Mimix Broadband Inc. introduced surface-mount technology (SMT) packaged, gallium arsenide (GaAs) monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) receiver and transmitter devices that cover the 10 to 18 GHz frequency bands. The receiver has a noise figure of 2.7 dB and 20 dB image rejection across the band. The transmitter has a +11 dBm output P1dB, 8 dB conversion gain and 15 dB image rejection across the band.

The receiver integrates an image-reject mixer, an LO buffer amplifier and a low noise amplifier. The transmitter integrates a balanced, image-reject mixer, an LO buffer amplifier and an output RF amplifier. The image-reject mixer eliminates the need for an image bandpass filter after the amplifier to remove thermal noise at the image frequency. This receiver and transmitter pair, identified as XR1007-QD and XU1005-QD, respectively, is well suited for wireless communications applications such as millimeter-wave point-to-point radio, local multipoint distribution services (LMDS), SATCOM and VSAT applications.

"The combination of very low noise figure and high input third order linearity in the XR1007-QD receiver offers excellent performance for a wide variety of applications that require both high levels of sensitivity and power-handling capabilities," said Paul Beasly, product manager. "The XU1005-QD transmitter integrates a balanced, image-reject mixer that also enhances LO to RF isolation along with power-handling capabilities. These two devices offer high levels of integration in SMD technology, thereby providing a high performance, cost-effective solution for our customers' design requirements."

Mimix performs 100 percent RF and DC testing on these products. The devices come in a 7x7 mm QFN surface-mount laminate package, offering excellent RF and thermal properties, and the packages are RoHS=compliant. Engineering samples and production quantities are available today from stock.