MMICs on Parade at IMS

June 26, 2018

These companies used IMS 2018 as an opportunity to unveil the latest monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs) to satisfy the needs of designers everywhere.

Suppliers of monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs) made their share of announcements at IMS 2018. For instance, Custom MMIC announced its new CMD283C3 low-noise amplifier (LNA) (Fig. 1). This LNA operates from 2 to 6 GHz, delivering 26 dB of gain while achieving a noise figure of 0.6 dB. The company describes this noise figure as “breakthrough,” noting that such performance would typically only be achieved by discrete designs.

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1. This new LNA achieves a noise figure of only 0.6 dB.

Custom MMIC also announced the CMD262 GaN power amplifier (PA), which covers a frequency range of 26 to 28 GHz. It delivers 6 W of saturated output power (P_sat) and achieves a power-added efficiency (PAE) of 28% at P_sat. Another reveal was the CMD249P5 distributed PA—it operates from dc to 20 GHz and provides +30 dBm P_sat.

Designers should also take note of Custom MMIC’s new line of gallium-arsenide (GaAs) attenuators. These products include the CMD279 and CMD280 five-bit digital attenuators. The CMD279 covers a frequency range of 2 to 30 GHz, while the CMD280 operates from dc to 30 GHz. Both have an attenuation range of 15.5 dB along with an input third-order intercept (IIP3) point of +42 dBm. Also in the mix are the CMD281 and the CMD282, which are both two-bit digital attenuators that operate from dc to 40 GHz. The CMD281 provides an attenuation range of 6 dB, while the attenuation range of the CMD282 is 12 dB.

While Guerrilla RF was not exhibiting at IMS, the MMIC supplier did introduce new products in time for the event. For one, the company announced a new line of frequency-conversion products with the unveiling of the GRF7001 high-linearity mixer with an integrated local-oscillator (LO) buffer (Fig. 2). The GRF7001 can be used as either an upconverter or downconverter. Its RF/IF frequency range is 0.1 to 5.0 GHz, while its LO frequency range is 0.1 to 4.0 GHz. Furthermore, the LO buffer operates from a supply voltage anywhere between 3.0 and 5.0 V. I_dd ranges from 10 to 30 mA.

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2. Shown is a new high-linearity mixer that has an RF/IF frequency range of 0.1 to 5.0 GHz.

Guerrilla RF also announced the GRF2373 and GRF2374 LNAs/driver amplifiers. The GRF2373 operates from 100 MHz to 3.8 GHz, while the GRF2374 covers a frequency range of 100 MHz to 4.2 GHz. The amplifiers are well-suited for small cell, cellular booster, and repeater applications. The GRF2373 achieves 18.5 dB of gain, while the GRF2374 provides 16.5-dB gain. Typical bias conditions of both are 3.3 V and 15 mA.

In yet another announcement, Guerrilla RF introduced its AEC-Q100 portfolio of devices to meet the demand for automotive applications. The first two products to be AEC-Q100 certified are the GRF2073 ultra-low-noise amplifier and the GRF4002 broadband LNA/linear driver amplifier. The GRF2012 amplifier is also planned to be the company’s next AEC-Q100 certified product.