Peregrine's UltraCMOS switch pushes RF performance in Samsung Galaxy S4
Peregrine Semiconductor Corporation, a fabless provider of radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs), is supplying the main antenna switch driving RF performance in the Samsung Galaxy S4 LTE - Advanced (LTE - A) smartphone.
The PE421280 MultiSwitch was selected for its ability to support simultaneous multi - band operation of up to 14 frequency bands while delivering exceptional linearity, insertion loss performance and small size.
The switch is based on UltraCMOS technology which is a patented Silicon-on-Sapphire process (SOS) that is a semiconductor vehicle which is normally used in highly specialised military and space projects. The UltraCMOS process is claimed to be the industry's first and only commercially qualified use of Ultra-Thin-Silicon (UTSi) on sapphire substrates enabling the combination of high-performance RF, mixed-signal, passive elements, non-volatile memory and digital functions on a single device.
Bulk CMOS vs UltraCMOS Process
The Samsung Galaxy S4 is touted as the first - ever implementation on the 4G LTE - A network. The LTE - A protocol uses carrier aggregation - or the simultaneous reception of multiple frequency bands - to improve data throughput. According to Samsung, a three - minute download over 4G LTE would only take about one minute on 4G LTE - A.
"The data throughput enabled by LTE - A dramatically improves the wireless experience, and we are pleased to support a leader like Samsung in delivering this technology to consumers," says Jim Cable, CEO of Peregrine Semiconductor.
"Peregrine's MultiSwitch devices are designed specifically to solve the challenges of carrier aggregation as used in LTE - A platforms. Based on our UltraCMOS technology, the devices feature not only the linearity required for simultaneous, multi - band switching performance, but also the integration, low power, and manufacturability required of high - volume consumer applications," he continues.
Peregrine's PE421280 antenna switch features an innovative combination of two SP7T switches in a single IC to support 14 different frequency bands including simultaneous multi - band operation. With HaRP technology enhancements, the PE421280 delivers high linearity with an IIP3 of +75 dBm, as well as extremely low insertion loss (0.35dB @ 900MHz; and 0.45 at 1900 MHz) and high isolation (38 dB at 698 - 2170 MHz; and 33 dB at 2500 - 2690 MHz).
The switch also features 2fo and 3fo for LTE of less than - 80 dBm at 700 MHz. High linearity and isolation performance are critical to ensure that radio signals don't spill into other bands during multi - band operation.
