Technical Insight
Si-on-sapphire ICs from Peregrine (New Devices)
San Diego, CA. Peregrine Semiconductor is offering what it describes as the first successful high-volume production process featuring thin layers of silicon on sapphire. Peregrine has proven its patented Ultra-Thin-Silicon (UTSi) SOS RF/CMOS process by fabricating its PE412x family of mixers, which have shipped over 1 million units. These MOSFET quadmixers are applicable to PCS and 3G base station receivers and exhibit a linearity (IP3) of over +30 dBm at 1.82.0 GHz (conversion loss = 7.6 dB). In addition, Peregrine s new portfolio also includes a single 3.3 V supply quad TIA with integrated post amplifier operating at data rates from 155 Mbit/s to 2.7 Gbit/s, and a 12-channel VCSEL laser driver operating up to 3.125 Gbit/s on a single die. The latter device targets VSR links, features a low power (100 mW per channel) architecture, and simplifies designs by reducing power supply and cooling requirements. These products will be available in the third quarter of the year. www.peregrine-semi.com
