PE42440 single-pole four-throw (SP4T) RF switch
Implementing its UltraCMOS silicon-on-sapphire (SOS) process technology, Peregrine Semiconductor recently unveiled the PE42440 single-pole four-throw (SP4T) RF switch. It targets general-purpose Tx/Rx switching in cellular and 2.4-GHz industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) radio bands; antenna tuning; and filter bank tuning/switching. Applications are wide-ranging, from cellular radios and radio modules, antenna tuning of UHF bands through 3 GHz, and RFID antenna tuning, to 2.4-GHz ISM femtocells and industrial.
The PE42440 (see the figure) covers from 50 MHz up to 3 GHz. RF performance includes an IIP3 of +67 dBm and P1dB of 41.5 dBm (across the range), insertion loss of 0.45 dB, and 34-dB (at 1 GHz) isolation. The 50-Ω switch handles maximum +33 dBm input power (500 MHz to 3 GHz) with world-class electrostatic discharge (ESD) tolerance of 4.0 kV human body model (HBM) on the RFC pin.
Additional features include integrated CMOS control logic, a decoder for two-pin control that accepts 1.8- and 2.75-V control logic levels, and a low 4.5-Ω series on resistance. A single VDD supply pin eliminates the need for multiple power supplies and power-up sequencing—usually mandatory on competitive devices. As with all SOS-based UltraCMOS RFICs, the device settles fast without gate lag or insertion loss drift, plus there’s no need for blocking capacitors.
Peregrine claims that UltraCMOS outperforms GaAs-based (gallium arsenide) and other silicon-on-insulator (SOI) devices. In addition, SOS offers environmental benefits, too, because it doesn’t produce the toxic e-waste associated with GaAs-based devices. The PE42440, housed in the 16-lead 3- by 3-mm quad flat no-lead (QFN) package, costs $0.67 each in 100,000-unit lots.