Shrinking the "Blue Module," a host-controller-interface-level Bluetooth radio module, to 9.8 by 9.6 by 1.8 mm didn't spare integration and performance. In fact, both rose to even higher levels.
Developed by Murata Electronics, the Blue Module is built on a low-temperature cofired ceramic (LTCC) substrate that houses CSR's Bluetooth IC and approximately 40 discrete components (see the figure, a). Features include an integrated transmit-and-receive switching function and improved receive sensitivity, which eliminates the need for a low-noise amplifier. Target pricing for the Bluetooth 1.1 certified module is approximately $15 to $20, with a lead time of 16 weeks.
Another Bluetooth 1.1-certified device is the MT0755A, a system-on-a-chip (SoC) created by Microtune. The MT0755A integrates a Bluetooth radio and baseband processing in one 8- by 8-mm BGA (see the figure, b). The IC also features flash memory, analog-to-digital converters, a G711 audio codec, dual universal asynchronous receiver-transmitter/serial peripheral interface (UART/SPI) ports, and a variety of general-purpose I/O pins. Samples will be available in the fourth quarter with production planned for the first quarter of 2003. In quantities of 100,000, pricing is $7.50.
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