Use Our Products
Your Technical Connection: PowerBand™
TriQuint Semiconductor has created a revolutionary new wideband, high power
discrete RF transistor family for broadband applications including radar, signal
jammers and wireless communications. TriQuint's new PowerBand™* device family,
utilizing proprietary design and process techniques, delivers high power
performance across an exceptionally wide bandwidth while maintaining very high
efficiency. PowerBand™ technology now leverages the inherent advantages of GaAs,
GaN and Silicon LDMOS processes.
Before PowerBand™, RF designers were typically forced to accept reduced performance (less efficiency or lower power) if the amplifier needed to operate across a wide bandwidth. PowerBand™ offers the RF designer unequalled performance without all the traditional sacrifices.
 |
TriQuint's PowerBand™ Named a Top 2009 Product Microwaves & RF magazine has honored the PowerBand™ discrete RF transistor family as one of the top products of 2009. PowerBand™ is ideal for defense and networks applications including jammers, radar and communications. Using a proprietary design approach, PowerBand™ leverages the advantages of advanced semiconductor technologies including GaAs, LDMOS and GaN. Contact TriQuint Product Marketing for PowerBand™ information. Additional Info: http://www.mwrf.com/Articles/Print.cfm?ArticleID=22251 |
Tech Overview Video
Get the details behind PowerBand™ from co-inventor, Bill McCalpin and watch how PowerBand™ changes the
future of broadband RF power.
The PowerBand™ Advantage
- Highly Efficient: Greater than 50 percent PAE (power added efficiency) as measured in a broadband fixture (20 MHz - 6 GHz).
- High Power: RF output power from 10 Watts to 50 Watts across the entire band.
- Savings and Cost Reductions: As a result of significantly improved efficiency
the overall cost of a given system can be reduced in two ways:
a) Fewer amplifier line-ups are needed for a given system output power requirement, resulting in a smaller BOM, more space on the PCB and simpler assembly.
b) Lower thermal management system cost as a result of reduced energy loss as heat. Less 'waste heat' in a system creates operational savings through reduced energy costs and additional savings through a decreased need for equipment dedicated to thermal management.
PowerBand™: Enables a New Era of System Solutions
Many broadband circuit designs today rely on RF amplifiers operating in low
efficiency configurations such as Class A or heavy Class AB operation. Because
PowerBand™ allows system designers to utilize the efficiency of Class AB across
a very broad bandwidth, whole new approaches to system design are possible. For
example: the efficiencies of PowerBand™ can enable broadband hand-held devices
with extended battery life and reduced complexity, or products with more
functionality within the same form factor since less space is dedicated to RF
signal amplification. Ground-based and mobile systems that are much reduced in
size, weight and cost are also now possible thanks to PowerBand™ innovation.
RF Design
Simplification with PowerBand™
PowerBand™ Samples and Fixtures are Available
The entire PowerBand™ family is now available for sampling and evaluation
including the 30W LDMOS device, the 10W, 20W, 30W and 50W pHEMT devices and the
25W GaN device. Contact TriQuint
for sample information. The most recent
addition to the PowerBand™ family, the 25W GaN device, will be on display in
TriQuint's booth at the GOMACTech Conference March 22-25, 2010 along with other
PowerBand™ products.
Connect with TriQuint / Design with PowerBand™
Connect with a TriQuint engineer and discuss your wideband RF design needs.
Click
here to begin the discussion.
Learn More About PowerBand™
TriQuint invites you to register for our newsletter, which will include updates
on the new PowerBand™ product releases. To keep connected to the latest
developments in the future of wideband discrete RF power, click here.
*2008 Patent Pending
What exactly is PowerBand™?
PowerBand™ is a patent pending-technology developed by TriQuint that significantly increases the instantaneous bandwidth of a discrete high power RF semiconductor transistor without any significant impact on efficiency or other important performance characteristics.
How much RF output power is a PowerBand™ device able to generate?
Currently, we have a family of products that include a 30 Watt CW LDMOS-based PowerBand™ device, pulsed pHEMT devices up to 50 Watts (P1dB), and a 25 Watt GaN device that operates from 20 MHz to 6 GHz.
Are there performance trade-offs possible with PowerBand™ relative to bandwidth?
In general, bandwidth and gain can be traded-off. Some users of the technology will not require the full bandwidth that a given device is capable and thus may wish to increase the RF gain of the device by using it over a more narrow bandwidth.
Why does TriQuint publish single frequency impedance points and the associated performance provided in its PowerBand™ data sheets if the parts are designed for wideband operation?
PowerBand™ can be used for narrow and wideband applications. The impedance table and associated performance data allow the user to design a circuit that will present those particular impedances to the device and obtain similar performance. In addition, wideband designers can also create matching networks with the ideal impedance values based on the information in the table. TriQuint has broadband RF fixtures available and design support services as well.
What semiconductor technologies incorporate PowerBand™ technology?
