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24 December 2009

 

Mitsubishi to ship 28.5dBm, 2.5% EVM power amps for WiMAX terminals

Japan’s Mitsubishi Electric Corp has launched the MGFS38E2527 indium gallium phosphide heterojunction bipolar transistor (InGaP HBT) power amplifier, for operation at 2.5-2.7GHz in WiMAX subscriber terminal equipment. The module, which measures just 4mm x 4mm, produces high output power of 28.5dBm with low distortion. Sample shipments will start on 25 January, with production capacity planned for 100,000 units per month.

WiMAX is growing increasingly popular for high-speed wireless communications due to its extra-wide-area coverage compared with that of existing high-speed wireless services. To extend the communication range between WiMAX base stations and terminals, there is a growing need for compact power amplifiers for installation in WiMAX terminals such as PC cards and customer premises equipment, says Mitsubishi Electric. Such amplifiers are required to deliver high output with low distortion, while maintaining high radio signal quality.

In the past, Mitsubishi Electric has released a series of InGaP HBT power amplifiers: the small-size MGFS36Exxxx (for WiMAX terminals used in mobile and fixed-line communications) and the MGFS39Exxxx (which features high output power combined with low distortion).

Compared with existing models, the new MGFS38E2527 power amplifier provides both less distortion (less than 2.5% error vector magnitude) and more power (a maximum output of Po=28.5dBm, 1.5dB higher than the 27dBm of the existing MGFS36E2527, enabling both wider service areas and improved signal quality for WiMAX systems). This is all in a smaller package (4mm x 4mm including peripheral functional circuitry versus 4.5mm x 4.5mm, 20% smaller than that of conventional amplifiers).

The MGFS38E2527 includes two functional circuits: a power detector for precise monitoring of output power, and a one-bit step attenuator for easy control of output power. Matching 50Ω input and output circuits are integrated into the amplifier, eliminating the need for additional matching circuits on the customer’s board.

The amplifier is expected to reduce both the occupied board area and the number of surface-mounted devices, contributing to the development of smaller, lighter WiMAX terminals.

Mitsubishi Electric also plans to develop 2.3GHz- and 3.5GHz-band amplifiers offering output of 28.5dBm by the end of March.

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