While many attendees to the 2017 IMS exhibition were preparing for 5G, Peregrine Semiconductor at booth No. 1042 was showing some of its capabilities in high-level integration, with practical switching solutions that were also well qualified for 4G and 4.5G wireless infrastructure applications. Based on the company’s UltraCMOS® technology, several of the multithrow switches, the single-pole, six-throw (SP6T) PR42462, the single-pole, eight-throw (SP8T) PE42482, and the single-pole, 12-throw (SP12T) PE42412 are ideal for transmit/receive (T/R) signal routing in wireless networks operating from 10 MHz to 8 GHz. The highly reliable switches are also quite small, housed in multiple-lead QFN packages.
TRAK Microwave Corp., now part of Smiths Interconnectors, will be at booth No. 1441 to discuss its wide range of microwave and millimeter-wave components, including frequency upconverters with integral amplification. For lower frequencies, the firm offers the MFC 147 “PowerBuc” frequency upconverter with output range of 13.75 to 14.50 GHz for commercial and military satcom systems (Fig. 1). It translates input signals from 950 to 1700 MHz and provides output levels of +12 to +17 dBm using an integral GaN-based low-noise amplifier (LNA).
At the semiconductor level, Microsemi Corp., at booth No. 810, introduced a new family of wideband plastic packaged and chip monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) devices (Fig. 2). The MMICs include four low-noise amplifiers (LNAs), a power amplifier chip, and two plastic-packaged switches. Two of the distributed LNAs provide high gain from DC to 27 GHz with generous output power, even though housed in tiny 5 × 5 mm2 plastic QFN packages. The typical noise figure is less than 2 dB from 500 MHz to 18 GHz. The switches, which cover DC to 20 GHz, are even smaller, in 3 × 3 mm2 plastic QFN packages.
“Our new product introductions represent Microsemi's significant investment in enhancing our MMIC product portfolio as we continue to address our customers' overall requirements,” said Kevin Harrington, director of strategic marketing for Microsemi’s RF/Microwave Discrete Products business unit. He added: “We are committed to being a long-term trusted supplier of superior performance MMIC products for our customers as we continue to invest and expand leading-edge MMIC devices.”