25 May 2015

Peregrine makes available first UltraCMOS monolithic phase and amplitude controller

Peregrine Semiconductor Corp of San Diego, CA, USA – a fabless provider of radio-frequency integrated circuits (RFICs) based on silicon-on-insulator (SOI) – has announced availability of the first product from its monolithic phase and amplitude controller (MPAC) product family.

Based on the firm's UltraCMOS silicon-on-sapphire technology and covering a frequency range of 1.8-2.2GHz, the UltraCMOS PE46120 integrates a 90° hybrid RF splitter, 5-bit digital phase shifters, a 4-bit digital step attenuator (DSA) and a a low-voltage CMOS digital serial interface on a single die. The PE46120 can cover a phase range of 87.2° in 2.8° steps and an attenuation range of 7.5dB in 0.5dB steps.

Picture: Peregrine's new PE46120 monolithic phase and amplitude controller.

Suitable for optimizing dual-path dynamically load-modulated amplifier architectures such as Doherty power amplifiers, the monolithic RF controller offers high linearity, high isolation, high power handling and maximum phase-tuning flexibility compared with multi-chip, gallium arsenide (GaAs)-based solutions, claims Peregrine.

"Doherty amplifiers remain strong as the power amplifier architecture of choice for today's macro-cell transceivers," comments Herman Hugo, global head of marketing & application engineering for RF power at Germany's Infineon Technologies. "As Infineon continues to develop leading-edge products that are customized for optimal performance in the overall system, the Peregrine Semiconductor MPAC product family offers RF performance and phase-tuning flexibility that will play a key role in Doherty amplifier optimization, yield and uniformity," he adds. 

MPAC for wireless infrastructure

The PE46120 is designed for the LTE and LTE-A wireless-infrastructure transceiver market. Its 1.8-2.2GHz range is suited to enhancing system performance, lowering bill of material (BOM) costs, increasing reliability and providing maximum tuning flexibility for Doherty amplifier architectures found in wireless infrastructure applications such as macro-cells, micro-cells and pico-cells. 

When used for Doherty amplifier optimization, the PE46120 offers performance advantages in power-added efficiency, linearity across the frequency range, Doherty bandwidth through better matching and increased effectiveness of the digital pre-distortion (DPD) loop. The new MPAC reduces BOM costs by improving the overall yield of expensive symmetric or asymmetric Doherty power amplifier assemblies. With uniformity and repeatability between transceiver paths, the PE46120 increases system reliability and increases transceiver yield. The monolithic controller can be used in either silicon-based laterally diffused metal oxide semiconductor (LDMOS) or gallium nitride (GaN) Doherty amplifiers and can be programmed remotely through the digital interface to accommodate varying field requirements. This gives engineers the flexibility to adjust the phase and amplitude in real-time for operational and environmental factors.

"Macro-cell transceiver shipments have experienced tremendous growth in the last two years," says Joe Madden, founder & principal analyst at market research firm Mobile Experts. "As Doherty solutions move into more broadband applications, improved uniformity and repeatability in phase and amplitude adjustment will be critical."  

Performance exceeding incumbent technologies

Peregrine claims that, because the PE46120 is based on UltraCMOS technology, it delivers the pillars of intelligent integration - reliability, repeatability, flexibility, ease of use, configurability and enhanced system performance - that cannot be matched by GaAs solutions. It adds that, compared with competing solutions, the monolithic device offers: 20dB more linearity (IIP3 of 60dBm); 2.5 times the resolution at twice the range of the phase control; 10dB higher port-to-port isolation (30dB); 4dB more RF input power (CW); and wide power-supply operation from 2.3 to 5.5V. It also offers low power consumption of 0.35mA and high power handling of 35dbm P0.1dB. UltraCMOS technology also enables ESD performance of 1kV on all RF pins, and an extended temperature range of -40°C up to 105°C.

"Peregrine's MPAC product family was introduced to provide RF system designers with the flexibility and required performance to precisely control phase and amplitude in dual-path dynamically load-modulated amplifier architectures," says director of marketing Kinana Hussain. "Unlike competing solutions, the PE46120 integrates multiple components onto a single die - something GaAs technologies could never achieve," he adds. "This monolithic solution equates to a more reliable, repeatable and easier-to-use solution."

Samples, evaluation kits and volume-production parts are available now. Offered in a RoHS-compliant, 32-lead 6mm x 6mm QFN package, the PE46120 is $8.93 each for 1000-unit orders, $7.24 each for 5000-unit orders and $6.09 each for 25,000-unit orders.

Tags: Peregrine CMOS SOI

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