RFaxis announced its RFX2401C second-generation, pure-CMOS based single-chip/single-die RF Front-end Integrated Circuit (RFeIC) has been designed into AirMicro's AM-207S, high-power ZigBee module, and is ready for mass deployment to the smart meter and wireless sensor network markets in multiple countries including China, Vietnam and Japan. RFaxis will demonstrate the AirMicro AM-207S module at CES 2012 in Las Vegas, from Jan. 10-12, 2012.

AirMicro is a leading wireless system, module development and consulting venture company in Japan. The AM-207S is AirMicro's fifth-generation ZigBee module that incorporates the ST Microelectronics STM32W, a complete and popular IEEE 802.15.4 SoC which combines the benefits of a best-in-class radio platform with the added performance, flexibility and scalability of the STM32 microcontroller architecture featuring an advanced 32-bit ARM Cortex-M3 processor. While the standalone STM32W device can transmit up to +7dBm output power and achieve -100dBm receiver sensitivity, AirMicro's high-power AM-207S module is capable of delivering +22dBm transmit power, as well as significantly improved receive sensitivity with minimal additional design, due to the outstanding performance, exceptional simplicity and compactness of RFX2401C.

"We are pleased to have this opportunity to partner with RFaxis," commented Yasushi Kisanuki, president of AirMicro "AirMicro has a long history developing ZigBee modules. Our first-generation ZigBee products started shipping five years ago. Recently, when choosing RF front-end solutions for our fifth-generation ZigBee modules, we were pleasantly surprised by the extremely simple and high performing RFX2401C from RFaxis, thanks to the hard-working staff at Silicon Technology who introduced the part to us. The RFX2401C allowed our new AM-207S module to achieve excellent output power of +22dBm with minimal PCB size and BOM cost, helping us to further strengthen the competitiveness of our solutions over rival vendors in the rapidly growing smart energy and wireless sensor networks market place."

"Following multiple design-wins with our first-generation RFX2401, we are now seeing rapid market acceptance of our new pure-CMOS based RFX2401C, which is offered as a pin-compatible solution with even better cost-performance advantages," said Mike Neshat, chairman and CEO of RFaxis, "We are delighted to have our RFX2401C qualified by AirMicro and see that our innovative CMOS RFeICs continue to deliver clear values and benefits to our customers and the global Smart Meters/Smart Energy ecosystem."

RFaxis' RFX2401C is a fully integrated, single-chip/single-die RFeIC that incorporates all RF Front end functionality needed for 2.4GHz IEEE 802.15.4/ZigBee, AMR/AMI, wireless sensor network, wireless audio/video and other ISM applications. The RFX2401C comes complete with a high-efficiency power amplifier (PA), low noise amplifier (LNA), transmit and receive port switch, antenna switch, impedance matching network, harmonic filters and CMOS control logic all integrated onto a single silicon die and delivered in an ultra-compact 3x3x0.45mm 16-lead QFN package. The new RFX2401C, based on pure-CMOS process, is pin-compatible with its BiCMOS predecessor RFX2401 that has been designed into multiple platforms using major IEEE 802.15.4/ZigBee chipsets including Atmel, Beken, Freescale, Nordic, NXP, and Texas Instruments, among others. RFX2401C is in volume production and available through RFaxis' worldwide distributors.