Wireless Apps Amp It Up With E-pHEMT

Designated the MGA-425P8, Agilent's enhancement-mode pseudomorphic high-electron mobility transistor (E-pHEMT) power amplifier targets wireless equipment operating up to 10 GHz. This monolithic microwave IC (MMIC) can be used in 802.11a/b/g wireless local-area networks (WLANs), cordless telephones, wireless local loops (WLLs), and equipment for the unlicensed national information infrastructure (UNII) band up to 5.8 GHz. It also can serve as a driver for higher-power amplifiers used in wireless basestations and fixed access points to 10 GHz.

The MGA-425P8 meets WLAN linearity requirements as well. Its "smart bias" lets designers tailor the gain, linearity, and current consumption for various positions in a circuit. Specifications for the IC at 5.25 GHz with a 3-V supply include a 58-mA current drain; 13.3-dBm power out at 5% error vector magnitude (EVM); 10.3% power-added efficiency (PAE); 20.3-dBm P1dB (power out at 1-dB gain compression); 32.9 OIP3 (third-order intercept); and 16-dB gain overall. Bias is adjustable with a single external resistor. Its voltage standing-wave ratio is less than 2:1 at 50 (omega) from 4.9 to 5.8 GHz.

Available now, the MGA-425P8 comes in a 2- by 2-mm, eight-pad JEDEC DRP-N LPCC plastic package (see the figure). It costs $1.73 in 5500- to 15,000-unit quantities.