初创公司首次利用单芯片完成UMTS毫微微蜂窝基站基带信号的处理

无晶圆厂半导体初创公司Percello新推出一款用于基带信号处理的高集成度SoC，希望能借此机会成功打入UMTS毫微微蜂窝基站(Femtocell)市场。（注，Femtocell，毫微微蜂窝基站，也被称作家庭基站或3G接入点，是一种扩展移动通信室内覆盖的解决方案，可以把用户手机发出的话音和数据呼叫传输到基于标准接口的3G核心网络，且它的家庭接入点即插即用，可连接到任何现有的基于IP的传送网络。）

目前，典型的毫微微蜂窝基站的基带处理方案通常要用到处理器和FPGA，但Percello认为，市场对更便宜和更简单的解决方案有很大的潜在需求。该公司最初推出的PRC6000基带芯片设计用作独立的Femtocell处理器和小区网关的子系统组件。PRC6000芯片将采用65 nm工艺生产，在2009年第一季度会首次推出样片。尽管Percello声称，相较DSP+FPGA和SDR的解决方案，该芯片的价格是其核心竞争因素，但Percello迄今为止没有透露有关其价格方面的消息。

PRC6000包含一个用于处理UMTS堆栈上层和回程信息堵塞的500 MHz MIPS24KC CPU和“毫微微蜂窝基站第一层引擎(FLE)”，FLE利用硬件加速器支持UMTS Rel-7 WCDMA L1功能以及MAC-hs和MAC-e功能（后两者分别为HSDPA和HSUPA协议所定义的MAC功能）。该芯片还整合了一个可编程CEVA TeakLite III DSP核用于处理L1控制功能。Percello称，该公司提供有现成软件，客户通过IUB接口即可实现所有这些功能，不必自己去对TeakLite处理器进行编程。

如图1所示，PRC6000还包括一系列扩展接口和外围，如，可支持数字RF和USIM接口、2G/3G检测器、PTP/NTP加速器和IP-SEC加速器。据Percello称，该芯片可处理8路呼叫，通过联接其它芯片还可将其容量进一步扩展。

Percello最大的竞争对手是picoChip公司，该无晶圆公司提供一系列picocell（微微蜂窝）和femtocell处理器。PicoChip已经在femtocell领域做出了巨大的努力并且已经向市场推出了产品，尽管目前该公司主打的产品还是在picocell应用方面。然而，picoChip公司最近宣布了一个新系列的产品PC30x，该系列产品专为femtocell设计并集成了更多的专用硬件和外围器件。

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Fabless semiconductor start-up Percello, is hoping to find success in the UMTS (cellular) femtocell market by offering a highly integrated SoC for baseband processing. Today, femtocell baseband processing is typically handled by a combination of processors and FPGAs, but Percello believes that the potential for high volumes means that a cheaper, simpler solution is needed. The company's initial product, the PRC6000 baseband chip, is designed to serve as a standalone femtocell processor and as a subsystem element for a residential gateway. The chip will be fabbed in a 65 nm process and tape-out is expected by the end of this year, with initial samples becoming available in the first quarter of 2009. Pricing has not been disclosed, though Percello claims that its chip price will be a key competitive advantage relative to DSP-plus-FPGA or SDR silicon-based solutions.

The PRC6000 contains a 500 MHz MIPS24KC CPU to handle the upper layers of the UMTS stack and backhaul traffic, and has what Percello calls a "femtocell layer 1 engine (FLE)" that utilizes hardware accelerators to support UMTS Rel-7 WCDMA L1 functions along with MAC-hs and MAC-e functions (the latter two are the MAC functions used with the HSDPA and HSUPA protocols, respectively). The chip also incorporates a programmable CEVA TeakLite III DSP core to handle the L1 control functions. Percello says that its customers will not program the TeakLite processor themselves; instead, the company provides off-the-shelf software to implement all of the functionality up to the IUB interface.

As shown in Figure 1, the PRC6000 also includes an extensive array of interfaces and peripherals, such as support for digital RF and USIM interfaces, 2G/3G sniffers, PTP/NTP accelerators, and IP-SEC accelerators. According to Percello, a single chip can handle eight calls, and higher capacity can be achieved by cascading chips.