E-pHEMT Amplifier Powers WLANs

Aug. 6, 2004
Capable of operating to 10 GHz, the MGA-425P8 enhancement-mode pseudomorphic high-electron-mobility transistor (E-pHEMT) medium-power amplifier from the Semiconductor Products Group of Agilent Technologies (Palo Alto, CA). It is a truly ...

Capable of operating to 10 GHz, the MGA-425P8 enhancement-mode pseudomorphic high-electron-mobility transistor (E-pHEMT) medium-power amplifier from the Semiconductor Products Group of Agilent Technologies (Palo Alto, CA). It is a truly general-purpose wireless amplifier capable of working in IEEE 802.11a wireless local-area-networks (WLANs) in the 5-GHz unlicensed national information infrastructure (UNII) band, IEEE 802.11g and IEEE 802.11b WLANs operating in the 2.4-GHz industrial-scientific-medical (ISM) band, 2.4- and 5.8-GHz cordless telephones, and wireless local loops (WLL). Supplied in a JEDEC DRP-N LPCC 2-mm-square leadless plastic chip carrier, the package's lead-free backside metalization provides excellent thermal dissipation as well as visual evidence of solder reflow.

When evaluated at 5.25 GHz and +3 VDC (58 mA), the amplifier offers 16-dB gain and 10.3-percent power-added efficiency (PAE), as well as +20.3-dBm output power at 1-dB compression. The output power at 5-percent error-vector magnitude (EVM) is +13.3 dBm while the output third-order intercept point is +32.9 dBm. The monolithic-microwave-integrated-circuit (MMIC) amplifier includes on-chip bias circuitry for operation from a single voltage source. A smart-bias function allows the linearity (third-order intercept) to be adjusted from +20 to +35 dBm by changing a single external resistor. The amplifier is expected to sell for $1.73 in 5500-piece quantities.

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About the Author

Jack Browne | Technical Contributor

Jack Browne, Technical Contributor, has worked in technical publishing for over 30 years. He managed the content and production of three technical journals while at the American Institute of Physics, including Medical Physics and the Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology. He has been a Publisher and Editor for Penton Media, started the firm’s Wireless Symposium & Exhibition trade show in 1993, and currently serves as Technical Contributor for that company's Microwaves & RF magazine. Browne, who holds a BS in Mathematics from City College of New York and BA degrees in English and Philosophy from Fordham University, is a member of the IEEE.

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