Speed-critical applications in telecommunications and other
areas demand extremely high switching speeds that can only
be achieved by adding bipolar transistors to a high-performance
analog CMOS process. TI’s leadership in developing BiCMOS
processes gives us an edge in creating high-speed analog and
mixed-signal products such as high-resolution data converters
that feature a wide dynamic range and high amplifier bandwidth.
Superior speed, crosstalk and jitter capabilities improve
the performance of interface devices such as buffer-translators,
crosspoint switches and equalizers.
Products such as these complement advanced digital signal
processors (DSPs) in wireless infrastructure equipment such
as base stations and consumer electronics equipment, providing
more channel capacity and wider bandwidth packaged into less
space.
BiCom3
A Cross-Sectional View of BiCom3 NPN and PNP Transistors
The BiCom3 High-Speed BiCMOS process is designed for exceptionally
high-frequency operation in signal conditioning and data conversion.
Adding the speed of silicon-germanium (SiGe) bipolar transistors
to 5-V, 0.35-micron CMOS logic, the BiCom3 process is designed
with the best high performance component set. As the industry’s
first production process to feature complementary SiGe PNP
and NPN transistors, BiCom3 offers high voltage, high transistor
gain, high fT (maximum unity gain frequency), low capacitance
for low THD and low power consumption. All of these features
are critical to wireless, as well as other communications
equipment. Other features include MIM capacitors, trench isolation
for circuit protection, and nickel-chromium-aluminum (NiCrAl)
thin-film resistors with low sheet resistance (RS) to handle
high currents. Silicon-on-insulator (SOI) techniques provide
low, highly linear capacitance and improve isolation and speed.
Leveraging the BiCom3 process is the THS45xx
high-speed, low noise, low distortion and fully differential
amplifiers. This family of devices drives high-speed analog-to-digital
converters (ADC) in demanding applications such as test and
measurement, medical imaging, wireless infrastructure and
industrial applications.
TI’s ADS5440
was also developed in BiCom3. This 13-bit, 210MSPS analog-to-digital
converter (ADC) features 68 dB signal-to-noise ratio (SNR)
and 79 dB spurious-free dynamic range (SFDR), at the maximum
sample rate of 210MSPS and an input frequency of 230MHz. Breakthrough
dynamic performance achieved by the new ADS5440 enables improved
receiver performance in a multitude of applications, including
software-defined radios, basestation power amplifier linearization
systems, as well as test and measurement systems.
Other products using BiCom3 include TMDS341
that provides best-in-class signal conditioning and switching
for HDMI and DVI digital video. It is a three-port device
that supports four Transition Minimized Differential Signaling
(TMDS) channels, one hot plug detector and an I²C interface
on each port. Each TMDS channel allows signaling rates up
to 1.65 Gbps. The TMDS341 provides fixed, 8-dB input equalization
and selectable, 3-dB output de-emphasis to optimize system
performance through 5-m or longer DVI-compliant cables.
The SN65LVCP40
data buffer/signal conditioner, with a dual multiplexer, allows
designers of communications systems to upgrade 1-Gbps systems
to 4-Gbps without redesigning their backplanes. The LVCP40
provides four selectable levels of output pre-emphasis. Receiver
equalization on the inputs compensates for intersymbol interference
(ISI) effects. The equalization is optimized to compensate
for a 20-inch FR-4 backplane trace with 5-dB, high-frequency
loss between 375-MHz and 1.875-MHz.
For more information:
- BiCMOS Technology for High-Speed Precision Analog White Paper (bctm_03.pdf, 361 KB)
19 Apr 2006 Download
- Enhanced 5V Complementary SiGe BiCMOS Technology White Paper (ecs_04.pdf, 128 KB)
19 Apr 2006 Download
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