pSemi Corporation (formerly Peregrine Semiconductor) made two announcements at the international microwave symposium (IMS).
The company introduced four digital step attenuator (DSA) portfolios featuring attenuation accuracy at an entry-level price point.
“We are expanding our DSA portfolio with the introduction of the value, high-performance DSAs. These four new DSAs round out our DSA portfolio and complement our RF catalog parts,” Jim Cable, CTO at pSemi, said.
The company is offering the value DSA family — the PE43620, PE43650, PE43665 and PE43670 — in a 2-bit, 5-bit, 6-bit or 7-bit configuration. These DSAs have excellent attenuation accuracy, low insertion loss and high linearity. The four products are available in compact QFN packages.
For 1K-quantity orders, the PE43620 DSA (2 bit, 50-ohm) is $0.63 each; the PE43650 (5 bit, 50-hm) is $1.44 each. The PE43665 (6-bit, 75-ohm) is $1.23 each, and the PE43670 (7-bit, 50-ohm) is $2.02 each.
pSemi also introduced switch + low-noise amplifier (LNA) modules for 5G massive MIMO base stations promising an ultra-low noise figure and excellent input power handling. “These modules are ideal for protecting remote radio units that operate in the sub-6 GHz frequency bands,” Jim Cable said.
pSemi said its switch + LNA modules have lower power consumption and better ESD robustness. The overall solution size is 60 percent smaller due to integration.
The receiver modules integrate two-channel LNAs with bypass function and high-power switches. An on-chip, fail-safe switch — with over 5W average power handling — improves the robustness of the receive channels.
Design engineers can control each channel individually within the selected frequency band, offering flexibility in the overall system design. Regarding performance, the pSemi switch + LNA modules deliver a very low noise figure, high linearity and low power consumption. The modules offer ESD protection up to 1kV HBM and operate in environments up to 105 degrees Celsius.
pSemi will showcase its 5G millimeter (mmWave) products at IMS booth #1349. These 5G mmWave parts include a 40 GHz switch, two 60 GHz switches and, now, a 50 GHz DSA. This mmWave DSA is the world’s first single-chip digital step attenuator (DSA) to support the entire 9 kHz to 50 GHz frequency range.
The PE43508 is a 6-bit, 50-ohm DSA that offers wideband support from 9 kHz to 50 GHz. The PE43508 covers a 31.5 dB attenuation range in 0.5 dB and 1 dB steps, and it is capable of maintaining 0.5 dB and 1 dB monotonicity through 50 GHz. This high-performance DSA features low insertion loss, fast switching time and low attenuation error. The price of PE43508 is $50 for 1K-quantity orders.
