SPDT switch handles RF signals with ease

Edited by the Electronicstalk editorial team Jun 28, 2006

A 50ohm switch suits high-performance broadband RF applications such as cellular infrastructure, WiMAX and high-precision RF applications.

Peregrine Semiconductor, a supplier of the industry's most advanced RF CMOS integrated circuits, today announced availability of the RoHS-compliant PE42555 50ohm switch for high-performance broadband RF applications such as cellular infrastructure, WiMAX and high-precision RF applications.

Manufactured on Peregrine's revolutionary HaRP-enhanced UltraCMOS technology, the single-pole, double-throw (SPDT) device operates with exceptional linearity from DC to 6.0GHz, pushing the upper limits for broadband performance past standard competitive devices.

A proprietary design feature enables the device to eliminate the phase and insertion loss drift that occurs after a switching event, making the PE42555 the industry's fastest SPDT RF switch to reach a fully settled state.

"The PE42555 is Peregrine's commercial version of a RF IC designed for a large strategic customer in a technically challenging application".

"They chose UltraCMOS for its ability to deliver unprecedented linearity up to 6GHz, while maintaining all the extraordinary performance results in isolation, stability and ease-of-use", said Rodd Novak, Peregrine's Vice-President of Marketing.

"By making this device available to the general RF population, design problems will be solved", he added.

Like all UltraCMOS HaRP-enhanced devices, the PE42555 features ultra-fast settling time, which allows systems to respond faster without a reduction in RF performance.

A typical GaAs-based switch has a well-known gate lag in settling time which is not usually defined in its operational specification.

This lag, which develops a phase and insertion loss drift, is nonexistent on the UltraCMOS-based PE42555.

The device also delivers low insertion loss (0.65dB at 3.5GHz and 0.90dB at 6GHz); high IIP3 (50dBm DC-6GHz); P1dB compression point of 34dBm (DC-6GHz); and high isolation (27dB at 3.5GHz and 21dB at 6.0GHz).

The PE42555 is available in the 4 x 4mm 20-lead QFN package and is priced at $0.81 in 10,000-unit orders.

Products samples and volume production are available now through Peregrine's global sales representatives and its worldwide distribution partner, Richardson Electronics.