News: Microelectronics
23 June 2022
Guerrilla RF launches 2.5–2.7 and 3.3-4.2GHz ¼W PAs deliver for 5G without DPD
Guerrilla RF Inc (GRF) of Greensboro, NC, USA – a provider of radio-frequency integrated circuits (RFICs) and monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs) for wireless applications – is now sampling the GRF5526 and GRF5536, the latest in a series of new ¼W linear power amplifiers. The indium gallium phosphide (InGaP) heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT) amplifiers were designed specifically for 5G wireless infrastructure applications requiring exceptional native linearity over large 100MHz bandwidths and temperature extremes of -40°C to 85°C.
Spanning frequency ranges of 2.5–2.7GHz and 3.3-4.2GHz respectively, the GRF5526 and GRF5536 are tuned to operate in the n7, n30, n38, n40, n41, n48, n53, n77, n88 and n90 5G new radio (NR) bands. The devices typically deliver 23dBm of linear power over the entire -40°C to 85°C temperature range while maintaining ACLR (adjacent-channel leakage ratio) levels of better than -45dBc, IMD3 (third-order intermodulation distortion) levels <-20dBm, EVM (error vector magnitude) levels <1.5%, and PAE (power-added efficiency) in the 14% range – all without the aid of supplemental linearization schemes like digital pre-distortion (DPD).
The ability to beat the -45dBc ACLR performance metric without DPD is critical for cellular applications like home and commercial repeaters/boosters, femtocells and picocells, as well as cable loss compensators which are used in conjunction with automotive ‘shark fin’ antennas. In each of these use cases, the sensitivity to cost, power and size constraints prohibits the use of elaborate linearization techniques like DPD. Instead, designers must rely on the power amplifier’s native linearity to meet the stringent emissions mask requirements imposed by the latest 5G standards.
During the development of the GRF55xx series, Guerrilla RF consulted directly with its customers to ensure that the devices delivered the best blend of power and linearity, maximizing the effective range and throughput for their cellular systems. The firm also designed the family of devices to be fully footprint compatible, enabling its customer base to rapidly customize their designs for a myriad of cellular frequencies.
“With the addition of the GRF5526 and GRF5536, GRF has now completely filled out its portfolio of ¼W PAs for cellular applications,” says CEO & founder Ryan Pratt. “The entire family of InGaP HBT PAs has proven to be extremely popular with our cellular repeater and automotive customers, and we expect these latest additions to be key enablers as our customers update their designs to accommodate for the newest 5G frequency bands.”
The GRF5526 and GRF5536 come in pin-compatible 3mm x 3mm, 16-pin QFN packages. Samples and evaluation boards are available now. Prices start at $1.78 (in 10,000-unit quantities, EXW USA).
Guerrilla launches second 1/4W InGaP HBT linear power amplifier
Guerrilla launches InGaP HBT power amplifier in expansion into cellular market
