23 March 2011

Anadigics ships CATV hybrid line amplifiers for Shanghai Qianjin Electronics’ optical receivers

RF and mixed-signal semiconductor maker Anadigics Inc of Warren, NJ, USA is shipping production volumes of its CATV hybrid line amplifiers to Shanghai Qianjin Electronic Equipment Co Ltd for its NOR860T-2 two-way and NOR860T-4 four-way optical receivers, which are optimized for delivering analog and digital video — as well as high-speed data services — over hybrid fiber/coax (HFC) networks.

“Working closely with Anadigics, we have developed our optical receiver products for both established and emerging CATV markets,” says Shanghai Qianjin Electronics’ president Wang Guang Hai. “We made the decision to select Anadigics as a key supplier for our optical node products due to its hybrid line amplifier performance and reliability advantages, as well as exceptional customer support,” he adds.

In particular, Anadigics’ hybrid line amplifiers — which use the firm’s GaAs MESFET process for a high mean-time-to-failure (MTTF) in an industry-standard SOT115J package — have a high tolerance to electro-static discharge (ESD) and line-voltage surge for enhanced ruggedness in outdoor applications. The ruggedness and reliability help service providers to minimize costly field repairs, says Michael Canonico, Anadigics' VP of worldwide sales. “We look forward to working closely with Shanghai Qianjin Electronics on the design of future CATV infrastructure products.”

A report published by Strategy Analytics last November forecasts that hybrid amplifier blocks will show steady growth through 2014. The fastest-growing CATV infrastructure segment should be amplifiers for high-definition-capable networks, with a forecasted compounded average annual growth rate (CAAGR) of nearly 43% from 2009 to 2014.

“With high-definition television, video on demand, and high-data-rate internet, CATV systems are increasingly operating in a fully loaded spectrum,” says Joseph Cozzarelli, Anadigics’ senior director of Broadband RF Products. The hybrid line amplifiers have low composite triple beat (CTB), composite second order (CSO), cross modulation, and noise figure distortion characteristics for optimal performance in a fully loaded spectrum, says Anadigics. The linearity and low noise figures provide minimum signal degradation, Cozzarelli claims. “This level of performance, coupled with the extreme ruggedness of our hybrid line amplifiers, ensures the highest quality video delivery while minimizing costly downtime and service calls from cable plant equipment failures.”

Tags: Anadigics CATV GaAs MESFET

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