Semtech rolls sub-GHz multi-PHY mode transceiver

PARIS – Analog and mixed-signal semiconductor vendor Semtech Corp. said it has introduced the SX1257, a low power digital I/Q RF multi-mode PHY transceiver. Suitable for smart metering applications, the SX1257 supports mandatory and optional 802.15.4g PHY modes, including orthogonal frequency division multiplexing.

Semtech claimed that its SX1257 single-chip Zero-IF RF-to-digital front-end transceiver is designed for today's high performance multi-PHY mode or SDR ISM band RF applications. The SX1257 has a maximum signal bandwidth of 500 kHz in both transmission and reception. It is intended as a high performance, low-cost RF-to-digital converter and provides a generic RF front-end that allows several constant and non-constant envelope modulation schemes to be handled, such as the MR-FSK, MR-OFDM and MR-O-QPSK PHYs of the IEEE 802.15.4g standard for Smart Utility Networks (SUN) and Smartgrid applications in the 862 - 960 MHz license-exempt frequency bands, the company said.

The SX1257 can operate in both half and full-duplex mode and is compliant with ETSI, FCC and ARIB regulatory requirements. It is available in a MLPQ-W 5 x 5 mm 32 lead package.

SX1257 features:
• Fully flexible I and Q modulator and demodulator
• Half or full-duplex operation
• Bullet-proof RX LNA
• Analog TX and RX pre-filtering
• Programmable tap TX FIR-DAC filter
• Linear TX amplifier for both constant and non-constant envelope modulation schemes

Applications:
. IEEE 802.15.4g SUN Multi-PHY Mode Smartgrid
. Cognitive / Software Defined Radio (SDR)



Pricing and availability
The SX1257 (order code: SX1257IWLTRT) is available immediately in production quantities. It is priced at $1.80 each in 10,000 piece lots.

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