PE42551 minimizes phase and IL drift after switching event
San Diego, California, May 23, 2011 – Peregrine Semiconductor Corporation, a fabless provider of high- performance radio-frequency (RF) integrated circuits (ICs), today announced availability of the RoHS- compliant PE42551 50-Ohm RF Switch for high-performance broadband RF applications such as automated test equipment (ATE), related test and measurement applications, and cellular infrastructure. Manufactured on Peregrine’s HaRP™-enhanced UltraCMOS™ technology, the Single-Pole, Double-Throw (SPDT) device operates from 9 kHz to 6.0 GHz and delivers high performance specifications not typically found in standard competitive devices. The device is quick to reach a fully settled state due to a proprietary design that enables the reduction of the phase and insertion loss drift that occurs after a switching event.
The resulting benefits are reduced test time, increased throughput, and reduced cost.
The PE42551 is the third device in Peregrine’s UltraCMOS RF Switch family designed for the demanding rigors of high-precision RF applications. “This new device complements our PE42552 high-end ATE switch with high linearity up to 6 GHz, high isolation and ease-of-use, at a price point ideal for cost- sensitive applications,” said Mark Schrepferman, marketing director for Peregrine’s High Performance Solutions business unit.
The PE42551 features very fast switching time of 7 µs (50% CTRL to 0.1 dB final value) which allows systems to respond faster while maintaining linearity over frequency, voltage and power. A typical GaAs-based switch has a well-known gate lag in settling time which is not usually defined in its operational specification. This lag, which develops a phase and insertion loss drift, is insignificant on the UltraCMOS-based PE42551.
The PE42551 delivers low insertion loss (0.65 dB @ 3 GHz and 0.90 dB @ 6 GHz); high IIP3 (50 dBm 9 kHz-6 GHz); P1dB compression point of 34 dBm (9 kHz-6 GHz); high isolation (29 dB @ 3 GHz and 21 dB @ 6.0 GHz); and 500 V ESD tolerance.
The PE42551 is available in the 4x4mm 20-lead QFN package and is priced at $1.61 in 10K quantity orders. Products samples and volume production are available now through Peregrine’s global sales representatives and its worldwide distribution partners.
About Peregrine Semiconductor
Peregrine Semiconductor is a fabless provider of high performance radio frequency integrated circuits, or RFICs. Our solutions leverage our proprietary UltraCMOS™ technology, which enables the design, manufacture, and integration of multiple RF, mixed-signal, and digital functions on a single chip. Our products deliver what we believe is an industry leading combination of performance and monolithic integration, and target a broad range of applications in the aerospace and defense, broadband, industrial, mobile wireless device, test and measurement equipment, and wireless infrastructure markets. UltraCMOS technology combines the ability to achieve the high levels of performance of traditional specialty processes, with the fundamental benefits of standard CMOS, the most widely used semiconductor process technology. UltraCMOS technology utilizes a synthetic sapphire substrate, a near-perfect electrical insulator, providing low parasitic capacitance and enabling high signal isolation and excellent broadband linearity. These attributes result in RF devices with excellent high-frequency performance and power handling performance, reduced crosstalk between frequencies, and enhanced network efficiency. We have engineered design advancements, including our patented HaRP™ technology which significantly improves harmonic and linearity performance, and our patent-pending DuNE™ technology, a circuit design technique that we have used to develop our advanced digitally tunable capacitor (DTC) products. We offer a broad portfolio of high performance RFICs including switches, digital attenuators, frequency synthesizers, mixers and prescalers, and are developing power amplifiers (PAs), DTCs, and DC-DC converters. Our products are sold worldwide through our direct sales and field applications engineering staff and our network of independent sales representatives and distribution partners. Additional information is available on the Company website at www.psemi.com.
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