Peregrine Semiconductor has announced the availability of the first product from the Monolithic Phase and Amplitude Controller (MPAC) product family, the UltraCMOS® PE46120. The MPAC covers a frequency range from 1.8 to 2.2 GHz and integrates a 90-degree hybrid splitter, phase shifters, digital step attenuator and a digital serial interface on a single die. The PE46120 is ideal 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 to multi-chip, gallium arsenide-based solutions. This solution can be seen at Booth #2622 at the International Microwave Symposium, in Phoenix, Arizona.
MPAC Shines in Wireless Infrastructure Applications
The UltraCMOS PE46120 is designed for the LTE and LTE-A wireless-infrastructure transceiver market. This product’s 1.8 to 2.2 GHz range is ideally suited to enhance system performance, lower bill of material (BOM) costs, increase reliability and provide maximum tuning flexibility for Doherty amplifier architectures found in wireless infrastructure applications— such as macrocells, microcells and picocells.
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. This MPAC product 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 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.
“Doherty amplifiers remain strong as the power amplifier architecture of choice for today’s macrocell transceivers,” says Herman Hugo, global head of marketing and application engineering for RF power at 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.”
“Macrocell transceiver shipments have experienced tremendous growth in the last two years,” says Joe Madden, founder and principal analyst at Mobile Experts. “As Doherty solutions move into more broadband applications, improved uniformity and repeatability in phase and amplitude adjustment will be critical.”
MPAC Performance Far Exceeds Incumbent Technologies
Because the PE46120 is based on UltraCMOS technology, it delivers the intelligent integration pillars— reliability, repeatability, flexibility, ease of use, configurability and enhanced system performance—that cannot be matched by GaAs solutions. In addition, compared to competing solutions, this monolithic product offers:
- 20 dB more linearity (IIP3)
- 2.5 times the resolution at 2 times the range of the phase control
- 10 dB higher port-to-port isolation
- 4 dB more of RF input power (CW)
- Wide power-supply operation from 2.3 to 5.5V
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. Unlike competing solutions, the PE46120 integrates multiple components onto a single die—something GaAs technologies could never achieve. This monolithic solution results in a more reliable, repeatable and easier-to-integrate solution for end customers.
Features, Packaging, Pricing and Availability
The UltraCMOS PE46120 covers a frequency range of 1.8 to 2.2 GHz. The monolithic RFIC integrates a 90-degree RF splitter, 5-bit digital phase shifters and a 4-bit digital step attenuator along with a low-voltage, CMOS serial digital interface. It can cover a phase range of 87.2 degrees in 2.8-degree steps and an attenuation range of 7.5 dB in 0.5 dB steps. It delivers high linearity of 60 dBm IIP3 and extremely low power consumption of 0.35 mA. Uniquely, it provides high power handling of 35 dbm P0.1dB and high port-to-port isolation of 30 dB. Based on UltraCMOS silicon on sapphire technology, the PE46120 offers the industry’s most reliable and repeatable solution on the market. UltraCMOS technology also enables superior ESD performance of 1 kV on all RF pins, an extended temperature range up to 105-degrees Celsius and a wide power supply range from 2.3 to 5.5V. Samples, evaluation kits and volume-production parts are available now. Offered in a RoHS compliant, 32-lead 6 x 6 mm QFN, the PE46120 is $8.93 each for 1K-quantity orders, $7.24 each for 5K-quantity orders and $6.09 each for 25K-quantity orders.
