News: Microelectronics
26 January 2024
Guerrilla RF adds two ¼W linear PAs and two LNAs, targeting cellular compensators for automotive market
Guerrilla RF Inc (GRF) of Greensboro, NC, USA — which develops and manufactures radio-frequency integrated circuits (RFICs) and monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs) for wireless applications — has announced the formal release of two ¼W linear power amplifiers PAs and two low-noise amplifiers LNAs earmarked specifically for the automotive market. All four devices were qualified to meet rigorous AEC-Q100 quality standards — a critical benchmark for semiconductor devices used in automotive applications. These new PAs and LNAs are used primarily in cellular compensators (essentially cellular ‘signal boosters’ serving to amplify and enhance cellular signals within the cabin of vehicles).
The GRF5507W and GRF5517W join the previously announced GRF5526W and GRF5536W linear PAs. Together, the foursome covers the most popular cellular bands spanning the 700–4200MHz frequency range. These components are derivatives of GRF’s recently released ¼W PA family; the primary difference is that these new cores have been subjected to an additional set of qualification tests and unique production screening protocols to warrant an AEC-Q100 Class 2 rating.
The GRF55xx-W series of PAs are suitable for 4G/5G cellular applications requiring exceptional native linearity over temperature extremes of –40°C to 105°C. Each of these devices can deliver up to 23dBm of output power with better than –45dBc of ACLR (adjacent-channel leakage ratio) performance — all without the aid of supplemental linearization schemes like digital pre-distortion (DPD). The ability to beat the –45dBc ACLR performance metric without DPD is critical for meeting the stringent size, cost and power dissipation requirements of these cellular compensator/compenser applications.
The new GRF2106W and GRF2133W complement GRF’s existing portfolio of fully qualified AEC-Q100 LNAs. The GRF2106W is rated to operate over the 2700–5000MHz range with a nominal gain of 21.5dB and a low noise figure (NF) of 0.8dB. A higher gain level of 28dB is available with the GRF2133 providing an even lower NF of 0.6dB over an operating band of 1800–5000MHz.
“Completing the qualification of these devices has been a critical step for Guerrilla RF as we continue to gain share within the automotive space,” says Jim Ahne, VP of automotive and 5G products. “Together, these AEC-Q100-compliant devices extend the company’s reach into the growing market for 5G cellular compensators associated with automotive shark-fin antennas,” he adds. “Given the introduction of these new AEC-Q100-qualified PA and LNA cores, we’ve now formally released six of seven components tied directly to previously announced cellular compensator/compenser contract which will be ramping later this year.”
The GRF5507W and GRF5517W come in pin-compatible 3mm x 3mm, 16-pin QFN packages, with pricing starting at $1.54 (10,000-up, EXW USA). The GRF2106W and GRF2133W utilize GRF’s smallest 1.5mm x 1.5mm, 6-pin DFN package, with pricing starting at $0.62 and $0.83, respectively (10,000-up, EXW USA). Samples and evaluation boards are available for all four components.
Guerrilla RF launches 2.5–2.7 and 3.3-4.2GHz ¼W PAs deliver for 5G without DPD
