Power detectors shrink for handset duties

Analog Devices has released what it reckons are the industry's smallest power measurement ICs for cellular handsets.

Analog Devices has released what it reckons are the industry's smallest power measurement ICs for cellular handsets.

Adding to its extensive portfolio of RF ICs, ADI has developed new power detector and power controller ICs that offer high accuracy and temperature stability in tiny, 0.6mm-thick packages.

Analog Devices' power detectors and controllers use precision circuit design to accurately measure and control transmitter output signals independent of temperature variations, helping to reduce power consumption and making them essential components in cellular handsets.

The ADL5500 RMS power detector is optimised for CDMA, CDMA2000 (including 1xEV-DO), TD-SCDMA and W-CDMA cellular handsets, as well as for terminal devices for 802.16, WiMAX, and emerging wireless systems with high-crest-factor waveforms.

The ADL5500 is up to five times more accurate, offers up to 10x better temperature stability and, with its ultra-small, 1 x 1mm package, reduces the board space requirement by more than one-half compared with competing products.

The AD8311 power controller is designed for GSM/GPRS cellular handsets.

Housed in a tiny 1 x 1.5mm package, it is the industry's smallest power controller, delivering twice the accuracy and temperature stability, while occupying one-third less board space than competitive solutions.

"Accurate power measurement and control are critical to lowering power consumption, improving system performance and ensuring regulatory compliance for wireless applications", said Jay Cormier, Product Line Director, Linear Products, Analog Devices.

"For cellular handsets packed with increasing numbers of power-demanding features, the AD8311 and ADL5500 offer high accuracy and the smallest sise to help maintain competitive form factors and keep current drain to a minimum".

The ADL5500 is the newest member of ADI's TruPwr family of detectors, which are optimised to measure complex waveforms at RF frequencies and deliver an accurately scaled DC voltage that is the true RMS equivalent of the input waveform.

In addition to the supersmall package, the ADL5500 further reduces board area with on-chip integration of an AC coupling capacitor, a 50ohm matching resistor, and a filter capacitor.

The device's high level of accuracy (+/-0.25dB linear response up to 2.5GHz) and excellent temperature stability (0.1dB variation over the -40 to +85C range) eases the design and manufacture of cellular handsets by reducing the calibration burden.

The ADL5500 requires a single supply between 2.7 and 5.5V and consumes only 3.3mW at 3V.

The ability to measure 100MHz to 6GHz signals with varying crest factors makes the ADL5500 ideal for CDMA, CDMA2000, TD-SCDMA and W-CDMA cellular handsets, as well as emerging broadband wireless standards, such as 802.16.

The AD8311 is a logarithmic power controller that provides precise control of RF power amplifiers operating in the frequency range of 100MHz to 2.5GHz and over a typical 45dB dynamic range.

The high sensitivity of the AD8311 allows measurement at low power levels, thus reducing the amount of power being coupled to the detector.

The device also offers low power consumption of only 8.5mA from a 2.7 to 5.5V supply.

The small size, high accuracy, excellent temperature stability over the range of -40 to +85C, and wide dynamic range make the AD8311 well suited for GSM/GPRS cellular handsets and other applications that require transmit power control.

The ADL5500 is sampling now, with production quantities scheduled for July 2005, and is priced at US $0.90 per unit in 10,000-piece quantities.

The AD8311 is available now and is priced at $1.20 per unit in 10,000-piece quantities.

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