0421 Mw Nxp Qfn Wi Fi 6 6 E Modules Promo 60872e0f81bf3

Wi-Fi 6/6E Comes to Handsets in QFN Front-End ICs

April 28, 2021

NXP looks to get ahead of the curve on Wi-Fi 6/6E adoption in growing markets like industrial applications, the IoT, and home/enterprise access points.

David Maliniak

Related To: Microwaves & RF

Over the next few years, Wi-Fi 6 and 6E technologies are poised to grab a big piece of the growing connectivity market in applications such as wireless online access, automotive, industrial/IoT, and portable devices. And NXP Semiconductors, already very well established in those markets, knows that the market will be hungry for front-end ICs (FEICs) in compact form factors like the quad-flat no-leads (QFN) package.

That’s why the Netherlands-based semiconductor maker is betting on its lineup of Wi-Fi FEICs in packages including the QFN, chip-scale packages (CSPs), and RF front-end modules (RFFEs) for applications such as smartphones and computing devices.

NXP says that OnePlus has chosen its WLAN7205C QFN RFFE for Wi-Fi 6 for its latest flagship smartphone, the OnePlus 9, making that handset the industry’s first to feature a Wi-Fi 6E QFN device. That device, a single-channel RFFE, packs a monolithic integrated SiGe power amplifier, switch, and low-noise amplifier to improve the range capability of the handset’s Wi-Fi communications.

The WLAN7205C covers from 5.150 to 7.125 GHz, which enables it to range across the 5-GHz Wi-Fi 6 band and beyond into the 6-GHz Wi-Fi 6E (Extended) spectrum, where device OEMs can reap the rewards of uncongested frequencies that lend 5G-like performance to Wi-Fi connectivity. It features five transmit modes per band and two receive modes.

An advantage of the 2- × 2-mm QFN module is that it can be placed close to the antenna, reducing trace losses, as opposed to dual-channel, modular solutions available in the market. This improves transmission and reception, increases battery life for longer Wi-Fi usage, and enables faster data transmission for an improved user experience. The device’s high level of integration is what makes the smallest QFN package possible.

What’s more, the WLAN7205C includes integrated RF decoupling capacitors for all V_CC and control pins and requires no external matching components to gain a 50-Ω impedance into the antenna. That saves even more space within the handset.

About the Author

David Maliniak | Executive Editor, Microwaves & RF

I am Executive Editor of Microwaves & RF, an all-digital publication that broadly covers all aspects of wireless communications. More particularly, we're keeping a close eye on technologies in the consumer-oriented 5G, 6G, IoT, M2M, and V2X markets, in which much of the wireless market's growth will occur in this decade and beyond. I work with a great team of editors to provide engineers, developers, and technical managers with interesting and useful articles and videos on a regular basis. Check out our free newsletters to see the latest content.

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About me:

In his long career in the B2B electronics-industry media, David Maliniak has held editorial roles as both generalist and specialist. As Components Editor and, later, as Editor in Chief of EE Product News, David gained breadth of experience in covering the industry at large. In serving as EDA/Test and Measurement Technology Editor at Electronic Design, he developed deep insight into those complex areas of technology. Most recently, David worked in technical marketing communications at Teledyne LeCroy, leaving to rejoin the EOEM B2B publishing world in January 2020. David earned a B.A. in journalism at New York University.