Date: 24/05/2010

Bluetooth IC connect directly to antenna without an external balun

ST Microelectronics has introduced two new ICs, The BAL-2593D5U and BAL2690-D3U, that allow designers to connect an antenna to a Bluetooth transceiver using a single chip. These are integrated with baluns that is used to convert the antenna signal to a balanced pair of signals as required by the Bluetooth transceiver. They replace traditional baluns built with discrete components. This device is said to occupy up to 70% less printed-circuit-board area.

The ICs comprise of Integrated Passive Devices (IPD) fabricated using IPD-on-glass process. This is said to deliver predictable RF performance compared to other integrated baluns, which require additional external matching components.

The BAL-2593D5U uses the STLC2500D standalone Bluetooth transceiver and STLC2592/3 combo devices, which implement an FM radio tuner enabling users to listen to radio directly on a Bluetooth headset. The BAL-2690D3U is designed to partner the STLC2690, a Bluetooth /FM-tuner combo that also adds a short-range FM transmitter allowing the user to play stored music through a system such as a car radio.

Key features of ST's integrated baluns:

The features of BAL-2593D5U:

--50/50+j50 Ohm impedance
--1.16 x 1.26mm footprint, sub-0.7mm profile
--1.2dB insertion loss
--Matches STLC2592/3, STLC2500D

The features of BAL-2690D3U:

--50/30+j25 Ohm impedance
--0.91 x 0.91mm footprint; sub-0.7mm profile
--0.8dB insertion loss
--Matches STLC2690

Package: 4-bump flip-chip

Price: Priced at US$0.25 for a minimum order of 5000 pieces

Availability: Now