Chip lifecycle / RF lifecycle / Standards & Band Requirements

Standards & Band Requirements

Turning the market need into the radio requirements the product must meet: the frequency bands and channel plans, the air interface standards and their releases, the transmit power, receiver sensitivity, linearity, noise, efficiency and coexistence targets, and the regulatory and certification regimes of each target market, written down as a requirements baseline that every later budget traces to.

Where this stage sits

This stage with its neighbours. Each row is a discipline active here, shaded by how mature its work is by the end of each stage.

Stage

^A01 Standards & Band RequirementsYou are here

^A02 Architecture & Link Budget

^A03 Technology Choice

Product milestones

CAConcept approval PPProduct plan agreed

RF engineering milestones

RBRequirements baseline AFArchitecture and link budget baseline TSTR1Technology selected

Product, standards and market^AO

0.0^O

0.3

0.5

RF system architecture and link budget^A

0.0^A

0.3^A

0.5

Technology, devices and models^A

0.0

0.3

0.5^A

RF and mmWave circuit design^D

0.0

0.3

0.5

Electromagnetic modelling and extraction^A

0.0

0.3

0.5

RF layout and physical verification^D

0.0

0.3

0.5

RF verification and system simulation^A

0.0

0.3

0.5

Calibration, control and firmware^A

0.0

0.3

0.5

Module, package and antenna-in-package^A

0.0

0.3

RF characterisation and measurement^D

0.0

Regulatory and conformance testing^A

0.0^A

0.3

0.5

Quality and reliability^A

0.0

Operations, supply and end of life^AA

Key0.0Specified0.3Sketched0.5Simulated0.8Feature complete1.0CompleteFreezeFrozenFaded block: still at the step shown before it, Held below Complete or Maintained under change control once complete or frozenFreeze or sign-off pointMilestone for one item; the rest of the work carries onMilestone gateTRTechnical readiness review (TR): a gate that checks the technology is ready before the next commitment.You are here: Standards & Band RequirementsAI impactDisruption (red)Augmentation (blue)Opportunity (green)How AI is changing the workWhat the steps mean What the codes mean

Show this chart as a list

Stages

Standards & Band Requirements (this stage)^A
Architecture & Link Budget^A
Technology Choice^A

Product milestones

RF engineering milestones

Requirements baseline (RB)
Architecture and link budget baseline (AF)
Technology selected (TS) (technical readiness review TR1)

