News

18 February 2009

 

RFMD enters cellular switch filter module market

At this week’s 2009 GSMA Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, RF Micro Devices Inc of Greensboro, NC, USA has announced its entry into the cellular switch filter module (SFM) market by making available samples of the RF1194 and RF1195 (in compact 4.5mm x 4.5mm x 1.2mm packages), designed for use in multi-band, multi-mode 3G handsets.

Both SFMs leverage RFMD’s 3G front ends, as well as the high-volume cellular switch technology and filter integration capabilities demonstrated in the firm’s POLARIS radio solutions.

“RFMD’s entry into the cellular switch filter module market supports our ongoing diversification efforts and leverages many of our core competitive strengths,” says president & CEO Bob Bruggeworth. RFMD has shipped hundreds of millions of transmit modules featuring its GaAs pHEMT technology, and has integrated hundreds of millions of filters into its POLARIS radios solutions. “We expect meaningful growth in the SFM segment this year as our new products lower costs, reduce form factors, improve system performance, and ease the implementation of complex 3G front-end applications,” Bruggeworth reckons.

The RF1194 integrates a single-pole nine throw (SP9T) pHEMT switch, quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE transmit low-pass filtering (LPF) and four GSM/GPRS/EDGE receive (Rx) surface acoustic wave (SAW) filters, for implementation in a quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE, triple-band WCDMA/HSPA+ 3G multimode handset. With four symmetrical, low-insertion-loss GSM/GPRS/EDGE Rx ports and three symmetrical, high-linearity WCDMA/HSPA+ Tx/Rx ports, it simplifies the design of 3G multimode devices by providing a flexible, platform-capable front-end solution, RFMD says.

The pin-to-pin compatible RF1195 integrates a single-pole ten throw (SP10T) pHEMT switch and builds on the RF1194's architecture by providing an additional high-linearity port for a total of four symmetrical WCDMA/HSPA+ Tx/Rx ports.

Based on current design activity, RFMD anticipates first revenues from the RF1194 and RF1195 in fourth-quarter 2009.

See related items:

RFMD launching first new CDMA handset products in five years

RFMD claims first converged 3G/4G cellular front-end covering nine-band

RFMD adds to RF switch portfolio

RFMD launches GPS LNA module with integrated SAW filter

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