From LTE to 5G, Intelligent Integration Will Enable Phase and Amplitude Control at Microwave Frequencies
SAN DIEGO – Aug. 20, 2015 – Peregrine Semiconductor Corp., founder of RF SOI (silicon on insulator) and pioneer
of advanced RF solutions, announces the next chapter in
intelligent integration - integrated phase and amplitude control at microwave frequencies. In the fall of 2014,
Peregrine introduced intelligent integration, a unique design capability of UltraCMOS® technology that enables the
integration of RF, digital and analog components onto a single die. Peregrine uses this design capability to offer
benefits such as configurability, flexibility, enhanced performance, reliability, repeatability, ease-of-use and
a reduced form factor. By enabling phase and amplitude control at higher frequencies, Peregrine can provide clear
benefits to markets and applications including wireless infrastructure, synthetic aperture radar (SAR), beamforming
and interference cancellation.
Intelligent integration has enabled Peregrine to develop its family of MPAC products—monolithic phase and amplitude
controllers for the LTE and LTE-A wireless infrastructure transceiver market. MPAC products provide maximum phase
and amplitude tuning flexibility in dual-path dynamically load-modulated amplifier architectures, such as Doherty
amplifiers. Each controller integrates a 90-degree hybrid splitter, phase shifters, digital step attenuator and
a digital serial interface on a single die. Leveraging the capabilities of MPAC into other integrated products,
Peregrine sees many potential applications at higher frequencies.
"As the frequency spectrum becomes more crowded, many commercial applications are moving to higher frequencies,"
says Andrew Christie, technical marketing manager at Peregrine Semiconductor. "Phase and amplitude control is
critical to these applications. The need for Peregrine's intelligent integration capability has never been
stronger."
Next-Generation Systems Need Intelligent Integration Next-generation cellular systems, such as 5G, will rely
more on beamforming antennas to improve data rates and provide users with better quality of service (QoS). These
antennas require advance analog and digital signal processing capabilities in order to accurately steer multiple
signals simultaneously. 5G solutions will need fast, reconfigurable antennas that independently and accurately control
the phase and amplitude of each antenna array. The key to achieving this desired performance is intelligent arrays
that can operate at high frequencies. With increased analog accuracy, resolution and speed of reconfiguration, intelligent
arrays can be further optimized for their overall performance—whether it is the fundamental beam pattern or reducing
unwanted interference.
SAR and active electronically scanned array (AESA) systems also rely on phase and amplitude control to achieve
accurate performance. Using intelligent arrays, these commercial and military systems demand accurate and fast array
reconfiguration in order to achieve accurate target tracking, low power consumption and jamming suppression through
side-lobe cancellation.
Building on the success of the MPAC product family, Peregrine is developing a family of core chips—monolithic
controllers that offer phase and amplitude at microwave frequencies. Ideal for high density, compact arrays, these
core chips provide a reliable solution to applications ranging from 5G beamforming to weather radar and air traffic
control. UltraCMOS technology and intelligent integration allow memory elements to be added to the chip that allow
pre-loading of configurations. These configurations can then be automatically cycled at high speed. Additionally,
integrated digital components allow flexibility to tune gain and phase at very fine resolutions.
Learn More About Intelligent Integration To learn more about Peregrine's capabilities at microwave frequencies,
there will be a
Microwaves & RF webinar today at 2 p.m. EDT (11 a.m. PDT). This webinar,
"The Continuing Adventures of CMOS
Technology—Power and Linearity at Microwave Frequencies", will be lead by Peregrine's director of system integration,
Peter Bacon. A video recording of this webinar will be available in
SOI University, a section of Peregrine's online newsroom.
Additionally, Peregrine's technical marketing manager, Andrew Christie, will deliver a presentation on "Intelligent
Integration in SAR and AESA Systems" at European Microwave Week 2015
Defence, Security and Space Forum.
His afternoon session will be on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2015 at the Palais Des Congres in Paris.
About Peregrine Semiconductor
Peregrine Semiconductor Corporation, a Murata company, is the founder of RF silicon on insulator (SOI) and is
a leading fabless provider of high-performance, integrated RF solutions. Since 1988 Peregrine and its founding team
have been perfecting UltraCMOS® technology—a patented, advanced form of SOI—to deliver the performance edge needed
to solve the RF market's biggest challenges, such as linearity. With products that deliver best-in-class performance
and monolithic integration, Peregrine is the trusted choice for market leaders in automotive, broadband, industrial,
Internet of Things, mobile devices, smartphones, space, test-and-measurement equipment and wireless infrastructure.
A Murata company since December 2014, Peregrine holds more than 180 filed and pending patents and has shipped over
2 billion UltraCMOS units. For more information, visit http://www.psemi.com.
The Peregrine Semiconductor name, logo, and UltraCMOS are registered trademarks of Peregrine Semiconductor Corporation
in the U.S.A., and other countries. All other trademarks mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners.
Contact Information
Peregrine Stocking Distributor
RFMW, Ltd.
188 Martinvale Lane
San Jose, Ca. 95119
PH: 408.414.1450
info@rfmw.com
Posted August 12, 2015