Qorvo launches first 28GHz GaN front-end module, targeting 5G fixed wireless access base stations

Qorvo Inc of Greensboro, NC, USA (which provides core technologies and RF solutions for mobile, infrastructure and defense applications) has expanded its offering for 5G applications with what is claimed to be the first 28GHz gallium nitride (GaN) front-end module (FEM). The new single-channel FEM is said to reduce overall system costs for base-station equipment manufacturers as they expand into 5G.

According to SNS Telecom & IT, the 28GHz frequency band is widely preferred for early 5G-based fixed wireless access (FWA) deployments, enabling operators to meet the speed, latency, reliability and capacity requirements of 5G.

Operating at 26-30GHz, the QPF4001 FEM integrates a high-linearity three-stage low-noise amplifier (LNA), a low-loss transmit/receive (T/R) switch and a high-gain, high-efficiency three-stage power amplifier (PA) in a single monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC). The compact 5mm x 4mm air-cavity laminate surface-mount package is optimized for the phased-array element spacing at 28GHz for 5G base-station architectures.

The new GaN FEM enables smaller, more powerful and efficient millimeter-wave phased-array systems, which will steer signals to areas of greater bandwidth demand. Qorvo says that using its 0.15μm GaN-on-SiC technology in this application allows the user to more efficiently achieve higher levels of EIRP (equivalent isotropically radiated power) while minimizing array size and power dissipation, resulting in a lower-cost system.

“Thirty years of solving the power, size and efficiency challenges of integrated circuits for the point-to-point, satellite communications and defense industries are now shaping Qorvo’s 5G innovations,” says says James Klein, president, Infrastructure and Defense Products. “Our GaN technology is used in dozens of 5G field trials, and this new module will enable further reductions in size and power consumption, which are essential for the very small arrays critical to mmW frequencies.”

Complementing Qorvo’s portfolio of 5G products (including the 39GHz FEMs for 5G, announced in June 2017), engineering samples of the QPF4001 FEM are available now to qualified customers.

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