The 88W8997 from NXP Semiconductors is a Dual-Band 2.4/5 GHz 2x2 Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth 5.3 Wireless SoC for multi-user (MU) MIMO links. This SoC uses various design enhancements and is fabricated using a low-power 28 nm process technology to reduce the power consumption by up to 40% compared to existing solutions. This wireless SoC integrates dual-band power amplifiers (PAs), Low Noise Amplifiers (LNAs), and switches that result in a smaller footprint, lower Bill of Materials (BOM), easy chip-on-board, and an efficient module design. The Bluetooth 5.3 integrated into this module supports various features such as 2 Mbps LE and direction-finding using Angle of Arrival (AoA) and Angle of Departure (AoD).
The 88W8997 allows two independent radio links to run concurrently and at full throughput, without compromising the 2 x 2 MU-MIMO link. It also provides precise indoor location including IEEE 802.11mc as well as Bluetooth low energy direction-finding. This SoC is available in a package that supports various interfaces such as UART, USB 2.0, PCIe 3.0, SDIO 3.0, and PCM. It is ideal for TVs, gaming, set-top box, and mobile computing applications.
