Wave Systems Corp. (fka WAVXQ)

[mundo]

Cell Phones: The Next Convergence Centerpiece



The Mobile Phone has become the most ubiquitous electronic device in the world. With extremely large subscriber bases in most developed markets , the upcoming wave of growth in the cellular industry will be driven by feature-rich, multi-functional upgrade handsets, integrating voice communication with Internet access, imaging, and multimedia, as well as mobile payment and other applications of machine-machine communication in wireless local and personal area networks.

As communications functions converge with computing and consumer functions in today’s cellphones, the increasing pervasiveness of silicon content is both a blessing and a challenge to semiconductor suppliers. It enables the integration while it simultaneously forces the suppliers to address five key aspects of this convergence - mobility, connectivity, multimedia, storage, and security – in developing optimized solutions with the best combination of price, performance, and power consumption, in the shortest possible time.

The scope and focus of its industry-leading IP portfolio, complemented with an unparalleled range of process technologies and a world-class manufacturing machine, positions STMicroelectronics to play a key role in enabling mobile convergence solutions. The Company has pioneered the trend towards highly integrated devices, embedding multiple functions both on the silicon (System-on-Chip) and at the system level (System-in-Package), to constantly improve the performance/space/cost characteristics. In support of the quick and cost-effective introduction of its products, ST supplies chipsets with customizable reference designs and full software packages, from low-level drivers and embedded operating systems, up to middleware and application software.

As an active player in all major standardization initiatives, ST uses and promotes industry standards, open platforms, and interoperability to reduce complexity, costs, and time-to-market for its customers. The Company is a founder member of the Mobile Industry Processor Interface (MIPI) and the co-author, with Nokia, of the Standard Mobile Imaging Architecture (SMIA). ST also participates in the activities of the Open Mobile Terminal Platform (OMTP) group, which associates mobile operators and their key industry partners.

Mobility
In the cellular handset industry, mobility can be seen as a challenge of balancing the size, weight, and power-consumption limits of the device with the ever-increasing number of functions and features required by the market.

Its broad technology portfolio and advanced system know-how allows ST to meet the increasing demand for super-integrated solutions by combining different system functions on a single chip (SoC), including embedded programmable logic structures, integrating different types of passive and active elements on a monolithic silicon substrate, as well as stacking multiple chips - of the same or different type - in one package.

ST’s proprietary Integrated Passive and Active Devices (IPAD™) integrate functions such as electrostatic discharge protection and EMI (Electro-Magnetic Interference) filters at the phone’s keypad, display, SIM card, and power amplifier, offering as much as 50-80% space saving compared to discrete solutions, together with improved performance due to reduced parasitic effects. The Company’s NEATSwitch™ family of analog switches provides innovative data and audio switching solutions for mobile applications, establishing ST as one of the top Analog Switch suppliers.

ST uses its advanced multi-chip packaging (MCP) technologies to place a number of discrete chips inside a single package, either as a mix of different memory types or a combination of an application processor or a microcontroller with RAM and Flash. These single-package solutions improve reliability and minimize board space for phone manufacturers, allowing them to increase memory density by as much as a factor of eight in the same footprint.

ST’s cellular power-management portfolio includes devices designed to drive multimedia systems and generate high voltages for displays, cameras, and high-power torches (flashlights), as well as a multi-feature, constant-current, constant-voltage (CCCV) Li-Ion programmable battery charger.


Multimedia
Entering the era of multimedia mobile terminals in 3G networks, handset manufacturers turn to semiconductor suppliers for powerful yet power-efficient solutions for capturing, processing, and presenting audio, video, and image data.

ST’s multimedia capabilities span the complete spectrum of software and hardware, from highly sophisticated video processing algorithms to the industry’s most integrated and lowest power single-chip application processor.

Based on a distributed architecture with smart audio/video accelerators, ST´s Nomadik™ multimedia processing chips enable mobile phones to play music, take pictures, record video, and host real-time video communications, while reducing power consumption to a fraction of that of competing products.

The Nomadik platform supports all major mobile operating systems (Symbian, WinCE, Linux) and its modem-agnostic architecture is fully compatible with any baseband processor in 2.5G and 3G handsets. An open software framework provides physical abstraction and standard interfaces allowing application portability and seamless platform evolution.

Nomadik supports life-like mobile gaming experiences through built-in 3D software and a comprehensive audio library with sound enhancements and surround effects. Its rich array of peripheral-device interfaces includes simultaneous TV and color LCD outputs, as well as an input for an embedded camera.

