At MWC Barcelona, Resonant Inc is showcasing its XBAR resonator technology used in RF filters for 5G Applications. The new filter, created using Resonant’s Infinite Synthesized Networks (ISN) design technology, is on display at the company’s MWC demonstration suite in Barcelona.
ISN allows Resonant to develop new RF filters quickly because of the accuracy of the proprietary acoustic and electromagnetic models. In the very first wafers of XBAR filters the measured resonator performance is consistent with Resonant’s simulations. Through consistent measured to model performance the company is confident that they can consistently design new and more complex filters quickly. The market timing of the successful validation of this XBAR filter is aligned well with the timing of device manufacturers bringing true 5G devices to market in 2020.
Thanks to ISN, the design and fabrication of the new filter took only a few months since the company first announced its breakthrough XBAR resonator structures in October 2018. More, and increasingly complex, filters will be required for 5G, putting further demand on design capacity to meet growing mobile RF front-end requirements. Companies that partner with Resonant will be able to leverage the power of the ISN platform to improve design efficiency and dramatically reduce the number of fab turns, allowing incumbent suppliers to maintain or increase their market share and new market entrants to compete in this dynamic and rapidly growing market.
In early tests, the prototype XBAR filters have demonstrated greater than 500 MHz of bandwidth in the 5 GHz frequency range. Many high data rate, 5G data services will operate in this frequency range, which is difficult to support using current RF filter technology. The early XBAR devices measured approximately 1 dB of pass-band insertion loss (from the center of the pass-band), minimizing the transmit signal loss, and hence prolonging battery life. The filter size measures 1.8 mm x 1.8 mm, a form factor optimal for mobile devices.
The XBAR resonators are new bulk acoustic wave (BAW) structures developed by Resonant using ISN. Company engineers have previously used ISN to design surface acoustic wave (SAW) and temperature-compensated SAW (TC-SAW) filters. By using ISN to design and simulate the performance of BAW resonators, Resonant was able to create a technology that has the performance needed for high-performance 5G devices, yet uses existing manufacturing processes for fast production and low unit costs.
With XBAR, Resonant can develop new “greenfield” filter designs for both high frequency and large bandwidth that do not currently have competing acoustic filter options. The company plans to make its first XBAR filter, supporting band n79, available for licensing through its Filter IP Standard Library. The company is currently qualifying foundry partners in order to provide a turnkey solution for customers. The company expects to have foundries qualified and producing parts as early as the third quarter of 2019.
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