19 September 2011

Renesas launches SiGe:C HBT with 0.75dB noise figure at 5.8GHz

Japan’s Renesas Electronics Corp has introduced a new SiGe:C heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT), the NESG7030M04, for use as a low-noise amplifier (LNA) transistor for applications including wireless local-area network (WLAN) systems and satellite radios.

The device uses newly developed carbon-doped silicon-germanium (SiGe:C) process technology in order to respond to market demand for even lower noise and to provide solutions for the 12GHz and higher frequencies used in satellite broadcasting. 

The new SiGe:C HBT amplifies a weak microwave signal received wirelessly to an appropriate level and achieves a noise figure of 0.75dB (an improvement of 0.35dB over earlier Renesas SiGe HBT devices), which is claimed to be industry-leading low-noise performance for the 5.8GHz band used by WLAN and other applications.

Also, gain at the minimum noise level is 14.0dB. This allows communication sensitivity to be increased in end products and signal transmission errors to be reduced, so the new device can achieve equivalent performance to earlier Renesas products at just a quarter of the operating power consumption, says the firm.

In earlier silicon-based HBTs, it was not possible to avoid a reduction in the collector–emitter breakdown voltage in exchange for reducing noise, and this limited the range of applications of devices, Renesas says. In the new device, it has optimized the collector–base profile, making it possible to guarantee a breakdown voltage rating of 4.3V. This increases the range of supply voltages that can be used and enables stable operation over a wide frequency range, from a few MHz to the 14GHz band. This makes it possible to use the device in a wider range of applications. For example, it can support all industrial, scientific & medical (ISM)-band applications, including smart grid, smart meter, and home-area network (HAN) applications.

Furthermore, since the new transistor was developed for microwave applications, Renesas supplies it in the firm’s ‘M04’ industry-standard 4-pin thin-form mini-moulded package, which can help to reduce the number of steps in manufacturing end-user products. Examples include simplifying the mounting evaluation process due to the track record of existing packages, and using an existing circuit board pattern and slightly modifying the surrounding circuits.

At the same time as expanding its product line of bipolar transistors, Renesas says that it is also committed to deploying the new SiGe:C HBT process in the development of microwave ICs and providing further solutions in this area to respond to market needs.

Samples of Renesas’ new SiGe:C HBT are available now. Mass production is scheduled to start in November at 1 million units per month, and is expected to reach 50 million units per month together with the firm’s existing SiGe HBT products.

Tags: Renesas SiGe:C HBT

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