8 October 2014

Peregrine expands integrated product portfolio into both ends of frequency spectrum

Peregrine Semiconductor Corp of San Diego, CA, USA has expanded its integrated product portfolio into DC and X-band frequencies, by introducing two integrated products: a True DC switch and an X-band core chip. Built on Peregrine's UltraCMOS technology, both products integrate RF, digital and analog components onto a single chip.

"From integrated switches to Global 1, Peregrine has introduced a broad range of industry-leading integrated products and technologies over our more than 25-year history," says Duncan Pilgrim, Peregrine's vice president of marketing. "Today, we continue that legacy of innovative integration with two new ground-breaking products that include RF, digital and analog components on a single die. Only Peregrine's UltraCMOS technology enables this level of integration. Utilizing our integrated solutions, our customers are now able to maximize their resources, simplify their designs and focus on delivering high-quality and high-performance products to their customers."

At the lower end of the frequency spectrum, Peregrine says it sets a new standard with the industry's first and only RF integrated switch to achieve true DC capability. With a wide frequency range of 0 Hz to 8000 MHz, the UltraCMOS True DC switch (PE42020) effectively operates in a previously unobtainable portion of the frequency spectrum. This frequency expansion is paramount to markets that rely on accuracy and precision, such as test and measurement, says the firm. The True DC SPDT switch features high power handling, 30 dBm at 0 Hz and 36 dBm at 8 GHz, and maintains excellent RF performance and linearity from DC through 8000 MHz. It can also switch DC and AC peak voltages in the range of +10V to -10V at currents of up to 80 mA.  

On a single chip, the True DC switch integrates multiple functions:

• RF: High-performance switching
• Analog: DC tracking
• Digital: Control logic and impedance control (50-ohm absorptive or open reflective)

While low-frequency operation typically requires a slow switching time, the True DC switch uses advanced circuitry to remove this dependence, resulting in a 10 microsecond switching time, and a 15 microsecond settling time which is critical for test-and-measurement applications.

Peregrine’s PE42020 features high-linearity (IIP3) performance of 63 dBm, and high port-to-port isolation of 37 dB @ 6 GHz. It supports standard +1.8V and +3.3V control logic and operates over a temperature range of -40 to +85 degrees centigrade. The True DC switch also supports 1000V HBM ESD tolerance and is supplied in a compact 20-lead 4x4 mm QFN plastic package.

The PE42020 is sampling now and due for shipping early in 2015.

At the higher end of the frequency spectrum, Peregrine has introduced what it says is the industry's first integrated X-band, CMOS core chip to utilize MMIC (monolithic microwave integrated circuit) design techniques, enabling highly accurate signal control with minimal power loss.  MMIC design techniques, such as Lange couplers, have only been used by III-V technologies. The use of these passive techniques on silicon has always presented a challenge due to silicon's lossy nature at higher frequencies. Peregrine solves this by using an UltraCMOS sapphire substrate, a near-perfect insulating substrate that naturally lends itself to integration.

This high-performance, X-band core chip integrates the following on a single die:

• A seven-bit digital phase shifter
• A seven-bit digital step attenuator
• High isolation signal-path switching
• A compact digital serial interface control with true CMOS compatibility

The X-band segment of the frequency spectrum is used by many modern satellite and radar systems, including synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and phased-array radar. Peregrine says that its integrated chips offer a significantly reduced form factor delivering a distinct advantage within these systems that are tightly packaged within a small physical area. Additionally, Peregrine's UltraCMOS technology provides the high degree of reliability demanded by these critical applications, adds the firm.

Sampling in early 2015, the chip offers a maximum power handling of +18 dBm from 9-10.1 GHz and covers 31.75 dB attenuation range in 0.25 dB steps. The phase shifter offers 358 degrees of phase range with a resolution of 7 degrees. It maintains high attenuation and phase accuracy over frequency and temperature and exhibits low power consumption.

Tags: Peregrine CMOS MMIC DC switch X-band core chip

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