PRODUCT

PREVIEW

MEDICAL IMPLANTABLE RF TRANSCEIVER ZL70101

Half-Duplex RF Transceiver

402 – 405 MHz (10 MICS channels) &

433 – 434 MHz (2 ISM channels)

Wake-up Receiver

High

Performance

MAC

LNA

ADC

Reg

Modulator

(Up to 800 kbps

raw data rate)

Transmit

Processing

Receive

Processing

Ultra Low Power Wake-up

Circuit (250 nA)

Filter

Detector

RSSI

Control

Application

Interface

Mode

Control

Registers

Basestation,

Implantable or

Test Mode

Oscillator

& PLL

ZL70101 Simpliﬁed Block Diagram

400 MHz

2.45 GHz

Xtal

SPI

interface

with

Prog. IO

Control

Inputs

ZL70101 Simpliﬁed Block Diagram

The ultra low-power ZL70101 transceiver chip support a very high data rate RF

(radio frequency) 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 ZL70101 is designed for use in both implanted devices and base stations

and operates in the 402 – 405 MHz MICS (Medical Implantable Communica-

tions Service) band. Merging Zarlink’s ultra low-power and RF expertise, the

ZL70101 delivers key performance and integration benets.

The chip is very exible and supports several low power wake-up options.

Extremely 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 and Reed-Solomon

error correction together with 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.

MICS Transceiver IC for In-Body

Communication System

Meets performance, power and

size requirements for implanted

communication systems

Operates in the 402 – 405 MHz (10

MICS channels) and 433 – 434 MHz

(2 ISM channels) frequency bands

High data rates (800/400/200 kbps)

allow for short duty-cycle, power

efcient bidirectional transmission

of patient and device data

Ultra low-power consumption of

typically less than 5 mA TX/RX

extends implanted device battery

operating life

System-on-chip (SoC) design with

integrated MAC provides complete

MICS protocol functions, including

re-transmissions and ow control,

forward-error correction and error

detection

Requires just three external

components (plus antenna

matching), saving board space and

lowering BoM cost

Low-current RF wake-up receiver

averages 250 nA in “sleep” mode

Full solution capability

ransceiver designed for monitoring

base stations, programmers, and

implanted medical devices

Contact Zarlink regarding

implantable RF modules

Standards

Meets MICS, FCC, ETSI and IEC

requirements

Customer Support

The ZL70101 RF transceiver IC is fully

supported by an evaluation board and

design tools.

Applications

Implantable medical devices, including pacemakers, ICDs (implantable

cardioverter debrillators), neurostimulators, implantable drug pumps, bladder

control devices, implantable physiological monitors

Short-range Body Area Network applications using 433 MHz ISM band

APPLICATION

ZL70101 MEDICAL IMPLANTABLE RF TRANSCEIVER

w w w . Z A R L I N K . c o m

Information relating to products and services furnished herein by Zarlink Semiconductor Inc. or its subsidiaries is believed to be reliable.

The products, their speciﬁcations, services and other information appearing in this publication are subject to change by Zarlink without notice.

ZARLINK, ZL, and the Zarlink logo are trademarks of Zarlink Semiconductor Inc.

Implanted Medical Device with ZL70101 and Antenna

Application

Processor

Base

Station

Processor

Wake-Up

RF Transmit

Circuit

Wake-Up link

2.45 GHz

2 meters typical

Dependant on antenna performance

RF data link

402 – 405 MHz

ZL70101

Battery

Implanted Medical Device Base Station

Zarlink’s ZL70101 RF transceiver IC (integrated circuit) allows

medical device manufacturers to more easily design wireless

communication systems supporting advanced applications,

including home-based patient monitoring and operating room

programming.

The ZL70101 IC operates in the 402 – 405 MHz MICS band

to enable longer-range wireless links connecting implanted

medical devices and control equipment. Previous implanted

device communication systems relied on inductive links. These

systems have a limited operating range and low data rates,

and are not user-friendly for home monitoring applications,

as they require the patient to accurately position an inductive

wand over the implanted device.

In comparison, the MICS band’s higher data rate and longer

operating range allows medical device manufacturers to

enable new value-added services to improve patient care. By

supporting higher data rates, patient events can be captured

in the implanted device’s memory and quickly uploaded to a

base station for analysis to shorten doctor/patient consultancy

times. In surgical situations, longer operating range allows the

base station (programmer) to be located outside the sterile

environment.

Longer operating ranges also simplify home-monitoring appli-

cations. As illustrated, an ultra low-power RF transceiver in a

pacemaker can wirelessly transmit patient event and device

performance data to a base station in the home. Data is then

forwarded over the telephone or internet to a physician’s ofce.

If a problem is detected, the patient goes to the hospital where

the high-speed, two-way RF link is used to monitor and adjust

device performance under a doctor’s supervision.

Battery life is a critical performance parameter for implanted

devices. The ZL70101 transceiver incorporates a “wake-

up” receiver that allows the IC to operate in a low current

(250 nA average) “sleep” mode. Communication between

implanted and base station transceivers is then initiated using

a specially coded wake-up signal from the 2.45 GHz base

transmitter. Alternative wake-up mechanisms using 400 MHz

or direct wake-up by the implanted medical device are also

supported.

Implantable Communications Systems