Guerrilla RF has introduced the second of ten new ¼ W linear power amplifiers that are being released over the next two quarters as part of the company’s expansion into the cellular market. These new InGaP HBT amplifiers have been designed specifically for 5G/4G wireless infrastructure applications requiring exceptional native linearity over temperature extremes of -40°C to 85°C.
The GRF5506 has been designed to operate at a frequency from 660-720 MHz, and is tuned to operate within the n12, n28, n71, and n835G new radio (NR) bands. The device can deliver over 24 dBm of linear power over the entire -40 to 85 °C temperature range while maintaining ACLR levels of better than -45 dBc, IMD3 levels <-23 dBm, EVM levels < 1%, and PAE Efficiencies > 15% – all without the aid of supplemental linearization schemes like digital pre-distortion (DPD).
The ability to beat the -45 dBc ACLR performance metric without DPD is critical for cellular applications like home and commercial repeaters/boosters, femtocells, picocells, and cable loss compensators associated with automotive ‘shark fin’ antennas. In each of these use cases, the sensitivity to cost, power, and size constraints prohibit 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 and 4G standards.
During the development of the GRF55xx series, Guerrilla RF consulted directly with its base of customers to ensure the devices delivered the best blend of power and linearity, thus maximizing the effective range and throughput for their cellular systems. Guerrilla RF also designed the entire family of devices to be fully footprint compatible, enabling its customer base to rapidly customize their designs for a myriad of cellular frequencies.
The GRF55xx family builds upon the groundbreaking work which they started a year ago with the release of the GRF5504/9 series of 5 W InGaPHBT power amplifiers. These new ¼ W PAs were created specifically to meet the needs of our strategic customers in the cellular and automotive industries. Together with the original GRF5504/9 series, the GRF55xx family will serve as the beachhead for Guerrilla RF’s expansion into the growing power amplifier market.
The GRF55xx family of amplifiers are available in pin-compatible 3mm x 3mm, 16-pin QFN packages. As noted above, the common footprint enables a single design to address multiple bands via simple component swaps.
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