PLLs Launch Space Apps With Less Power

Improved phase noise at one-tenth the power of competitive devices is promised with the introduction of the first products in two families of high-performance phase-locked loop (PLL) devices that provide precise frequency synthesis capabilities for commercial satellite communications. The PE9600 and PE9700 PLL family devices features greater than 10 dB in phase noise improvement and one-tenth the power consumption, leaving them as ideal replacements in existing designs and the choice for new designs. The PLL circuit core used in the devices is also available as a building block for customer-defined devices. The PE9600 devices operate at up to 2.2 GHz and are combined with an external prescaler to generate the local oscillator signals required by satellite communications transceivers. The PE9700 devices operate at up to 3.0 GHz and are intended for newer designs, eliminating the external prescaler function and reducing the parts count and cost of a frequency synthesizer board. Offered in a 44-pin CQFJ package, the devices cost $2500 each/100.