Freescale Rolls Out RF Power Devices and Reference Designs for TD-SCDMA

Freescale Semiconductor has unveiled two final-stage LDMOS RF power transistors giving designers a choice between discrete and integrated circuit (IC) solutions.

The company stated that this choice, along with two accompanying reference designs, offers designers greater flexibility and speeds time to market. The new transistors are optimized for use in power amplifiers based on Time Division-Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access (TD-SCDMA), a third-generation wireless standard that is being widely deployed throughout China and also is being considered in other markets.

Freescale's advanced high-efficiency devices include the MRF7P20040H LDMOS FET and the MD7IC2050N multi-stage integrated power amplifier IC. Freescale said its

simultaneous introduction of two reference designs based on Doherty architecture speeds manufacturers' ability to create compact, cost-effective, high performance base station transceiver products for TD-SCDMA networks.

"Freescale continues its leadership in LDMOS RF technology by offering high performance solutions for customers using TD-SCDMA wireless technology in China," said Gavin Woods, vice president and general manager of Freescale's RF Division. "Freescale is applying its knowledge and leadership in RF power technology to support the specific requirements of TD-SCDMA as the technology is rapidly deployed throughout China."

Freescale stated that its latest RF LDMOS devices make it possible to build RF power amplifiers that are optimally suited to a chosen design. The designer can select a discrete, three-stage PA configuration with the MRF7P20040H as the final amplifier, or the MD7IC2050N IC (which includes the driver and final amplifier stages) in a two-stage PA configuration. Both devices are extremely well suited for use in Doherty amplifiers, which are universally employed in today's base station transceivers. A Doherty amplifier consists of two amplifiers that operate under different transmit-signal conditions and typically require separate transistors for each amplifier.

However, Freescale's MRF7P20040H and MD7IC2050N support a dual-path configuration, which allows a Doherty amplifier to be constructed using a single device rather than two for the final-stage amplifier. In addition, since both devices are inherently broadband, they can operate in both bands allocated for TD-SCDMA (1880 to 1920 MHz and 2010 to 2025 MHz), so the same device can be used to provide RF power in both bands. Together, these advantages can reduce a TD-SCDMA amplifier's size, bill-of-materials and circuit complexity, while also simplifying inventory management, according to Freescale.

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