For the next generation of low-cost, battery operated, wireless IoT products, the design goal is to provide RF signal range and stability, while also reducing power consumption, in a miniaturised package. As a result, RF chipset manufacturers are increasingly fine-tuning and improving their products, Johanson Technology has released a chipset specific integrated passive device designed to do just this.
LoRa and LoRaWAN are already the ‘de facto technology for Internet of Things (IoT) networks worldwide’ and will provide long-range connectivity for a variety of IoT applications including next generation ‘smart’ everything – cities, homes, buildings, agriculture, metering, supply chain and logistics, and others.
Using Johanson’s integrated passive device (IPD) 0900FM15D0039, overall PCB space and component count can be significantly reduced. This IPD’s performance has shown to meet (and in some cases exceed) the original discrete reference design in terms of fundamental and harmonic power. With this device, the entire front end RF matching network is reduced to a single EIA 0805 (2.0mm x 1.25mm) component. It is recommended for applications where PCB space is a priority along with consistency of RF performance over production.
For the LoRa platform, specifically, the ability to integrate all the RF components into a much smaller, low profile package would only increase the attractiveness of the chipset for miniaturised, battery powered IoT products. Without this option, OEM’s would have to design the entire capacitor/inductor scheme and mount many separate components onto the printed circuit board.
To meet the requirements, Johanson Technology collaborated with Semtech to develop an IPD that serves as an Impedance-Matched-Balun-Filter.
Manufactured using Low Temperature Cofired Ceramic (LTCC) technology that allows the passive components to be layered ‘three-dimensionally’, IPDs deliver the same functionality as 10 to 40 individual RF components. With this approach, the entire front-end between the chipset and the antenna is manufactured in a single, ultra-low profile package that is less than 40% the total size of the same circuit comprised of discrete components.
The Impedance-Matched-Balun-Filter is designed to operate within the license-free 868 MHz RF band used in Europe and the 915 MHz band for Australia and the Americas. The product pairs seamlessly with Semtech’s LoRa and LoRa Smart Home RF transceivers SX1261, SX1262, and LLCC68.