Freescale Semiconductor Debuts High-performance RF Power Transistors to Help GSM Carriers

Freescale Semiconductor has unveiled three high performance RF power transistors built on laterally-diffused metal oxide semiconductor (LDMOS) technology to help GSM carriers improve base station transceivers’ efficiency thereby increase their average revenue per subscriber.

Freescale Semiconductor deals in the design and manufacture of embedded semiconductors for the automotive, consumer, industrial and networking markets.

The company maintains that the new transistors expand its commitment to GSM EDGE wireless networks. Even though progress continues toward the delivery of third- and fourth-generation wireless services Freescale still sees a strong market for the GSM enhancement technology.

The new RF power transistors are MRFE6S9046N, MRF8S9100H/HS and MRF8S18120H/HS. For GSM EDGE applications, the MRFE6S9046N operates from 920 to 960MHz and delivers a 17.8W average RF power output with 19dB of gain, up to 42.5% efficiency and EVM of up to 2.1% RMS. It is also suitable for CDMA and multi-carrier amplifier applications.

The integrated features of this transistor are that it is internally matched for ease of use, has an integrated ESD protection and greater negative gate-source voltage range for improved class C operation. It comes with a 225°C capable plastic package and is RoHS Compliant.

The MRF8S9100H/HS can be operated from 920 to 960 MHz and the MRF8S18120H/HS works from 1805 to 1880 MHz and both of them are built for Class AB and Class C operation in GSM and EDGE systems.

In GSM EDGE service, the MRF8S9100H/HS delivers 45 W average power gain of 19.1 dB and efficiency of 44 percent at 940 MHz, and EVM of 2.0 percent RMS. And the MRF8S18120H/HS in GSM EDGE service delivers 46 W average power gain of 18.2 dB, efficiency of 42 percent at 1840 MHz and EVM of 1.7 percent RMS.

Like the MRFE6S9046N, the MRF8S9100H/HS and MRF8S18120H/HS too are RoHS compliant, contain internal ESD protection circuitry and are internally matched for ease of use.

According to Freescale, the MRFE6S9046N is in full production and samples are available. The MRF8S9100H/HS and the MRF8S18120H/HS are sampling now, with full production expected in July 2009. Reference test fixtures are also available with large-signal models expected in July 2009.

Freescale Semiconductor and Flextronics had recently created a high performance reference design for the Enterprise WLAN access point market and Freescale unveiled a family of low power digital signal controllers (DSCs), MC56F8006.