The world’s largest supplier of CMOS-based mobile-phone cameras, ST offers best-in-class pixel performance, sensor, and module-development capabilities, and full ownership of the manufacturing flow. As the penetration of cameras in handsets continues to increase, the Company has set out to leverage its market leadership to promote camera-phone standards, in a joint effort with Nokia in 2004, aimed at lowering costs and providing multiple sourcing of this increasingly important component in today’s handsets.

In the user-interface area, ST produces controller and driver ICs for various handset display sizes and types, characterized by high response rates and superior power control, as well as a family of industry-leading devices for wireless audio applications
over WiFi and Bluetooth. ST’s broad range of high-performance audio amplifiers delivers top-quality stereo experience in embedded MP3 players and FM radio receivers, with a number of integrated functions such as volume regulation and jack detection.




Storage
The rapid advance of wireless multimedia applications pushes up the requirements for storage capacity within the limited space of a mobile phone.

As a recognized leader in semiconductor memories, ST offers a large family of memory products for cellular-terminal applications, including Flash, Serial Flash, low-power SRAM, and multiple (stacked) memories. Along with the continuous scaling down of process geometries, the Company has been developing advanced memory structures, such as multi-bit-per-cell Flash, tailored to the requirements for high density and small size in today’s multimedia handsets.

Leveraging its strengths in memories and Smart Cards, ST has designed a Java-accelerated 32-bit microcontroller chip for SIM card applications with an embedded megabyte of Flash, which combines large capacity with high-speed connectivity, essential in the oncoming 3G applications.

At the forefront of Package-Level Integration, ST offers multi-chip solutions that combine several dies in a single, small package. In ST’s multiple-memory BGA packages, the board area previously required for one gigabit (Gb) of memory is now able to accommodate one gigabyte (GB), using a stack of eight 1-Gbit dies. The Company has also developed an industry-unique triple-stack version of its Nomadik application processor, integrated with 512 Mbits of SDRAM and NAND Flash in a single space-saving package.

ConnectivityMobile phones have started to interact with other electronic devices in personal and local area networks. Embedded Bluetooth and WiFi chips are used in emerging applications of machine-to-machine (M2M) communication, including mobile commerce, networked homes, and in-car connectivity.

Drawing on its expertise and experience in the areas of RF, digital design, and software development, ST offers a comprehensive portfolio of Bluetooth and wLAN solutions optimized for integration into mobile handsets.

Rated with the world's lowest power consumption in its class (30% below best-in-market figures), ST‘s single-chip Bluetooth device offers excellent radio robustness, resulting in high throughput and unprecedented audio quality. This EDR-enabled (Enhanced Data Rate) device transfers up to 2.1 megabits per second and features strong co-existence mechanisms to optimize collocation with the same frequency radio technologies, such as wireless LAN.

Fitting into a rear-view mirror casing, ST’s two-chip Bluetooth hands-free car kit offers mobile connectivity on the road, with the support of echo cancellation and noise suppression for clear in-car conversation.

ST´s multi-mode wireless-LAN chipset solution, supported by a full reference design and complete software package, delivers low-cost dual-band operation. Its unique capability allows the radio to operate on two bands at the same time, thus avoiding the need for a second radio chip.

To support device interoperability in home entertainment, ST provides high-speed video drivers with integrated filters, which enable mobile phones to connect directly to an external monitor or television screen and view MPEG4 files and photos.


Security

The adoption of mobile interactive services, such as m-commerce, authentication, and digital rights management, depends on stringent security levels, critical in winning the confidence of consumers and service providers.

Security has been an area of special expertise for ST since its first secure memory chip in 1982. Building on the Company’s unsurpassed record of innovation and industry certification, ST’s latest set of software and hardware security features for protecting access to data on a NOR Flash memory features a self-activating read-protection mechanism to prevent unauthorized operations, such as viewing or duplication of the customer’s code.

Advanced security features of ST’s wireless application processors, including anti-tamper protection, secure boot loader, and a true random-number generator, provide a solid hardware security foundation for interactive multimedia and business services.

Orange’s new secure contactless payment application has implemented industry-standard Operator Virtual Machine (OVM) technology on ST Nomadik™ processors.
ST has also prototyped, in cooperation with Telecom Italia, an open mobile platform (OMP), where a handset, equipped with a modem-independent Nomadik™ application processor, communicates with a home server. OMP’s secure environment enables an authorized user to download, browse, or store any content, as well as remote-control home appliances, either using voice commands or via the keypad of their mobile phone.

October 2005

http://www.st.com/stonline/press/news/back2005/b9003h.htm