Microwave Journal
www.microwavejournal.com/articles/11189-skyworks-unveils-family-of-broadband-quadrature-modulators-for-cellular-infrastructure-market

Skyworks Unveils Family of Broadband Quadrature Modulators For Cellular Infrastructure Market

May 25, 2011

Skyworks Solutions Inc. introduced three wideband quadrature modulators for cellular infrastructure and high performance radio link applications. Skyworks’ modulators are the latest additions to its wireless infrastructure portfolio and designed to support the world's leading 3G and 4G base station providers.

These new, fixed gain quadrature modulators deliver excellent phase accuracy and amplitude balance enabling high performance for a variety of multi-carrier communication systems. In addition, Skyworks’ new modulators have greater than 500 megahertz (MHz) 3 dB modulation bandwidth, a low noise floor, and a wide operating frequency range that support multiband designs and network requirements.

According to a recent In-Stat Mobile Internet Group research report, infrastructure expenditures by mobile operators will need to scale up by more than 40 percent in the coming years to meet fast approaching network demand. As a result, mobile operators will not only need to install new base stations, routers and backhaul network equipment, but will need to upgrade and expand existing infrastructure to avoid network traffic jams and preserve their highly profitable data service revenue, all of which will require increased analog and mixed signal content.

“With the addition of these new modulators, Skyworks continues to capitalize on the network infrastructure side of the mobile Internet phenomenon,” said Liam K. Griffin, Skyworks’ Executive Vice President and General Manager of High Performance Analog. “Skyworks is pleased to offer our customers a multitude of high performance, cost effective solutions as they build out their networks to support the staggering increase in mobile data traffic.”

The SKY73077 (for 1500 to 2700 MHz), the SKY73078 (for 500 to 1500 MHz), and the SKY73092 (for 400 to 6000 MHz), quadrature modulators contain high linearity, excellent I/Q phase accuracy and amplitude balance – making the devices ideal for use in high performance communication systems. The modulators accept two differential baseband inputs and a single-ended local oscillator, and generate a single-ended RF output.