US : Skyworks Solutions announced a pair of wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) power amplifier (PA) modules that enable breakthrough performance for third-generation (3G) handset applications. WCDMA is a 3G mobile wireless technology that allows users to send and receive voice, images and data at speeds of up to 2 Mbps.

Skyworks' new WCDMA PA modules include the SKY77152, a high-efficiency, fully matched PA, and the revolutionary SKY77404 Load Insensitive Power Amplifier (LIPA(TM)) module, which delivers full RF performance even into an output load-mismatch of 4:1 voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR).

"As carriers finalize their 3G deployment strategies, Skyworks' new PA modules will give handset manufacturers the flexibility to use a single PA solution across a broader range of frequency bands," said Klaus Buehring, Skyworks' vice president of Power Amplifier products. "Additionally, our new LIPA modules can meet the stringent RF performance requirements of WCDMA transmission even under high load-mismatch conditions, a unique capability that enables phone designers to eliminate power-consuming isolator circuitry, which significantly reduces cost and board space while dramatically increasing talk time."

Skyworks' SKY77152 is a fully matched 10-pin surface mount WCDMA PA module with the company's proven dual-stage bias control for optimum efficiency in high and low power modes. The SKY77404 LIPA model is a 16-pin product that delivers full RF performance under severe load-mismatch. Like the SKY77152, the SKY77404 PA module features a low current control (Vcont) pin to maximize power efficiency in both high and low RF power ranges, and a separate bias control (V BIAS) pin that can be directly connected to the battery, allowing the battery supply voltages (VCC1 and VCC2) to be operated as low as 0.8V and enabling significantly extended talk times.

Further, the SKY77404 supports handset manufacturers to use a single PA to span multiple frequency bands. The same product can be used in both the 1920 MHz-1980 MHz International Mobile Telephone Standard (IMT-2000) band and the 1850 MHz-1910 MHz Personal Communications Services (PCS) band. This product leverage will be especially advantageous for larger handset OEMs, ODMs and contract manufacturers targeting European, Asian and North American markets.

Both the SKY77152 and the SKY77404 PA modules are packaged in Skyworks' low-cost 4mm x 4mm x 1.5mm laminate-based Multichip Module (MCM) packages containing all active circuitry including onboard bias circuitry as well as input and output interstage matching. The devices are manufactured using Skyworks' industry-leading single-chip 50 GHz gallium arsenide (GaAs) heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT) process technology with an indium gallium phosphide (InGaP) emitter, which provides for all positive-voltage DC supply operation while maintaining the highest power efficiency and excellent linearity.

Samples of the SKY77152 and SKY77404 are available now. The SKY77152 is currently in production, and the SKY77404 will begin shipping in mass production by the end of this year. Pricing is $1.75 per unit for the SKY77152 and $2.25 per unit for the SKY77404 in OEM volumes of 10,000.

Skyworks is the industry leader in PA module technology and has an extensive portfolio of solutions that encompass every major wireless standard. According to Gartner Dataquest's June 2003 report "Wireless Communications Semiconductor Competitive Market Shares for 2002," Skyworks held one-third of the worldwide PA module market in 2002.