Date: 09/02/2010

New short-range wireless tech from Sony for transferring media data

Sony has developed millimeter-wave wireless intra-connection technology, which can be integrated inside the semiconductor chip for high-speed wireless data transferring inside electronic products such as television sets. By replacing complicated wires and internal circuitry with wireless connections, this technology enables a reduction in the size and cost of the IC and other components used in electronics products, delivering advantages such as size and cost-reduction and enhanced reliability of the final product.

This wireless technology, which can be used in Digital TVs and such systems, can save complex wiring both on PCB and outside PCB and reduce complicated IC packages.

The wireless frequency used is in the range of 30GHz to 300GHz whose wavelength measures in the range of 1 millimeter to 10 millimeter enabling use of very small antennas. Sony has integrated highly energy efficient millimeter-wave circuits on 40nm semiconductor chip designs (with an active footprint of just 0.13mm2 including both the transmitter and receiver), to realize high speed, 11Gbps data transfer over a distance of 14mm using antennas approximately 1mm in size.

Another notable advantage is the data transfer can happen without contact, this enhances the reliability of movable and detachable parts within the product.

Sony is presenting this at popular ongoing semiconductor industry event "International Solid State Circuits Conference 2010" in San Francisco CA (Feb7 - 11).

By adopting an injection lock system that eliminates PLL, Sony has enabled synchronized detection over small size circuits, while also minimizing power consumption and providing sufficient transmission range for successful intra-connection.

This technology, used together with miniature antennas approximately 1mm in length, enable transmission speeds of 11Gbps over a distance of 14mm, with power consumption of 70mW. It is possible for this distance to be extended to around 50mm using high directivity antennas.