Mimix SmartSets: Complete QFN Chipset Solution

Sustained growth in wireless communications and greater demands for bandwidth place tremendous pressure on component manufacturers to provide high performance, surface-mount technology (SMT) packaged products. The market is seeking low-cost, standard SMT components for high volume printed circuit board (PCB) assembly flow, in particular for applications such as point-to-point (PTP) digital radio and commercial satellite communications systems (VSAT) at microwave and millimeter-wave frequencies. The drivers for industry growth in the PTP market are next generation data services and the rapid expansion of cellular usage in developing nations such as China and India. In order to meet the performance, cost and time to market requirements of these systems, OEMs are turning to complete SMT chipset solutions. Mimix SmartSet devices are highly integrated chipsets that are housed in standard plastic QFN packages that offer a number of advantages including low cost, ease of handling and assembly, as well as suitability for mass production. Among these devices are unique, high linearity power amplifier technologies that house integrated power detectors and broadband, high performance receivers in small 4x4 mm packages.

Mimix SmartSet Solutions

Mimix recently launched its new “Mimix SmartSet” product line, which offers complete QFN chipset solutions to meet the requirements for next generation wireless communications. These Mimix SmartSet solutions give design engineers the ability to create complete SMT radio boards that can be manufactured by sub-contractors at very low prices and faster time to market, while still meeting the performance demands for higher linearity and bandwidth applications. The key to this technology is the integration of four functions or more into a single MMIC, which reduces the chip-count, simplifies the design, minimizes the board layout, reduces cost and speeds up the design process. Therefore, these Mimix SmartSet QFN chipsets are ideally suited to meet the needs for next generation wireless communications design.

12 to 16 GHz Mimix SmartSet

Figure 1 Mimix 10 TO 16 GHz Chipset.

The Ku-band QFN Mimix chipset is shown in Figure 1. The block diagram is based on a common LO feed to the receive and transmit paths. On the receiver side, a single device, XR1015-QH, integrates an LNA, image reject mixer and LO buffer amplifier within a 4x4 mm standard QFN package. The device includes on-chip ESD protection structures and DC-bypass circuitry to improve yields and ease handling during assembly. On the transmit path, the upconverter feeds into a buffer amplifier, XB1008-QT, which is a high gain, miniature device in a 3x3 QFN package. The buffer amp in turn feeds into a driver amplifier, XP1042-QT, followed by a power amplifier, the XP1043-QH. The XP1043-QH is the company’s flagship product for the SmartSet chipset and it sets a new industry standard for performance for GaAs in a miniature 4x4 mm QFN package. The driver and PA pair can be bias adjusted to provide stable power and gain regulation over 30 dB of dynamic range with little degradation in the linearity performance. Furthermore, the XP1043-QH PA includes a directional on-chip temperature compensated power detector for output power monitoring and gain power control mechanisms.

XP1042-QT “Miniature High Linearity Driver Amplifier”

Figure 2 XP1042-QT small-signal parameter response vs. frequency (V_dd = 5 V, I_d1 = 125 mA, I_d2 = 125 mA, I_d3 = 250 mA).

The 12 to 16 GHz driver amplifier, XP1042-QT, is offered in a 3x3 mm QFN package and offers superior power handling and linearity. The device delivers high performance with 38 dBm OIP3, 25 dBm P1dB and 21 dB gain. Figure 2 shows small signal parameter response over the frequency range. The device is highly efficient requiring only 5 V and 500 mA to provide high linearity with 38 dBm OIP3. The bias can be controlled to achieve linear gain control by reducing the drain current. This lower drain current also improves the DC power consumption of the radio in the turn-down mode. The unique offering for this product is the very high IP3 to P1dB ratio of 13 dB, which makes the device an ideal candidate for very high linearity driver applications.

XP1043-QH “High Linearity and DC Efficiency with Power Detection”

The 12 to 16 GHz power amplifier, XP1043-QH, is the Mimix SmartSet flag-ship product. The device is offered in a standard 4x4 mm QFN package and offers a set of unique features making it ideally suited to large volume linear radio requirements. Firstly, it provides 30 dBm P1dB and 41 dBm OIP3 in the linear, DC efficiency mode with 5 W DC power consumption. Figure 3 shows the small signal response over the frequency range, which shows that the packaged device has greater than 20 dB gain and is fully matched across the band. The device is also rated to be biased up to 10 V and 1000 mA, which enables it to provide over 2 W of saturated RF power. The XP1043-QH also includes an on-chip temperature-compensated power detector and offers power and gain control through bias adjustment. The integrated power detector allows the user to control the linear output power without needing to use a discrete power detector and attenuator, and this enhanced functionality simplifies the design requirements and lowers cost for transmit applications.

