Royal Philips Electronics today announced a major advance in Laterally Diffused MOS (LDMOS) technology that for the first time will allow Wideband-CDMA (W-CDMA) basestation manufacturers to break through the 30 percent efficiency barrier for RF power amplifier output stages. The rollout of W-CDMA cellular infrastructures for the delivery of advanced multi-media and data services has created a high demand for efficient basestation amplifiers that combat the inherent power inefficiencies of W-CDMA systems. By achieving an RF power output efficiency of more than 30 percent, Philips’ new fifth-generation LDMOS technology raises W-CDMA efficiency by as much as 4 percent, compared to currently available volume LDMOS technologies. Using this technology for W-CDMA basestations, RF power amplifiers can therefore reduce the power consumption by more than 15 percent, lowering operating costs and reducing dissipated power and cooling.
Fabricated on the company’s own advanced 0.14-um CMOS megafab production lines, Philips’ next-generation LDMOS technology produces RF power transistors with a feature size of 0.4-um and four-layer metalization, giving them a unique combination of high operating efficiency, high gain and excellent linearity. The technology is applicable across all frequency bands from 800 MHz to 2.2 GHz. In addition to the advantages accrued in W-CDMA systems, the high gain (17 dB) and efficiency of Philips’ fifth-generation LDMOS devices also make them suitable to higher performance RF power amplifiers for 1-GHz and 2-GHz GSM/EDGE and CDMA basestations.
“This new LDMOS technology provides significant benefits for the design and operation of RF power amplifiers,” said Rick Dumont, marketing manager for LDMOS RF power devices at Philips Semiconductors. “Philips’ fifth-generation LDMOS is a major breakthrough that has been achieved in an extremely short timeframe and represents the best performance yet announced for a basestation LDMOS RF power technology. It further establishes Philips as one of the world’s leading suppliers of RF semiconductor power products.”
The Aluminum-Copper (AlCu) metalizations used in fifth-generation LDMOS transistors, which replace the gold metalizations used on Philips’ previous-generation devices, retain similar levels of reliability. Compared to the two-layer Al metalizations used in competitors’ devices, these extremely thick and wide AlCu metalizations offer a four-fold increase in reliability and significantly reduce the transistors’ parasitics. Enhanced reliability allows designers to run the junctions of Philips’ fifth-generation LDMOS transistors at temperatures up to 25 K (degrees Kelvin) higher than conventional devices, while the reduced parasitics improve RF performance. The ability to operate the junctions at elevated temperatures and a transistor design that reduces junction-to-case thermal resistance to less than 0.5 K/W (degrees Kelvin per watt) allow basestation amplifiers to be developed with smaller, lower-cost heatsinking. The high gain of fifth-generation LDMOS transistors (typically greater than 17 dB) also minimizes power dissipation and circuit complexity in driver stages.
Philips is the first company to have a 0.4-um LDMOS RF power transistor technology in volume production, with the company’s first devices targeting UMTS and 2-GHz PCS/DCS bands. The BLF5G22-100, for example, is a W-CDMA transistor with 17 dB gain, an ACLR5 of -39 dBc, an operating efficiency of 30 percent at an average power output of 26 W, and a peak output power of over 160 W (all figures quoted for two-carrier W-CDMA operation, 10 MHz spacing and PAR of 8.5 dB at 0.01 percent probability on CCDF).
Philips will exhibit its fifth-generation LDMOS technology at the 2004 International Microwave Symposium (June 8 – 10, Fort Worth, Texas, USA) at booth number 181. The first fifth-generation LDMOS RF power products will be sampled in Q4 2004, and volume production is scheduled to start in Q2 2005. More information can be found at
http://www.philips.com/rfpower.
Find the original press release here:
http://www.semiconductors.philips.com
Related stories:
Freescale revamps 1GHz cellular infrastructure product line with sixth-generation LDMOS RF technology
Freescale Semiconductor has significantly enhanced its line of RF power transistors to help customers improve system performance in cellular infrastructure applications operating at frequencies up to 1GHz. The portfolio features cost-effective, high-power plastic devices and higher power, high linearity metal-ceramic devices, all using Freescale's high-voltage sixth-generation (HV6) laterally diffused metal oxide semiconductor (LDMOS) technology.
Freescale introduces ultra-efficient, high-power LDMOS RF transistor for digital/analog TV broadcast amplifiers
Low thermal resistance technology enhances heat dissipation, improves transistor reliability and reduces cooling costs
Faced with rising energy prices, the broadcast industry seeks innovative ways to cut power and operating expenses. Freescale Semiconductor is addressing this market need with a highly efficient RF power transistor designed to reduce transmitter power consumption and operating costs for digital and analog television broadcast applications.
Philips' Breakthrough in W-CDMA Efficiency
Advanced LDMOS technology for best-in-class amplification
A major technology development, Philips' new fifth-generation 0.4 µm Laterally Diffused MOS (LDMOS) process enables the creation of RF power amplifier output stages for wideband-CDMA (W-CDMA) applications that break the 30% efficiency barrier. W-CDMA infrastructures are already being rolled out to deliver the advanced multimedia and data services that will drive tomorrow's mobile market. Using Philips' new process, W-CDMA basestation manufacturers can reduce power consumption in RF power amplifiers by 15% - significantly lowering running costs and heatsinking requirements.
Infineon Introduces Next-Generation GOLDMOS® Technology and High-Power RF Transistors for High Linear Efficiency
Munich, Germany – June 28, 2004 – Infineon Technologies AG is introducing the next generation of its GOLDMOS® LDMOS (laterally diffused metal-oxide semiconductor) die technology for high-performance, high-power RF transistors that will enable amplifier developers to design more reliable and cost-effective linear amplifiers. In addition to leading-edge linear efficiency, ultra-wide-bandwidth performance and reduced memory effect, the new Infineon GOLDMOS High-Power RF Transistors will provide the industry’s best thermal performance. The GOLDMOS transistors will be integrated into products designed for use in UMTS/WCDMA, GSM, CDMA, EDGE, TDSCDMA, PCS/DCS, MMDS, TV broadcast and DAB amplifiers.
Breakthrough in Wideband-CDMA efficiency
A major technology development, Philips' new fifth-generation 0.4 µm Laterally Diffused MOS (LDMOS) process enables the creation of RF power amplifier output stages for wideband-CDMA (W-CDMA) applications that break the 30% efficiency barrier. W-CDMA infrastructures are already being rolled out to deliver the advanced multimedia and data services that will drive tomorrow's mobile market. Using Philips' new process, W-CDMA basestation manufacturers can reduce power consumption in RF power amplifiers by 15% - significantly lowering running costs and heatsinking requirements.
Molecular memory a game-changer
A team at Rice University has determined that a strip of graphite only 10 atoms thick can serve as the basic element in a new type of memory, making massive amounts of storage available for computers, handheld media players, cell phones and cameras.
Rice: From genes to farmers' fields
"Waterproof" versions of popular varieties of rice, which can withstand 2 weeks of complete submergence, have passed tests in farmers' fields with flying colors. Several of these varieties are now close to official release by national and state seed certification agencies in Bangladesh and India, where farmers suffer major crop losses because of flooding of up to 4 million tons of rice per year. This is enough rice to feed 30 million people.
Site List Narrows For NASA's Next Mars Landing
(PhysOrg.com) -- Four intriguing places on Mars have risen to the final round as NASA selects a landing site for its next Mars mission, the Mars Science Laboratory.