EnSilica Expands Satcoms User Terminal Portfolio With Dual-Beam, Dual-Polarization Ku-band Analogue Beamformer Chipset

EnSilica, a leading maker of mixed-signal ASICs, has announced two Ku-band beamformer integrated circuits, the ENS92051 and ENS92052, which offer best-in-class power consumption and performance. They are designed to address the needs of the next generation of electronically steered antennas for a range of user terminals used with LEO, MEO and GEO satellite constellations.

The ENS92051 is the dual-beam Ku-band receiver (Rx) supporting eight channels with separate amplitude and phase control. The Rx carrier frequency range is 10.7 to 12.75 GHz.

The ENS92052 is the Ku-band transmitter supporting eight channels with separate amplitude and phase control. The Tx carrier frequency range 13.75 to 14.5 GHz.

The eight channels of the chipset can support four dual-polarisation or eight single-polarisation elements. The highly integrated devices offer low-power and low-cost using phase and amplitude controls with a built-in temperature sensor, and the transmitter has an integral power detector. The chipset includes a beam table to support very low-latency beam switching and supports a range of power-saving modes.

The device SPI bus and control pins operate from standard 1.8V logic at speeds up to 50 MHz, the core voltage is 1.0 V. Both chips come in a 63-pin Wafer Level Chip Scale Package.

The devices will be fabricated and tested in Europe, offering customers a European sovereign supply chain. They are designed to meet the requirements of DO-254 DAL 5 and qualified to AEC-Q100 automotive grade 2.

Paul Morris, VP of RF & Communication BU commented: “The addition of these Ku-band beamformer ICs to our portfolio enables our customers to develop the lowest power user terminals which can connect to existing constellations such as Eutelsat/OneWeb. They also boost the European supply chain in satellite communications which has become increasingly important in recent months.”

The chipset is available for sampling to lead customers.