pSemi Corp.

To minimize assembly complexity and maximize system performance it is desirable to integrate high frequency, high performance RF ICs (>60 GHz) onto mixed signal PCBAs which include many other functional blocks. These functional blocks may be RF amplifiers, mixers, switches, attenuators, filters, PLLs, but will also include power supplies, sensors, control circuitry, and digital circuitry.

The proposed capability enhancements from 4G long-term evolution (LTE) to 5G new radio (5G NR) were a massive leap designed to boost mobile telecommunications applications and enable many more. Aside from significantly boosting all major performance metrics, the 4G to 5G transition also heralds a more flexible and capable radio architecture with additional millimeter-wave frequency spectrum on top of legacy 4G LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) and new sub-6 GHz frequency bands.

The superior performance of active/advanced antenna systems (AAS) compared to traditional passive antenna systems (PAS) is driving a transition towards AAS for telecommunications base stations. These AAS are composed of several to even hundreds of antenna elements that, depending on the design, require distinct RF signal chains to the antenna elements.