Nordic Semiconductor’s next generation nRF54L15 SoC to power ‘world’s smallest’ Bluetooth 6.0 compliant module

a close up of a measure

KAGA FEI’s ES4L15BA1 module integrates nRF54L15 SoC to enable future Bluetooth Channel Sounding distance measurement and multiple medical and industrial use cases

KAGA FEI, a global developer of short range wireless solutions, has developed what it claims will be the world’s smallest Bluetooth® 6.0 compliant module to feature a built-in PCB antenna. The ‘ES4L15BA1’ module is based on the wafer level chip scale package (WLCSP) variant of Nordic Semiconductor’s multiprotocol nRF54L15 SoC, part of its new, next generation nRF54L Series. The ultra-compact module offers a 3.25 by 8.55 by 1 mm form factor, is pre-certified in the U.S., Canada, and Japan, and enables developers to rapidly develop and bring to market new Bluetooth LE IoT devices. 

Supporting next gen IoT applications 

The ES4L15BA1 module is designed for use in space-constrained medical, healthcare, and Industrial IoT (IIoT) solutions, as well as in small, thin, or pen-shaped devices or wearables such as smart glasses. The nRF54L15 SoC’s upcoming support for Bluetooth Channel Sounding (a feature of Bluetooth 6.0) will provide the module with greatly improved reliability and accuracy in distance measurement applications enabling, for example, applications requiring enhanced security based on device distance information, such as unlocking devices based on their proximity. The -40° to 105° C operating range makes it suitable for industrial equipment used in tough environments. 

What’s appealing about Nordic Semiconductor is that it launches easy-to-use wireless chips in a timely manner that support the functionality the market demands, backed by rich technical documentation and excellent and prompt technical support.
Mick Aoki, Deputy Executive Manager, KAGA FEI

“The ES4L15BA1 module and Nordic’s nRF54L15 SoC reduces the development time and certification costs for next-generation wireless IoT products,” says Mick Aoki, Deputy Executive Manager, KAGA FEI. “What’s appealing about Nordic Semiconductor is that it launches easy-to-use wireless chips in a timely manner that support the functionality the market demands, backed by rich technical documentation and excellent and prompt technical support.” 

Ultra-low power multiprotocol support 

The nRF54L15 SoC supports Bluetooth LE, Bluetooth Mesh, Thread, Matter, Zigbee, Amazon Sidewalk, and 2.4 GHz proprietary protocols with up to 4 Mbps throughput. It features an Arm® Cortex®-M33 processor clocked at 128 MHz and an ultra-low power multiprotocol 2.4 GHz radio. It also offers enlarged memory up to 1.5 MB non-volatile memory (NVM) and 256 KB RAM, enabling the KAGA FEI module to support advanced application software and wireless protocol stacks. The nRF54L15 SoC integrates all standard peripherals, while an integrated RISC-V coprocessor can run software-defined peripherals and handle time-critical tasks. 

“We selected the nRF54L15 SoC because it will support Bluetooth 6.0 functionality and is designed to meet PSA Certified Level 3 security requirements, and because Nordic Semiconductor is the market leader for Bluetooth LE chips,” continues Aoki.  

“Moreover, the nRF54L15’s Arm Cortex M33 processor and RISC-V coprocessor provide high computing performance alongside a large memory capacity of 1.5 MB NVM and 256 KB of RAM, yet the SoC is still small enough to allow us to achieve our ultra-small module design.”