News: Microelectronics
19 June 2023
Guerrilla RF samples new LNA with selectable gain for 5G mMIMO applications
Guerrilla RF Inc (GRF) of Greensboro, NC, USA — a provider of radio-frequency (RF) and microwave communication solutions for wireless OEMs — is sampling the GRF2176, a high-gain, two-stage pseudomorphic high-electron-mobility transistor (pHEMT) low-noise amplifier (LNA) with built-in bypass functionality. As with other bypass-capable devices in its portfolio, the LNA leverages patented Guerrilla Armor technology, which prevents amplifiers from turning on in the presence of large RF input signals — a critical requirement for guaranteeing exceptional stage isolation and minimal impact on a device’s on-state performance.
“The GRF2176 builds directly upon the success of our previously released single-stage GRF2076 LNA with Bypass,” says Jim Ahne, VP of Automotive and 5G Products. “The high-gain capabilities of this new device will allow our existing 5G mMIMO customers to replace two discrete cores with a single, ultra-small component. The GRF2176 core will also serve as the cornerstone of a new line of highly integrated mMIMO receiver devices which will be sampling later this summer.”
By utilizing three unique matching sets, the GRF2176 can be tuned to operate over all common 5G mMIMO bands spanning 2.3–2.7GHz, 3.3–4.2GHz and 4.4–5GHz. The bypass function allows the devices to support two selectable gain modes — a critical feature for many applications requiring a fast yet simple way to quickly reduce the overall gain in a wireless system. This flexibility is critical for applications like 5G that need to quickly shift into a low-gain state to protect downstream blocks from damaging overdrive conditions, says the firm.
When operating in its high-gain mode at 3.75GHz, the GRF2176 draws only 66mA of current while delivering 32.4dB of gain, 32dBm of OIP3 linearity, a compression level of 20.9dBm, and a noise figure of 0.65dB. When in bypass mode, the gain is reduced to 15.8dB, with OIP3 and OP1dB levels of 24.9dBm and 13.9dBm, respectively. Noise-figure performance stays relatively constant with a rating of 0.68dB.
The GRF2176 utilizes Guerilla RF’s 1.5mm x 1.5mm DFN-6 package — the firm’s ultra-small packaging option supporting a common footprint for over 30 devices. The entire family of parts provides options for addressing different frequency, gain, noise figure, compression and linearity requirements. Guerrilla RF says that this modular approach has proven to be extremely popular with its customer base since it provides an exceptional degree of design latitude, translating directly into design speed and agility.
Samples and evaluation boards are available for the GRF2176. Prices start at $1.89 (in 10,000-unit quantities, EXW USA).
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