Qorvo has expanded its family of products for 5G base stations with the introduction of a Power Amplifier Module (PAM) and an integrated Front End Module. The QPB3810 is a gallium nitride (GaN) based power amplifier module (PAM) with integrated bias control for 5G massive MIMO (mMIMO) applications. Qorvo’s new QPB9362 is a highly integrated front-end low noise amplifier (LNA) module targeting 5G TDD systems. The devices extend Qorvo’s broad product portfolio supporting mMIMO applications and are key building blocks in a new RF front-end reference design that accelerates adoption of mMIMO systems.
Anthony Collins, Director 5G Radio and RF Ecosystem, AMD, said, “We are pleased to continue our close cooperation with Qorvo to enable high-performance 5G solutions using industry-leading AMD Zynq UltraScale RFSoC DFE devices. Collaborating to deliver proven and optimized reference designs to our mutual customers is key to reducing risk and enabling faster time to market for their radio products.”
The QPB3810 is a 48V, 8-watt average power PAM covering the 3.4–3.8 GHz band, and is the first commercially released GaN-based module with an integrated bias controller factory programmed to set the optimal bias points of the Doherty PAM. The controller includes a temperature sensor that automatically adjusts bias over temperature and an enable pin for fast TDD switching. The QPB3810 is available in a compact 12 mm x 8 mm SMT package, offering a much smaller footprint than traditional discrete component solutions. Like Qorvo’s other PAM products, the QPB3810 requires minimal external circuitry. The linearity of the QPB3810 has been validated to exceed 5G requirements over 400 MHz instantaneous bandwidth using the AMD Zynq™ Ultrascale+™ RFSoC DFE Adaptive Radio SoC and Digital Pre-Distortion IP.
The QPB9362 is targeted for 5G wireless infrastructure applications configured for TDD-based mMIMO architectures. The switch LNA module integrates an LNA with a high-power handling switch which can be used as a failsafe path to termination when a radio is transmitting. The QPB9362 provides 34.5 dB of gain with 1.1 dB typical noise figure over the entire operating frequency band in the receiving mode. LNA power-down mode is available via a transmit/receive control pin on the module. It is packaged in a RoHS-compliant, compact 5 mm x 3 mm LGA package.
Tuan Nguyen, product line director for the Infrastructure Solutions business at Qorvo, said, "Qorvo's 5G modules provide optimal solutions that minimize cost, maximize performance and increase capacity for mMIMO designs. These two modules support the continued expansion of 5G technology around the globe with much greater integration at the board level and exemplify our focus on ease of use and efficiency."
The QPB3810 and QPB9362 are included in a full RF front-end reference design for 5G mMIMO applications now available from Qorvo. This small form factor reference design provides a transmit/receive RF solution from the baseband front-end to the antenna filter. The transmit lineup includes the QPA9122M wideband high linearity pre-driver, the QPB3810, a directional coupler for DPD observation, and a circulator. The receive path includes the QPB9362.
Qorvo is showcasing these and other products for 5G, Aerospace & Defense and IoT applications at IMS 2023 in San Diego this week. Click here to see everything RF's coverage of IMS 2023.
