MTT-S 2007: Peregrine Launches SP9T UltraCMOS Antenna Switch Family

Honolulu -- IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Symposium -- Peregrine Semiconductor Corporation announced the next generation of its UltraCMOS products at the MTT-S International Microwave Symposium in Honolulu, Hawaii. The company claims its new 0.5µm PE42693 SP9T RF antenna switch is the highest throw-count RF CMOS antenna switch available on the market today. To support more highly integrated and smaller WCDMA solutions, Peregrine also announced that it has qualified its 0.25 µm UltraCMOS technology for three new SP9T switches: the wirebond PE42691 and the flip-chip PE42692 and PE42694 devices.

"Peregrine has responded to customer demands for higher-throw, monolithic CMOS switches that enable efficient RF front-end solutions," said Rodd Novak, vice president of marketing for Peregrine Semiconductor. "The latest multi-band handset designs require a single, high-throw switch with unprecedented linearity and small signal performance, and a minimal footprint. These new switches are changing the way designers architect their modules," he added.

Designed for quad-band GSM and GSM/WCDMA handsets, the PE42693 die offers maximum flexibility for antenna switch module (ASM) applications with two GSM/PCS/EDGE compliant TX ports, three TRX ports (designed for WCDMA or as transmit/receive ports), and four symmetric RX ports. Multiple antenna pads allow for flexible impedance matching, while a four pin CMOS logic control with integral decoder/driver facilitates both 1.8 V and 2.75 V control. Peregrine's 50-Ohm PE42693 die provides lower insertion loss, smaller footprint, and higher integration.

The UltraCMOS-based PE42693 incorporates Peregrine's HaRP technology enhancements to deliver strong harmonic results, linearity, and overall RF performance. The device features high linearity of +68 dBm IP3; -110 dBm IMD3; 51 dB of TX-RX isolation at 850 MHz; low insertion loss of 0.7 dB at 850 MHz WCDMA. This 2.75V RF switch operates from 100 to 3000 MHz, and features 1500 V ESD tolerance at all ports, no blocking capacitors, and fast switch settling time.

The PE42691 wirebond SP9T and the PE42692 and PE42694 flip chip SP9Ts are the latest in a series of high-performance switches designed for quad-band GSM and GSM/WCDMA handset applications. These SP9T switches offer maximum versatility with two GSM/PCS/EDGE compliant TX ports, three TRX ports (designed for WCDMA or as transmit/receive ports), and four symmetric RX ports. The PE42691 wirebond die has multiple antenna pads to allow for flexible impedance matching, while the PE42692 and PE42694 represent two different logic configuration options in a tiny flip-chip package. The availability of a flip-chip version offers space savings in ASM designs. Each switch's four pin CMOS logic control with integral decoder/driver facilitates both 1.8 V and 2.75 V control.

Key specifications for these 0.25 µm SP9T switches include: IMD3: -112 dBm; second harmonics of -76 dBc; and third harmonics of -76 dBc. IIP3 is specified at +69 dBm; TRX Insertion Loss (850 WCDMA) is 0.55 dB; TX-RX Isolation is 51 dB at 900 MHz and 45 dB at 1900 MHz; and ESD tolerance is 1.5 kV HBM at all ports.

The PE42693 is sampling now and is slated for volume production in multiple facilities in Q3 '07, including those of Peregrine's strategic manufacturing partner, OKI Electric Industry Co., Ltd. (Tokyo, Japan). The PE42691, PE42692, PE42694 are scheduled to begin sampling to volume customers in Q3 '07 with production in Q4 '07.

SOURCE: Peregrine Semiconductor