STMicroelectronics introduced a number of antenna matching RF integrated passive devices

     STMicroelectronics has released nine RF integrated passive devices (RF IPDs) optimized for the STM32WL wireless microcontroller (MCU). New monolithic integrated antenna impedance matching, Balun and harmonic filtering circuits. All new products are available in a 2.13mm x 1.83mm 8-point wafer level chipgrade package with reflow thickness of less than 630µm.

     STMicroelectronics' STM32WL MCU is a series of wireless dual-core microcontroller chips. The Arm® Cortex®-M4 processing core handles application tasks and the Cortex-M0+ core specializes in managing sub-GHz remote RF communication capabilities, bringing application level processing and wireless communication capabilities to smart iot devices. The RF module complies with LPWAN iot standards, supports a variety of modulation methods and comes with the LoRaWAN® and Sigfox™ protocol stacks in the STM32CubeWL MCU package.

     RF IPDs are microchip-level packaged devices that connect the STM32WL MCU to the antenna, helping to maximize RF performance. Monolithic integration of all components ensures stable RF performance and avoids the influence of manufacturing process fluctuations on traditional matching circuits of discrete devices. RF IPDs also simplify circuit design, save material costs, and support more compact designs, making them ideal for cost-sensitive and space-constrained iot devices.

     Nine new RF IPDs allow designers to select the best parameters based on RF band and power, MCU package type, and two - or four-tier PCBS. BALFHB-WL-01D3 to BALFHB-WL-06D3 is suitable for 868MHz and 915MHz wireless communication. BALFLB-WL-07D3, BALFLB-WL-08D3 and BALFLB-WL-09D3 are suitable for 490MHz wireless communication. Each product is integrated with a complete transmit/receive channel between the MCU and the antenna. The integrated on-chip filter provides a highly attenuating capacity for excess and unwanted transmitted harmonics, helping designers meet global radio licensing Authority regulations.