Power amp boosts Wi-Fi integration

The RangeCharger SE2535 power amplifier is claimed to deliver an unprecedented combination of integration and performance to high-speed Wi-Fi systems.

The RangeCharger SE2535 power amplifier is claimed to deliver an unprecedented combination of integration and performance to high-speed Wi-Fi systems.

The SE2535 is a linear, three-stage 27dBm power amplifier that incorporates a power detector along with all of the analogue biasing and matching circuitry into a standard QFN package measuring just 4 x 4 x 0.9mm.

With superior integration of analogue functions, the SE2535 minimises external component requirements compared to alternative solutions.

The SE2535 meets the 802.11a harmonic requirements of worldwide standards bodies, and eliminates the need for external band pass filtering.

These features result in a reduced bill of materials, save on design resources, and allow manufacturers to deliver Wi-Fi systems with reduced cost and smaller form factors.

The RangeCharger SE2535 can be combined with SiGe Semiconductor's proven 2.4GHz power amplifiers for 802.11b/g systems.

Pairing these devices improves the performance and range when integrating dual-band, multi-mode Wi-FiR capability in systems including access points, PCMCIA cards, laptop computers and other client devices.

"The SE2535 marks a significant expansion in our product line, offering highly integrated solutions and performance improvements to products supporting the 802.11a standard", said Andrew Parolin, Product Line Manager, SiGe Semiconductor.

"Feedback from lead customers has been very positive, indicating that our standard package and reduced bill of materials substantially eases design requirements and improves yield.

In addition, we've surpassed performance expectations by effectively solving the key challenges associated with OFDM systems".

The SE2535 is capable of achieving an error vector magnitude (EVM) of less than 2.5% at 18dBm.

The low EVM translates to improved packet error rates for optimal data throughput and performance over the full transmission range.

SiGe's new power amplifier solves the challenges associated with OFDM signals, which have very high and inconsistent peak-to-average power ratios.

Solving this problem typically requires either backoff of power, which reduces performance, or very highly linear power amplifiers, which can be power hungry.

To address this challenge, the SE2535 includes an integrated power detector that adjusts the operating point to accommodate the peak-to-average power ratio.

Setting the operating point allows the power consumption to be reduced accordingly at any given time, thus saving power while maintaining performance.

The low-current device consumes only 160mA for +18dBm output power.

As a result, the SE2535 reduces power consumption to levels that support high-speed wireless access in portable applications, such as laptop computers.

The SE2535 is available now.

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