Qorvo® has introduced a family of high performance low noise amplifiers (LNA) for base station infrastructure, including 5G mMIMO. Qorvo says the LNAs combine the lowest noise figure in the industry — 0.3 dB at 2 GHz — with wide bandwidth, high reliability and production scalability in a compact footprint.
Joe Madden, chief analyst at Mobile Experts, said, “In 5G networks, the uplink is the limiting factor, and mMIMO makes the uplink even more critical. A combination of low noise figure and high dynamic range is the key to maximizing the coverage of a 5G network. We expect the market to require large numbers of this type of LNA, as massive MIMO ramps up worldwide.”
The flagship QPL9547 LNA is fabricated with Qorvo's latest generation enhancement-mode PHEMT process to achieve the market-leading noise figure, which improves base station receiver sensitivity. This LNA is internally matched and assembled in a 2 mm x 2 mm package to minimize board footprint for system designers. The other LNAs in the family — the QPL9057, QPL9058 and QPL9504 —provide high gain have the disable pins required for 5G wireless infrastructure.
| Specifications | QPL9547 | QPL9057 | QPL9058 | QPL9504 |
| Frequency Range (GHz) | 0.1 – 6.0 | 0.6 – 4.2 | 0.5 – 6.0 | 0.6 – 6.0 |
| Gain (dB) | 19.3 | 22.8 | 18 | 21.5 |
| Noise Figure (dB) at Frequency (GHz) | 0.3 @ 2.0 | 0.54 @ 3.5 | 0.6 @ 3.5 | 0.7 @ 5.5 |
| OIP3 (dBm) | 39.3 | 32 | 36 | 34 |
| Package Size (mm) | 2 x 2 | 2 x 2 | 2 x 2 | 2 x 2 |
The four LNAs are in production and available for immediate delivery.
Roger Hall, general manager of Qorvo’s High Performance Solutions business, said, “The release of these third-generation LNAs makes it easier for our customers to design and deploy their 5G solutions. This LNA family helps ensure that data transfer will be seamless and reliable, prompting customer demand worldwide.”
The global deployment of 5G networks is driving demand for Qorvo’s entire portfolio of high performance RF solutions, including GaN high-power amplifiers and GaAs front-end modules (FEM). Qorvo’s 5G portfolio offers the efficiency, reliability and compact size needed for base station manufacturers and network operators to increase capacity and expand coverage. It also provides complete solutions for new 5G smartphones, including low-band, mid-high and ultra-high-band FEMs, transmit-receive modules and antenna control solutions that enable innovative new designs, enhanced performance and faster time to market.