Renesas expands RF beamforming IC options for satellite comms
Beamformer ICs and dual-channel low noise amplifiers have been added to the product offering available from Renesas. The company has added two IC families for satellite communications (satcom), radar, and phased array applications. The F65xx transmit active beamforming ICs and F692x low noise amplifiers (LNAs) combine low power consumption, high gain and compact size, says the company.
The F65xx and F692x devices address the thermal and integration challenges designers face as they transition from bulky mechanically scanned antennae to lower weight and profile active electronically scanned array antennas (AESAs). The F65xx and F692x families support satcom, radar and point-to-point communications applications in the Ku, Ka, and CDL frequency bands.
The eight-channel F6521 (Ku), F6522 (Ka) and F6513 (CDL) Tx active beamforming ICs satisfy the tight integration requirements of planar phased array antennae. They simultaneously satisfy the effective isotropic radiated power (EIRP) and thermal dissipation requirements of terrestrial satcom terminals operating on low/medium Earth orbit (LEO) and geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO) satellite networks in the Ku- and Ka-band spectrum.
Engineers migrating to AESAs from mechanical antennae require reliable, compact and cost-effective ICs with low power consumption and noise figures that meet a system’s EIRP and G/T requirements, explained Naveen Yanduru, vice president of RF Communications, Industrial and Communications business division at Renesas. He believes that the new IC families will offer emerging capabilties including in-flight live video conferencing, ubiquitous global broadband connectivity and all-weather radar situational awareness for autonomous vehicles and drones.
High phase and gain resolution are coupled with large on-chip memory and advanced digital modes to enable precise beam pattern and polarisation control and rapid beam steering. The ICs share the same physical footprint as the first-generation devices, reducing the required board re-design time when migrating to these ICs.
The F65xx ICs are in a compact BGA package with a physical footprint of less than 2.2mm2/ch. They have a single 2.3V supply simplifying power distribution network design and are efficient in operation, consuming less than 100mW/ch of power at a minimum of 10dBm/ch of RF output.
The F6921 (Ku), F6922 (Ka), and F6923 (CDL) dual-channel LNAs combine low power consumption, low noise, high gain, and compact size to maximise the antenna array G/T, while minimising the antenna aperture’s physical size resulting in lower overall power dissipation and system cost, says Renesas. The LNAs feature 19dB of gain with only 15 to 20mW of power consumption and two highly isolated and gain/phase-matched RF channels in a single BGA package with 50-Ohm single-ended RF inputs and outputs.
Evaluation kits and pre-production samples of the F65xx and F692x ICs are available to qualified customers starting in April 2020.
