Microwave Journal
www.microwavejournal.com/articles/38199-tmy-technology-chooses-otavas-mmwave-tunable-bandpass-filter-ic
Otava-5-23-22.jpg

TMY Technology Chooses Otava’s mmWave Tunable Bandpass Filter IC

May 23, 2022

Otava, Inc. announced that 5G mmWave solutions provider TMY Technology (TMYTEK) has chosen Otava’s OTFL tunable bandpass filters for inclusion in its communications satellite subsystems.

The OTFL301 is the industry’s only digitally tunable bandpass filter IC with an operating frequency of 24 to 40 GHz and is designed for use in applications ranging from 5G and defense software-defined radios to electronic warfare, radar, signals intelligence and instrumentation.

Otava will be displaying the OTFL301 and all its products at IMS2022 in Denver from June 22 to 24 at Booth 6102.

“Otava's tunable filters provide us with a solid solution for improving the performance and flexibility of our systems, and they nicely complement our GaN-based millimeter-wave phased array solutions,” said Su-Wei Chang, the founder and president of TMYTEK.

The OTFL301 is the latest member of Otava’s portfolio of tunable bandpass filters available for frequencies from 2.5 GHz to 40 GHz. It has a center frequency of 22.2 to 37.7 GHz, can handle RF input power levels up to 1 W RMS, and has very high linearity with an input third-order intercept point (IIP3) of +42 dBm, typical insertion loss of 7 dB, and a VSWR of 1.6:1. The IC features three bits (eight states) of digital control at every stage with a total of five stages. This wide range of control provides the flexibility of tuning between frequencies from 24 to 40 GHz.

All models in Otava’s tunable filter family measure no more than 4 mm2 and require no external components. Signal pins are placed around the perimeter of the die to allow integration on standard PC board materials, and control is provided by a three-wire serial interface. They operate from +1.8 and +2.5 VDC supplies and draw less than 10 µA of current. Multiple filters can be controlled from the same serial bus with dedicated device-select signals.

An evaluation board is available that allows designers to use a vector network analyzer to measure the filter’s performance. It includes a pre-programmed microcontroller that controls the bits of the filter and provides DC power and digital IO. TRL calibration structures are located on the bottom of the board.

A USB-C interface is provided for connection to a Windows PC, and edge-mounted 2.4 mm connectors are used for the two RF output ports to the VNA. MATLAB behavioral models developed by Otava are also available for use in system analysis and optimization that are based on measured results of fabricated devices. The models very accurately predict performance results in response to user-defined inputs and allow designers to thoroughly explore the device’s degrees of freedom.