Renesas Electronics has strengthened its RF portfolio for traditional macro base stations with four high reliability, high performance devices, offering a complete RF signal chain solution. The new products comprise the quad-channel F4482/1 Tx variable gain amplifiers (VGA); the F011x family of dual-channel, first stage low noise amplifiers (LNA); the F1471 RF driver amplifier; and the F2934 RF switch with higher isolation in a smaller package for the digital predistortion feedback path.
All of the new devices — the F4482/1, F011x, F1471 and F2934 — are released and available. Renesas says the VGA is the industry's first quad-channal product, and the driver amplifier is the first high-power pre-driver with P1dB greater than 1/2 W.
These new devices, with the recently released F1490 high gain RF amplifier and the F0443 RX VGA, provide a complete RF signal chain for 5G macro base stations, providing performance, reliability, flexibility and small size. The new RF devices integrate Renesas’ Smart Silicon™ innovations, which require smaller board footprints for a given function, which is an important differentiator for base stations with a large number of antenna paths.
“As the 5G transition picks up speed, we have upgraded our macro BTS portfolio of receive and transmit chain components with higher performance and higher integration,” said Naveen Yanduru, vice president of the RF communications segment at Renesas.
Performance Specifications
- F4482/1 quad-path TX VGA
- RF frequency range: 400 MHz to 2.8 GHz.
- Balun, lowpass filter, amplifier and digital step attenuators integrated on one die.
- Renesas’ Zero Distortion™ technology for increased dynamic range, and Glitch-Free™ technology to protect the PA and simplify DPD implementation.
- F011x dual-channel, first stage LNA (either balanced or two channels)
- RF frequency range: 650 MHz to 2.7 GHz.
- Noise figure: 0.55 dB at 2.6 GHz.
- Return loss: 27 dB input, 23 dB output.
- F1471 RF driver amplifier
- RF frequency range: 400 MHz to 4.2 GHz
- Gain: 17 dB.
- OIP3: up to +38dBm.
- OP1dB: 28.5 dBm at 2.6 GHz.
- Adjustable OIP3 performance and DC bias for tuning flexibility.
- SP2T F2934 RF switch
- RF frequency range: 50 MHz to 6.0 GHz.
- Isolation: 70 dB at 1 GHz and 2 GHz, 74 dB at 3 GHz and 67 dB at 4 GHz.
- 3 x 3 QFN package.
- Renesas Kz™ Constant Impedance technology to maintain VSWR during switching.
Renesas says it has a legacy of circuit design addressing the evolving needs of the wireless infrastructure market. Patented Renesas RF solutions with unique technical differentiation address the needs of a wide range of applications, including massive MIMO and mmWave cellular base stations, communications systems, RF/IF, CATV and test and measurement equipment.