5 to 10 GHz Mimix SmartSet

The 5 to 10 GHz QFN chipset is shown in Figure 4 with a common LO feed configuration. On the receiver side, a single device, XR1011-QH, integrates an LNA, image reject mixer and LO buffer amplifier within a 4x4 mm standard QFN package. The device includes unique active on-chip ESD protection structures, which are ‘disabled’ once the device is biased up for use. During handling and assembly, the ESD structures actively shunt possibly damaging static charge away from the most sensitive circuit structures. Furthermore, the device has sufficient DC-bypass circuitry to simplify the board layout and bias design. On the transmit path the RF is fed into a buffer amplifier, XB1008-QT, which is a high gain, miniature device in a 3x3 QFN package. The buffer amplifier in turn feeds into a driver amplifier with 29 dBm P1dB, XP1035-QH, followed by a number of options for high power linear amplifiers, which deliver up to 4 W of saturated RF power and 50 dBm OIP3. The high power amplifiers (HPA) employ HFET GaAs technology, which provides high power and linearity at high DC efficiencies and increased thermal reliability, allowing these devices to be offered in standard 6x6 mm QFN packages. These new 4 W devices are the industry’s first fully molded 6x6 mm QFN power amplifier MMICs that provides a viable alternative to discrete power FETs.

XR1011-QH “High Performance Broadband Operation”

The XR1011-QH is the industry’s first fully molded 4x4 mm QFN packaged receiver covering the frequency range of 4.5 to 10.5 GHz. The part is distinguished by its high performance; combining low noise figure, high conversion gain and excellent linearity across the entire band. The device integrates an image reject mixer, an LO buffer amplifier, and a low noise amplifier within a fully molded 4x4 mm QFN package that is RoHS compliant. ESD protection structures and DC-bypass are all included on-chip to provide high yields and ease the handling, board design and implementation in assembly. The conversion gain is shown in Figure 5. The NF shows very good performance across the band with better than 2 dB at room temperature and little variation in temperature from -40º to +85ºC. The device offers high conversion gain of 14 dB and IIP3 of +3 dBm, making it a market leader in integrated, packaged receiver technology.

XP1035-QH “Versatile Broadband Power Amplifier”

The XP1035-QH is a packaged linear power amplifier that operates over the 5.9 to 9.5 GHz frequency band. The device provides high gain of 26 dB gain (see Figure 6) and linearity of 39 dBm OIP3 across the band. The packaged amplifier is comprised of a three-stage power amplifier with an integrated, temperature compensated on-chip power detector and is offered in an industry standard, fully molded 4x4 mm QFN package. The device includes on-chip ESD protection structures and DC bypass capacitors to ease the implementation and volume assembly of the packaged part. The combination of broadband performance and strong drive level with standard QFN packaging make the device highly versatile for a wide range of applications.

XP1039-QJ “4 W power in standard QFN package”

Mimix now offers very high linearity packaged power amplifiers for the 5.6 to 8.5 GHz frequency bands in standard 6x6 mm QFN packages. These new devices are the industry’s first high power amplifiers in standard 6x6 mm packages and present an attractive alterative to discrete power FETs due to some key advantages. Firstly, the devices provide plenty of linearity with up to 50 dBm OIP3 using HFET wafer technology and they operate at lower DC power consumption levels. Secondly, the devices are high gain with up to 16 dB gain, thus greatly reducing the power requirements for driver amplifiers and hence lowering DC power consumption and overall BOM cost. Thirdly, the components are fully matched and broadband in performance, which further reduces the BOM count and simplifies the board design. Finally, the power amplifiers are offered in standard 6x6 mm QFN packages, an industry first to offer such high linearity and power with all the advantages associated with standard QFN packaging. The gain of the XP1039-QJ is greater than 16 dB from 5.6 to 7.1 GHz and Figure 7 shows the P1dB performance as a function of frequency, which shows the device is capable of delivering up to 4 W of RF power at P1dB.

Mimix Broadband has developed Mimix “SmartSets” for the bands between 5 to 16 GHz and chipsets for the 16 to 32 GHz band are in development. These Mimix SmartSet QFN chipsets are ideally suited to meet the needs for next generation wireless communications design.

Mimix Broadband Inc.,
(281) 988-4600
info@mimixbroadband.com
www.mimixbroadband.com.

RS No. 303