ZL70103

Overview

The ultra-low-power ZL70103 RF transceiver chip supports a very high data rate RF link for medical implantable communication applications. The chip’s unique design allows patient health and device performance data to be quickly transmitted, with little impact to the useful battery life of the implanted device. The ZL70103 is designed for use both in implanted medical devices and in base stations and operates in the 402-MHz to 405-MHz MICS band (or Medical Implantable Communications Service band, which is a subset of the designated MedRadio frequency band). Merging Microsemi’s ultra-low-power and RF expertise, the ZL70103 delivers key performance and integration benefits. The chip is very flexible and supports several low-power wake-up options. Ultra-low-power operation is achieved using the 2.45-GHz ISM-band wake-up receiver option. The high level of integration includes a MAC (media access controller) providing coding and decoding of RF messages, forward error correction, and CRC (cyclical redundancy check) error detection to achieve an extremely reliable link. A standard serial peripheral interface (SPI) provides for easy access by the application.
In order to better support a wide range of use cases, the ZL70103 offers two new data rates of 18.18 and 40 kbit/s in addition to the data rates of 200 and 400 kbit/s used in its predecessor IC (the ZL70102). These new data rates provide significantly enhanced link budgets for difficult use cases such as deep implants or longer range applications.

RF Modules

To provide flexibility and simplified hardware design, the ZL70103 device is available in module format. This allows customers to both evaluate and implement a complete radio solution without having to spend significant engineering resources on RF development.

• ZL70323MNJ: MICS-Band RF Miniaturized Standard Implant Module (MiniSIM)
• ZL70123MNG7: MICS-Band RF Base Station Module (BSM)

Applications/Uses

The ZL70103 is ideal for RF telemetry systems used in implantable medical devices, external remote monitoring, and programming equipment utilizing the MICS band within the designated MedRadio frequency band. Such applications/uses include:

• Pacemakers
• Implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs)
• Neurostimulators
• Implantable sensors and diagnostic devices
• Drug pumps
• Short-range body area network applications using the 433-MHz ISM band

Key Features

• Meets performance, power, and size requirements for implanted communication systems
• Operates in the 402-MHz – 405-MHz (10 MICS-band channels) and 433-MHz – 434-MHz (2 ISM-band channels) frequency bands
• Available in a 48-pin QFN package for base station applications, in a 49-pin CSP package for implant applications, or in a bare die package for implant applications
• Wide range of high-performance data rates (18.18, 40, 200, 400 kbit/s raw data rate) enabling power-efficient, bidirectional transmission of patient and device data in a variety of use cases from shallow to deep implants
• Ultralow power consumption that extends implanted device battery operating life:
• 5 mA average TX/RX current
• 290 nA average SLEEP/SNIFF current (1-second strobe period)
• High level of integration System-on-Chip (SoC) design with integrated high-performance MAC with automatic error handling and flow control
• Very few external components (three components plus antenna matching)
• Compliant with MICS/MedRadio, FCC, ETSI and IEC standards

Customer Support

The ZL70103 MICS-band RF transceiver IC is supported by a full featured Application Development Kit (ZLE70103BADA).

Related Products

• Implantable Medical Protection (circuit protection)