By Telecom Lead Team: Black Sand Technologies, a fabless
semiconductor company, has expanded its BST34 series of CMOS power amplifiers
(PAs) with the launch of BST3405 and BST3408 power amplifiers.
The BST34 series devices deliver up to 28dBm of linear
power and are packaged in a 3 x 3mm 10-pin form factor.
The BST3401/2/4 are available and shipping now. The
BST3405/8 will ship in Q2 2012.
The new BST3405 and BST3408 are drop-in replacements for
the gallium-arsenide (GaAs) components traditionally found in every 3G mobile
phone, tablet and datacard.
The new BST3405 and BST3408 have been launched for use in
Band-5 (824-849MHz) and Band-8 (880-915MHz) respectively.
The BST34 series is already shipping into multiple
design wins with multiple customers. Our technology has reached maturity and
gained acceptance. This is the right time to extend our reach by leveraging our
ability to offer customers solutions for all the major 3G frequency bands,”
said John Diehl, CEO of Black Sand.
The company manufactures the BST34 series using an
industry-standard CMOS semiconductor process – the same technology that is used
to produce the majority of silicon chips.
By replacing specialized boutique GaAs process technology,
Black Sand’s customers can benefit from lower costs, enhanced product
robustness and reliability, and an improved supply chain.
Mobile device manufacturers are looking for an
alternative to GaAs PA technology, which has a known history of supply shortages
and higher cost-structure. We can now offer customers a complete range of
silicon PAs which, at 28dBm output power, meet or exceed the performance of
older GaAs devices, with none of their disadvantages,” said Jim Nohrden, VP
marketing at Black Sand.