Disciplines

Product, standards and market^AO
- Standards & Band Requirements: maturity 0.0, Specified. Opportunity accepted, with the target bands, standards and markets listed and the product requirements baselined.^O
- Architecture & Link Budget: maturity 0.3, Sketched. Business case and product plan drafted alongside the architecture and link budget.
- Technology Choice: maturity 0.5, Simulated. Product plan agreed and development committed: cost, schedule, bands and certification scope are set.
RF system architecture and link budget^A
- Standards & Band Requirements: maturity 0.0, Specified. Requirements specification baselined: every band, power, sensitivity, linearity and coexistence target is written with how it will be verified.^A
- Architecture & Link Budget: maturity 0.3, Sketched. Architecture chosen and the link budget closes on paper for the candidate technologies, with block targets allocated.^A
- Technology Choice: maturity 0.5, Simulated. Link budget rechecked on the selected technology's device models and frozen there, with block specifications final.; Architecture and link budget frozen (milestone for one item)
Technology, devices and models^A
- Standards & Band Requirements: maturity 0.0, Specified. Technologies able to reach the bands, output power and noise figure listed, with the foundry contacts and the model needs agreed; no comparison yet.
- Architecture & Link Budget: maturity 0.3, Sketched. Candidate technologies compared and their device and process options summarised for the architecture.
- Technology Choice: maturity 0.5, Simulated. Technology selected, design kit version identified and device models checked at the product's frequencies and powers.^A
RF and mmWave circuit design^D
- Standards & Band Requirements: maturity 0.0, Specified. Hardest blocks for the bands and standards (power amplifier, low-noise amplifier, synthesiser) named, with their feasibility and design effort estimated; no topologies yet.
- Architecture & Link Budget: maturity 0.3, Sketched. Topologies sketched from hand analysis against the block allocations, with device and matching choices listed.
- Technology Choice: maturity 0.5, Simulated. Topologies simulate at nominal conditions on the selected technology's device models.
Electromagnetic modelling and extraction^A
- Standards & Band Requirements: maturity 0.0, Specified. Frequency range and the structures likely to need electromagnetic models noted, with the solver set-up and modelling effort agreed; no models yet.
- Architecture & Link Budget: maturity 0.3, Sketched. Structures that need electromagnetic models listed, with the modelling approach and test structures planned.
- Technology Choice: maturity 0.5, Simulated. Substrate and metal stack set up from the selected kit, with first electromagnetic models of the key passives.
RF layout and physical verification^D
- Standards & Band Requirements: maturity 0.0, Specified. Layout effort estimated from the number of RF paths and the isolation the bands need, with the layout owner agreed; no die area estimate yet.
- Architecture & Link Budget: maturity 0.3, Sketched. Die area, pad ring and the space the passives need estimated with the architecture.
- Technology Choice: maturity 0.5, Simulated. Floorplan drawn on the selected technology, with passive footprints and RF paths placed.
RF verification and system simulation^A
- Standards & Band Requirements: maturity 0.0, Specified. Standards tests to reproduce in simulation (modulated signals, error vector magnitude, spectral masks) listed, with the verification owner and effort agreed; the approach comes with the architecture.
- Architecture & Link Budget: maturity 0.3, Sketched. Verification approach outlined: the modulated-signal tests, the control and calibration paths and the models to use.
- Technology Choice: maturity 0.5, Simulated. Verification plan drafted and test benches with modulated signals running on the first circuits.
Calibration, control and firmware^A
- Standards & Band Requirements: maturity 0.0, Specified. Calibration and control needs set by the standards (power control accuracy, gain steps, image and leakage correction) listed, with the owner agreed; no approach yet.
- Architecture & Link Budget: maturity 0.3, Sketched. Control and calibration approach outlined from the architecture.
- Technology Choice: maturity 0.5, Simulated. Control and calibration specification drafted, with the calibration loops simulated at system level.
Module, package and antenna-in-package^A
- Architecture & Link Budget: maturity 0.0, Specified. Module and package needs listed from the architecture: what sits off chip, the antenna and the thermal path.
- Technology Choice: maturity 0.3, Sketched. Module and package concept chosen for the selected technology.
RF characterisation and measurement^D
- Technology Choice: maturity 0.0, Specified. Bench capability for the bands, powers and modulation checked, with equipment gaps, their lead times and the de-embedding approach agreed; no measurement plan yet.
Regulatory and conformance testing^A
- Standards & Band Requirements: maturity 0.0, Specified. Regulatory and certification plan drafted for every target market.^A
- Architecture & Link Budget: maturity 0.3, Sketched. Certification schemes, accredited laboratories and the test modes the part needs listed for each market.
- Technology Choice: maturity 0.5, Simulated. Certification scope and budget agreed with the product plan; testing waits for hardware.
Quality and reliability^A
- Technology Choice: maturity 0.0, Specified. Reliability plan outlined from the technology choice.
Operations, supply and end of life^AA
- Technology Choice: maturity 0.0, Specified. Supply plan outlined for wafers, substrates, filters, assembly and test.
Program management^A
- Standards & Band Requirements: maturity 0.0, Specified. Program plan outlined for the concept.
- Architecture & Link Budget: maturity 0.3, Sketched. Integrated plan drafted across die, module, software, certification and supply.
- Technology Choice: maturity 0.5, Simulated. Program plan agreed and the risk register opened; schedule and risks are tracked through design.

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