Currently 12 V (operating voltage) pHEMT, 28 V (operating voltage) pHEMT, 28 V (operating voltage) LDMOS, and 28 V (operating voltage) GaN. Our product roadmap for 2010 includes a 28 V HV-HBT device.
How is PowerBand™ technology able to obtain such incredible efficiency across such a wide bandwidth?
PowerBand™ devices are specifically designed to operate in concert with real world wideband matching networks and the impedances they produce over a given band. As such, they are much better suited for wideband environments compared to ordinary RF transistors that suffer from mismatch to a far greater degree.
What applications will benefit from this technology?
Any application between 20 MHz and 6 GHz, requiring 10 Watts or more of RF output power (P1dB). PowerBand™ can be used for both narrowband and wideband applications, pulsed and CW operations with applications such as hand-held, mobile and ground-based systems.
What does "instantaneous bandwidth" mean?
Instantaneous bandwidth is the range of frequencies a device is capable of amplifying with a specified performance level, while in a wideband circuit, with no changes being made to the tuning, circuit, device, etc. This is important because many manufacturers specify performance at the upper end and at the lower end of the band, but they tune the circuit for optimal performance at a given frequency - thus the user will not be able to achieve the published specifications in their circuit.
Many wideband RF amplifier designers utilize Class A operation. What class of operation are PowerBand™ demo circuits?
Often Class A operation is used in wideband circuit designs because prior to PowerBand™ it offered one of the few methods designers had to obtain truly wideband operation. However, Class A is inherently inefficient, and if the user does not desire the linearity of Class A operation, Class AB offers significantly improved efficiency. Therefore PowerBand™ specifications, evaluation fixtures, performance plots, etc., are all based on Class AB operation.
What is "Power Utilization Ratio" and practically speaking, how will it impact system cost?
Power Utilization Ratio is defined as the minimum RF output power with 1 dB of gain compression across a wide bandwidth divided by the maximum RF output power with 1 dB of gain compression, as tested at a single frequency with optimal circuit impedances. This figure has a direct impact on cost because designs with a higher power utilization ratio require less semiconductor material for a given RF output power level, thus lowering cost.
Example: Power Utilization Ratio (PUR)
| For PowerBand™: | ||
| Minimum Wideband RF P1dB Output: | 31W | |
| Max Single Frequency RF P1dB Output: | 40W | |
| PowerBand™ Wideband PUR: | 31W / 40W = 77.5% | |
| For a typical LDMOS Device: | ||
| Minimum Wideband RF P1dB Output: | 28W | |
| Max Single Frequency RF P1dB Output: | 100W | |
| Typical LDMOS Wideband PUR: | 28W / 100W = 28% |
In the case of typical LDMOS devices, the designer only receives ~28% of the power capability for wideband applications. Compare this to PowerBand™ and the designer receives ~77% of the power capability for wideband applications.
What is the impact of broadband operation on linearity?
Because PowerBand™ is a design approach that does not result in a significant mismatch between the device and matching networks, linearity performance will be roughly the same as the semiconductor technology it utilizes. For example: a GaN-based PowerBand™ device will have roughly the same linearity performance as a typical narrowband GaN device.
Is PowerBand™ only a solution for wideband RF circuits?
PowerBand™ technology is not limited to a narrow frequency range, unlike typical internally-tuned RF power transistors. PowerBand™ devices are inherently ideal for wideband RF circuits. The devices can also be used in narrowband applications. TriQuint specifically publishes narrowband impedance and performance data for designers who want to take advantage of the reduced size and weight of PowerBand™ transistors. An additional benefit is that a designer can use a single PowerBand™ device for multiple narrowband products that are built in various models at various frequencies. For example: a 2-way radio manufacturer may have HF, VHF and UHF versions of a given radio design. In this case a single PowerBand™ transistor could be used for all three radios, even though each radio is relatively narrowband. This unique benefit of PowerBand™ technology can reduce inventory for the manufacturer, simplify assembly and cut overall costs.
Can PowerBand™ products be used above and below the frequencies shown on the datasheets?
PowerBand™ devices are not limited in low frequency operation; however, like any RF transistor RF gain is inversely proportional to the frequency of operation; as a result care must be taken to ensure stable operation. The upper end is not limited by any internally-tuned circuit, but it is limited by the semiconductor technology, lead inductance, etc. TriQuint characterizes and markets devices to an upper frequency point in which the device has reasonable RF gain, typically 10-13 dB minimum; however the devices can operate well above this point at expense of RF gain and RF output power.
Do PowerBand™ devices require external matching circuitry?
Yes. PowerBand™ devices are wide-band, high power, discrete RF transistors and require external bias circuitry as well as input and output matching networks.
Are PowerBand™ devices enhancement mode or depletion mode?
There are both enhancement mode and depletion mode PowerBand™ devices. Typically, devices based on pHEMT and GaN technologies are depletion mode and require a negative supply, and the HV-HBT and LDMOS technologies are enhancement mode and do not require negative supply.