News

6 May 2010

 

RFHIC launches 80W GaN power amplifier for LTE/WCDMA

RFHIC Corp of Suwon, South Korea (which makes gallium nitride and gallium arsenide active RF & microwave components and hybrid modules for telecom and broadcast markets) has launched a 80W GaN power amplifier for LTE (long-term evolution) and WCDMA applications.

With internal matched GaN-on-SiC (silicon carbide) transistor as the key building block, the amplifier shows 50dB of gain at 48V. Operating across a frequency range of 2110-2140MHz (30MHz bandwidth), the amplifier demonstrates efficiency of 35% or higher by using a Doherty design and digital pre-distortion (DPD) techniques. A single module includes DC/DC, detector, coupler and isolator functions within a small footprint of 170mm x 175mm x 28mm. RFHIC says that the amplifier is already being deployed with SK Telecom (Korea’s largest mobile service provider) at selected sites.

Previous Doherty amplifiers based on silicon LDMOS (laterally diffused metal oxide semiconductor) technology had drawbacks such as limited efficiency and larger size, says RFHIC. Achieving higher efficiency throughout the 30MHz bandwidth and six channels is a challenge for LDMOS, the firm adds. The LDMOS transistor package is larger, prohibiting a smaller power amplifier design. Such issues also counteract the demand from service providers for ‘greener’ system designs.

RFHIC has been using GaN technology since 2004. With extensive research and design experience, the firm has made advances in areas such as internal matching, heat dissipation, Doherty designs, module optimization, MMIC design and assembly & packaging. Such experience contributed to designing a better-performing GaN power amplifier with lower cost for the telecoms market, the firm claims.

RFHIC says that, for the next version of the product, it is targeting 40% efficiency.

Other products launched recently by RFHIC include 30W WCDMA/LTE amplifiers, 30W cellular/CDMA amplifiers, and 60W cellular/CDMA amplifiers.

RFHIC’s E-pHEMT GaAs MMIC secures design wins with CATV line extenders and optical network system makers

RFHIC says that its E-pHEMT GaAs MMIC product line (the firm’s second-generation MMIC) has secured multiple design wins across the industry ’s tier-one CATV line extenders, optical network system manufacturers and TV tuner makers in USA and Japan.

The MMIC product line (which has AE-prefix part numbers) has optimized performance for 75-Ohm communication systems, delivering low distortion, high efficiency and low noise, claims the firm. A variety of amplifiers are available in the product line to support various market demands. For optical network systems, it supports frequency ranges of 48-1000MHz, 50-2200MHz and 70-2600MHz. For TV antenna and tuner applications, amplifiers with excellent linearity and distortion are available. The electrical parameters can be modified to meet any specific requirement, since the amplifiers accommodate supply voltages of 3.3-12V. A built-in protector diode also makes the MMIC robust to environmental damage.

RFHIC is not targeting just CATV line extenders, but is also focusing on supporting the needs of manufacturers of TV tuners, set-top boxes and optical network systems like RFoG, where RF paths are involved,” says B.G. Han, director of RFHIC’s component design division.

See related item:

RFHIC launches 20W GaN-on-SiC power amplifier covering 20–1000MHz

Search: RFHIC Corp GaN PA GaAs MMIC CATV

Visit: www.rfhic.com