Peregrine announces monolithic phase and amplitude controller for LTE
Peregrine Semiconductor has announced the first product from its MPAC (monolithic phase and amplitude controller) product family, the UltraCMOS PE46120. Covering a frequency range of 1.8 to 2.2 GHz, the PE46120 integrates a 90-degree hybrid splitter, phase shifters, digital step attenuator and a digital serial interface on a single die.
Suitable for optimising 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, GaAs-based solutions, according to the company.
"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 customised 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 optimisation, yield and uniformity."
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 optimisation, 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 LDMOS or GaN Doherty amplifiers and can be programmed remotely through the digital interface to accommodate varying field requirements.
"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."
"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," says Kinana Hussain, Peregrine's director of marketing. "Unlike competing solutions, the PE46120 integrates multiple components onto a single die - something GaAs technologies could never achieve. This monolithic solution equates to a more reliable, repeatable and easier-to-use solution for our customers."
