radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC)
The acronym RFIC (Radio Frequency Integrated Circuit) covers analog single- chip transmitters/receivers. The RFIC solutions are ready-made analog ICs that only need to be equipped with a few external components specific to the application.
The advantage of RFIC technology over discrete RF circuits is primarily the shorter development time and the resulting time-to-market( T2M).
In RFICs, there are narrowband and wideband systems used in mobile communications, WLANs, satellite communications, broadcast technologies( DAB, DVB, DMB, MediaFLO, etc.) and proprietary RF communications systems. There are transceivers and RF power amplifiers, broadband modulators, microwave mixers, RF oscillators and fast A/D converters. Many well-known technologies and electronic circuits with transistors and field-effect trans istors are used in RFICs.
Discrete circuits are superior to RFIC technology in some RF parameters, such as phase noise and selectivity, which can be 20 dB or more better than RFICs.