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Harris Semiconductor Announces Next Gen WLAN Solution: PRISM II Has Half the Chips, Half the Power, 4x the Range

Advanced SiGe process technology for high integration, lower power
Significant performance gains while reducing wireless system cost

SAN JOSE, CA, Wireless Symposium ‘99, February 23, 1999 – Harris has completely re-engineered its award-winning PRISM<®> WLAN chip set for dramatic reductions in IC and component counts and power consumption while increasing range and overall wireless performance. Three of the new chips use state-of-the-art silicon germanium (SiGe) process technology. The new chipset, named PRISM II, will reduce the first-generation PRISM chip set component count from eight ICs to only four and deliver Ethernet-equivalent speed.

"Widespread adoption of WLANs across the consumer, SOHO and enterprise markets is contingent upon the availability of a low cost, interoperable and high speed solution," said Ron Van Dell, vice president and general manager of Harris’ Communication Products Business. "PRISM II will allow manufacturers to deliver on all of these requirements, breaking new ground in the adoption of wireless to mainstream consumer and enterprise applications. We’re confident that the development of this next generation chip set solidifies Harris’ position as the clear market leader in enabling wireless networking technology."

Many of PRISM II’s improvements come from the new IC designs developed by Harris engineers; other improvements come from the use of SiGe process technology for three of the four new chips. The SiGe process Harris employs is a new technology developed by IBM Microelectronics that combines the integration and cost benefits of silicon with the speed of more esoteric and expensive technologies such as gallium arsenide (GaAs).

The resulting high level of integration and reduction in expensive external components will drastically reduce the bill-of-material (BOM) cost for WLAN products; Harris expects this cost to decrease by a third. Additionally, SiGe technology delivers the capability to reach bandwidth-rich frequencies beyond the 2.4 GHz spectrum – even up into the 25 GHz realm.

Coupled with its ability to hit a data rate speed of 11 megabits-per-second (Mbps), the PRISM II chip set delivers the additional benefits and high integration needed to develop high-performance wireless products for the enterprise networking market. One benefit is that it can downshift to slower data rates (5.5, 2, or 1 Mbps) when necessary to maintain the integrity of the wireless link should conditions deteriorate or as necessary to operate with legacy 802.11-compliant equipment working at only the 1 or 2 Mbps speed.

The PRISM II chip set’s four ICs implement a complete data communications radio operating in the 2.4 GHz Industrial Scientific and Medical (ISM) band at various data rates to a high of 11Mbps. From the antenna, the four chips are: the Power Amplifier and Detector (HFA3983), the RF-to-IF Converter (HFA3683), the I/Q Modulator/Demodulator and Synthesizer (HFA3783), and finally, the Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum Baseband Processor (HFA3861). The first three chips in the chain incorporate SiGe process technology, while the baseband processor is a highly integrated sub-micron CMOS circuit. Harris’ HFA3983 power amplifier is the most highly integrated IC ever developed using IBM SiGe technology, and effectively cuts the chip set’s power consumption in half.

According to IBM Microelectronics’ Bernie Meyerson, SiGe-based chips deliver a cutting-edge complement to Harris’ CMOS and BiCMOS technology due to their ability to provide greater design performance and flexibility. They also employ deep trench isolation, a noise-reduction methodology enabling designers to increase integration levels by placing functional blocks closer together on a single silicon die.

"Cutting-edge RF applications such as Harris’ PRISM will inevitably require circuit operation at frequencies as high as 30GHz, pushing the envelope for today’s ordinary silicon materials," Meyerson said. "SiGe-based devices offer significant performance improvements over current silicon technology and can be built at higher densities to improve integration level and BOM cost."

It complies now to the current IEEE 802.11 standard at 1 and 2 megabits per second (Mbps) data rate operation; it is expected to comply to the high rate (HR) extension to the IEEE802.11 worldwide standard when fully approved. Harris is an active participant on the 802.11 standard committee, and has been very involved in the development of the new HR extension.

Pricing and Availability
Pricing of the PRISM II chip set in 10K quantities is $36.07; in 100K volume, the price for the chip set is $32.01. Individual chips are priced as follows: the HFA3983 Power Amplifier and Detector is $3.59 (10K), $3.45 (100K); the HFA3683 RF-to-IF Converter is $8.66 (10K), $7.62 (100K); the HFA3783 I/Q Modulator/Demodulator and Synthesizer is $9.76 (10K), $8.59 (100K); and the HFA3861 DSSS Baseband Processor is $14.06 (10K), $12.65 (100K).

Some of the PRISM II chips are available for sampling now, with others becoming available over the next 60 days. All ICs will be in full production in June 1999. As with the previous PRISM chip set, Harris will develop and make available extensive design support tools such as complete Reference Designs, Reference Design Evaluation Boards, and individual IC Evaluation Boards. The PRISM II Reference Design is available now in first pass form; the final design is expected in May.

Harris Corporation's Semiconductor sector manufactures discrete semiconductors and integrated circuits. Product development efforts are focused on innovative "next level solutions" for the communications and power markets. The company’s portfolio of high-value products serve many market segments – automotive, industrial, PC computing, wireless networking, tele-communications, signal processing, PC multimedia, consumer electronics, defense and space.

Harris Corporation, with worldwide sales of $3.9 billion, is an international communications and electronics company that provides a wide range of products and services such as wireless and personal communications, digital television (HDTV), health care information, automotive electronics, transportation, business information, defense communications and information and Lanier office products.