January 14, 2013. RF Micro Devices Inc. announced it is unveiling a highly-integrated front end module (FEM) for smart energy/advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) applications. RFMD’s single-chip RFFM6403 FEM reduces customer design time and speeds customer time-to-market in smart energy/AMI applications operating in the 405-MHz to 475-MHz frequency range, as well as for portable battery-powered equipment and general 433/470-MHz ISM band systems.
The RFFM6403 integrates a transmit high-power path with a +30.5-dBm PA and Tx harmonic output filtering, a transmit bypass thru path with Tx harmonic output filtering, and a receive path with a low noise amplifier (LNA) with bypass mode. The FEM also features a low-insertion-loss/high-isolation SP3T switch and separate Rx/Tx 50-Ω ports, simplifying matching and providing input and output signals for both the Tx and Rx paths.
The RFFM6403 is designed for AMI systems operating with high efficiency requirements and a minimum output power of 30 dBm. In the receive path, the Rx chain provides 16 dB of typical gain with only 5 mA of current and a noise figure of 1.7 dB. The high level of integration and form factor (6 mm x 6 mm x 1 mm) minimize product footprint at the customer device while reducing external component count and associated assembly costs.
