Hittite Microwave Corp of Chelmsford, MA, USA (which designs and supplies analog, digital and mixed-signal RF, microwave and millimeter-wave ICs, modules and subsystems as well as instrumentation) has launched a gallium arsenide (GaAs) monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) I/Q upconverter and GaAs MMIC power amplifier for high-capacity point-to-point/point-to-multi-point radios, SatCom and radar systems covering the 5.5-8.6GHz frequency range.
The HMC6505LC5 is a compact GaAs MMIC I/Q upconverter that provides a small-signal conversion gain of 15dB with 22dBc of sideband rejection. Available in a leadless RoHS-compliant SMT package, the it uses an RF amplifier preceded by an I/Q mixer where the local oscillator (LO) is driven by a driver amplifier. IF1 and IF2 mixer inputs are provided, and an external 90° hybrid is needed to select the required sideband. This I/Q mixer topology is highly beneficial for microwave radio applications, since the unwanted sideband filtering is reduced, says Hittite. The HMC6505LC5 is a much smaller alternative to hybrid-style single-sideband upconverter assemblies, and exhibits excellent LO-to-RF rejection of 14dBc with output IP3 as high as +35dBm, it is claimed.
The HMC7357LP5GE is a GaAs pHEMT MMIC medium power amplifier that operates at 5.5-8.5GHz. The amplifier provides 29dB of gain and +35dBm of saturated output power at 34% power-added efficiency (PAE) from a +8V supply. With an output IP3 of +41.5 dBm, the device is suitable for linear applications demanding +35dBm of efficient saturated output power. The HMC7357LP5GE amplifier features RF I/Os are internally matched to 50 Ohms, and it is available in a compact leadless 5mm x 5mm plastic surface-mount package.
Samples and evaluation PC boards for all SMT-packaged products are available from stock.
