News: Microelectronics
3 February 2023
pSemi’s high-linearity sub-6GHz RF switches reach volume production
Murata company pSemi Corp of San Diego, CA, USA – a fabless provider of radio-frequency integrated circuits (RFICs) based on silicon-on-insulator (SOI) – has announced the production readiness of two new high-linearity switches targeted at the latest 5G wireless infrastructure and massive MIMO base-station deployments.
Covering a frequency range of 1.8–5GHz, each UltraCMOS PE42443 and PE42444 switch delivers what is claimed to be industry-leading RF performance across the n41, n77, n78 and n79 bands. Available in two pin-to-pin compatible configurations, the PE42443 (negative and positive supply voltage) and the PE42444 (positive supply voltage only) are offered in 4mm x 4mm LGA packages.
By using the new high-linearity switches in hybrid architecture topologies, base-station designers can save board space and improve thermal management, reducing the overall system’s cost, weight and power consumption, says the firm. The new single-pole four-throw (SP4T) switches deliver fast settling time plus what is claimed to be best-in-class linearity, low insertion loss and superior power handling performance to improve spectral efficiency in sub-6GHz active antenna systems.
5G base stations covering sub-6GHz offer network providers an immediate path to wider bandwidths and increased data throughput. Newly licensed spectrum allocations at 3–5GHz and 6.4–7.1GHz, along with added antenna design complexities, create the need for new hybrid beam-forming and phase-shifting topologies. Massive MIMO systems use hybrid architectures to minimize power-hungry digital processing and reduce the number of power amplifier components. These hybrid architectures offer the ideal balance of digital and analog, combining the flexibility of digital beam-forming with the power efficiency and design simplicity at the analog RF front-end (RFFE), says pSemi.
“Active antenna systems are driving a drastic increase in demand for RFFE components, along with tougher FR1 switching requirements for advanced 5G networks,” notes Vikas Choudhary, VP of sales & marketing. “pSemi continues to push the boundaries of SOI technology and design RFIC solutions that empower base-station OEMs and support the demands of 5G and beyond,” he adds.
pSemi’s 5G mmWave switch reaches volume production
