News

15 August 2006

 

Thinnest Wi-Fi PA enhances battery life for portable electronics

SiGe Semiconductor Inc of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada has launched what it claims is the world's thinnest power amplifier for Wi-Fi systems. The newest addition to the SE2523x series of power amplifiers (announced last year),
the 2.4GHz SiGe-based RangeCharger SE2523BU has a new paper-thin 16-pin 3x3mm QFN package with a profile of just 0.5mm that integrates digital enable circuitry, a robust power detector and biasing circuitry.

The ultra-thin design also reduces power consumption by 25% (a current draw of just 130mA at +18.5dBm output power from a single 3.3 V supply), and hence addresses growing demand for embedded Wi-Fi capability in portable,
battery-powered consumer electronics, including PDAs, VoWi-Fi handsets, cameras, cellular handsets, computer peripherals, and automotive devices.

"Wi-Fi technology has gained widespread consumer acceptance, and now users expect the convenience of wireless to go beyond their laptop computer," said Andrew Parolin, director of wireless data products. "SiGe is enabling manufacturers to embed Wi-Fi in a host of new applications while still meeting requirements for shrinking form factors, long battery life and low cost."

The SE2523BU features +18.5dBm power output with EVM of 2.5% while operating in 802.11g mode. All ACPR requirements are met while operating at +23dBm output power in 802.11b mode.

The integrated power detector improves stability of wireless transmission, since it is highly immune to mismatch (less than 1.5dB of variation with a 2:1 mismatch). The power detector offers two selectable power detector slopes, allowing it to be used with multiple chipsets. Also, the on-chip digital enable control circuitry eases design by allowing the device to be connected directly to a CMOS baseband or a transceiver.

  
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