New Driver Amplifier Family Designed for Point-to-Point Radio Communications

Tyco Electronics today introduced a new family of M/A-COM driver amplifiers for point-to-point (P2P) radios. The new driver amplifier family covers allocated point-to-point bands from 4.9 to 15.4 GHz: the M/A-COM MAAM-007523 amplifier covering 4.9 - 8.5 GHz, and the MAAM-007524 amplifier covering 10.0 - 15.4 GHz. The amplifier family features +32 dBm IP3 (third-order intercept point) linearity and P1dB levels ranging from 19 to 21 dBm. They are self-biased and may be operated with drain supplies ranging from 4.5 to 8.0 volts to optimize system performance including linearity, gain and power efficiency. This new family of driver amplifiers complements the existing line of M/A-COM point-to-point amplifiers and work well together to provide excellent system performance.

"Since this family of M/A-COM driver amplifiers can be deployed as drivers in front of M/A-COM's point-to-point power amplifiers in a typical transmit chain, this is another demonstration of Tyco Electronics' commitment to complete P2P radio communications technology," said Jack Redus, product manager, Tyco Electronics. "The large frequency range supported by these amplifiers, as well as their typical gain flatness across individual P2P bands being +/- 0.5 dB, makes these amplifiers ideal components for end-to-end P2P communications."

All die are fabricated using M/A-COM's MSAG (Multi-function Self-Aligned Gate) process, which features a rugged polyimide coating and no air bridges. This coating produces a rugged chip for high assembly yields. The Mean Time to Failure (MTTF) is one million hours at 170§£є C junction temperature and the package option is a 16-lead, 4mm PQFN package, which is suitable for standard surface mount assembly processes. Each amplifier part is available in bare die and plastic packaged options. M/A-COM's family of power amplifiers is RoHS compliant and compatible with a 260§£є C reflow temperature.

Pricing and Availability

The M/A-COM MAAM-007523 and MAAM-007524 driver amplifiers are both available from stock in either bare die or plastic package options, and are priced at $16.00 each in quantities of 1,000. Production lead times start at 12 weeks for bare die and 16 weeks for plastic packaged options. Please contact Tyco Electronics' M/A-COM domestic and international sales channels for price and delivery information. Data sheets and supporting technical documents are available online at http://www.macom.com.