108-pin BGA package.
"Alereon's CogniPHY™ technology includes advanced spectral sampling and sculpting technology, advanced dynamic power control, and high dynamic range which allows our customers products to meet the regulatory requirements of many countries while simultaneously co-existing with other wireless systems in the UWB bands." said Dr. Jim Lansford, CTO of Alereon. "An Alereon AL4000 based design can meet the regulatory requirements of many countries with only software changes, simplifying regulatory compliance."
The AL4300 combination W-USB MAC and BBP is a highly integrated W-USB Device Controller for portable and PC peripheral applications. Designed to excel in handheld and mobile applications where space and power consumption are at a premium, the AL4300 and AL4100 provide a highly integrated two chip solution. The AL4300 features Alereon's Wireless-on-the-Go™ capability that allows it to establish a one-to-one connection with any W-USB compliant device. The AL4300's small size will enable Certified Wireless USB dongles no larger than an ordinary USB thumb drive. The AL4300 includes SDIO, Compact Flash (CF and CF+) and Parallel Bus interfaces for easy integration into digital cameras, MP3 Players, Media players and PC and consumer electronics peripherals.
"Programmability for ease of design around different country regulations is a very desirable feature, especially for emerging technologies and evolving standards," said Joyce Putscher, principal analyst with In-Stat. "As we have seen with other past emerging wireless technologies, offering a portfolio of options for implementation can open up increased design-win potential. Availability of silicon certainly is key for manufacturers to begin their design efforts."
"Alereon's engineering team was the first to demonstrate a 480Mbps PHY chipset and is again the first to ship fully compliant WiMedia and Wireless USB PHY production parts," said Eric Broockman, CEO of Alereon. "The announcement of our AL4000 product line further enhances Alereon's position as a leader in providing Certified Wireless USB and WiMedia UWB products to customers in our quest to eliminate the tangle of wires and cables around PC and consumer products".
The AL4100 and AL4200 samples are now available with production volumes available in the first quarter of 2006. Budgetary pricing for the AL4000 PHY chipset including the AL4100 and AL4200 is $9.86 in 10,000 piece quantities. The AL4300 MAC and BPP will be available in the first quarter of 2006.
About Alereon, Inc.
Alereon, Inc. is a fabless semiconductor company providing complete solutions for Certified Wireless USB and WiMedia ultra-wideband (UWB) applications. A technology pioneer, Alereon was first to demonstrate a WiMedia PHY running at 480Mbps in October of 2004. Alereon's products promise to replace the complex tangle of wiring used to interconnect today's consumer electronics, computer peripheral, and mobile devices with high-bandwidth, low-power, low-cost wireless links. Further information is available on the company's website: www.alereon.com .
