Analog semiconductor maker Skyworks Solutions Inc of Woburn, MA, USA has unveiled a portfolio of low-noise amplifiers (LNAs) that provide what is claimed to be best-in-class noise figure (a critical component to boosting weak incoming signals for 4G wireless infrastructure as well as diverse broad market systems including GPS, broadband, military and satellite communications). OEMs can now leverage a single Skyworks LNA to address all cellular, ISM (industrial, scientific & medicial) and military bands, enabling unconditional stability and simple band-specific external matching across a wide voltage range, says the firm.
“Skyworks’ newest LNAs are achieving unprecedented performance levels, while enabling a multitude of high-performance base-station, cellular repeater and remote radio head [RRH] platforms,” says David Stasey, VP & general manager of analog solutions. “Leveraging our analog design expertise, IP and scale, Skyworks is delivering highly differentiated solutions.”
The SKY67151-396LF is a gallium arsenide, pseudomorphic high-electron-mobility transistor (GaAs pHEMT) LNA with integrated active bias and a very low noise figure (as low as 0.25dB). The 0.25μm enhancement-mode process provides broadband return loss, high gain, very low noise and high amplifier linearity. The internal active bias circuitry provides stable performance over temperature and process variation. The device allows users to externally adjust the supply current to optimize linearity.
Operating over a broad frequency range of 0.7-3.8GHz, the new LNA has four band-specific external tuning networks with common printed circuit board (PCB) layouts available to cover the full 3000MHz bandwidth. The device is suited to both macro and micro cellular base-stations, repeaters, remote radio heads, tower-mounted amplifiers, L- and S-band military communications, global positioning transceivers and proprietary radio networks. The LNA is manufactured in a compact 2mm x 2mm, 8-pin, dual flat no-lead (DFN) Skyworks Green package, and four band-specific evaluation boards are available for customer testing.
The new LNAs are currently available for both sampling and production. Skyworks is exhibiting the products, as well as other RF solutions, in booth 630 at the 2013 IEEE MTT-S International Microwave
Symposium (IMS) in Seattle, WA, USA (4-6 June).
