Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd. announced its successful development of the world's first and smallest SAW duplexer and RF SAW filter for IMT-2000 (*) 1.7GHz band. The newly-developed products are intended for domestic sales in Japan.
Outside dimension of the SAW duplexer is 3.0 x 2.5 x 0.8 (max.) mm. This tiny package contains functionalities of a transmission filter and a reception filter that can share one antenna. IMT-2000 1.7GHz for Japan frequency band with such a small-size component was realized by assembling cutting-edge technologies for element electrode design and packaging. Low loss and high isolation were also achieved simultaneously by ingenuity in electrode design.
RF SAW filter's overall size is 1.35 x 1.05 x 0.6 (max.) mm, and it has a functionality to let transmission and reception signals pass through specified frequency bands. Gathering the leading-edge technology in element electrode design and mold achieved the IMT-2000 1.7GHz band for Japan in a small chip.
Murata pioneered development of these products for cellular phones and has shipped samples in cooperation with NTT DoCoMo, Inc., (NTT DoCoMo, Head office: Tokyo, Japan President and Chief Executive Officer: Masao Nakamura) who shows great interest in operating the newly-licensed IMT-2000 1.7GHz frequency band in Japan. Such accomplishment became possible by revising element electrode design, as well as connection and molding methods of the package. Refining material for electrodes also actualized lowest loss levels achievable within bandwidth, high attenuation in duplex band, and high isolation.
Commercial production is scheduled to start in January, 2006. The initial production capacity of IMT1.7G SAW duplexer will be over two million per month, while over four million IMT-2000 1.7GHz band RF SAW filter will be produced each month.
With a rapid distribution of 3rd-generation cellular phones in Japan, traffic volume is straining bands of radio wave. Because of such situation, a new 1.7GHz band will be authorized for domestic cellular phone usage. Murata pioneered development of products for cellular phones in cooperation with NTT DoCoMo, who show great interest in operating this frequency band.
Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd. achieved the world's smallest package, as we have announced, by combining cutting-edge technologies we cultivated thus far in thin film microfabrication, high-density packaging and plastic mold. Devising electrode design was also a factor in achieving lowest loss levels achievable within bandwidth, high attenuation in duplexer band, and high isolation simultaneously.
*1 IMT-2000
There are transmission methods of W-CDMA which was developed by NTT DoCoMo, Ericsson, cdma2000 which was developed by centering on QUALCOMM, and TD-SCDMA which is original method of China.
