5 Amplifier Families: Basic Characteristics

Innovative circuit design and simplified tuning requirements from Analog Devices Inc. allow RF designers to quickly design solutions across the signal chain that fit the need for smaller, lower power consuming systems By Ashraf Elghamrawi The amplifier is one of the most versatile building blocks used in RF/IF signal chains today. They are commonly used throughout designs to overcome signal losses incurred from passive devices or elements. Throughout a transceiver RF amplifiers are required to increase signal strength. In the receiver these devices amplify faint incoming signals, and in the transmitter they increase signal strength as it approaches the final power amplifier stages. Since these losses occur across the RF/IF signal chain, Analog Devices has developed five families of amplifiers tailored to the needs of each particular radio section. The five varieties are the LNA (low-noise amplifier), IFA (intermediate-frequency amplifiers), driver amplifiers, gain blocks, and the VGA (variable gain amplifier). Though each amplifier family is optimized for certain applications, there are attributes common to all amplifiers that are important to consider during the design phase. Each amplifier will provide some level of gain, but gain variation versus frequency is an important attribute to consider. An amplifiers gain will typically reduce at higher frequencies, which then may need to be compensated for elsewhere in the signal chain. The amount of information in the data sheet also helps speed along the design process. Data provided such as variation versus temperature, voltage supply, and operating frequency reduces the amount of qualification time a designer needs to spend. That added qualification time can significantly slow down a projects time-to-market. Another attribute to consider is the amplifiers ESD rating. The ESD rating relates to the amount of electrostatic discharge a device can withstand without damage. ADIs broadband-matched IFAs and gain blocks are optimized to minimize gain roll-off versus frequency, while all of our amplifiers are fully specified for operation over temperature, supply voltage, and operating frequency, thereby easing the selection and design-in process. ADIs amplifiers are also rated to the highest ESD standards, which makes them robust in high-volume manufacturing environments. A common trend in radio designs today is the reduction of both size and power consumption. These efforts help reduce cost by requiring less board space and less heat sinking. ADIs amplifiers are focused on improving efficiency by delivering industry-leading performance on industry-leading power consumption. The amplifiers are also offered in the standard SOT-89 package, as well as in smaller and more compact LFCSP packaging, to promote board area savings. ADI offers integration around our gain block amplifiers with the inclusion of a digital step attenuator, DSA, in the ADL5240 VGA and the inclusion of those two functions with a W driver amplifier in the ADL5243 VGA. The entire family

of IFAs and gain blocks are 50 internally matched, and all amplifiers have integrated active bias circuitry, which minimizes the need for external components and further promotes board space savings. Low-Noise Amplifiers The first amplifier we will discuss in greater detail is the LNA. LNAs are typically used as the first active component in the receive path. They are a critical component for defining overall system performance since they must be able to successfully amplify very low-level signals without adding a significant amount of noise. An important specification to consider when choosing an LNA is its noise figure, which relates to the amount of noise the amplifier will add to the incoming signal. P1dB and OIP3 are also important specifications, which relate to how much linear signal power the amplifier can output, and its power handling capability, which refers to how much input power the amplifier can handle without damage. ADIs ADL5521 and ADL5523 LNAs deliver on all these parameters by accomplishing sub 1 dB noise figures, with 21 dBm P1dB and 37 dBm OIP3, and an input power handling capability of 20 dBm. Intermediate-Frequency Amplifiers Intermediate-frequency amplifiers are designed for high-performance operation in the IF frequency range, typically below 500 MHz in radio architectures. The IF section of a receiver requires high dynamic range amplification; this is necessary so the signal is not distorted prior to digitization by the analog-to-digital converter (ADC). High dynamic range in an amplifier is accomplished by having a low-noise figure simultaneously with a high OIP3. ADIs ADL5535 and ADL5536 IFAs provide the industrys best combination of low noise figure and high OIP3. The ADL5535 delivers 16 dB of gain, a 3.3 dB noise figure, with 45.5 dBm OIP3, at 380 MHz on only 97 mA of 5 V supply current. The ADL5536 delivers 20 dB of gain, a 2.7 dB noise figure, with 49 dBm OIP3, at 380 MHz on only 105 mA of 5 V supply current.

ADIs IFAs have high linearity, low noise figure flat gain, and low power consumption.

Driver Amplifiers Driver amplifiers are typically used in the transmit path of a radio architecture to increase signal strength prior to the signal being sent to the final high-power amplifier stage. To accomplish this effectively, the driver needs to offer high linearity for a given output power to enable a low-distortion, high-output drive capability. ADIs ADL5320, 0.4 to 2.7 GHz, and ADL5321, 2.3 to 4 GHz, SOT-89 W drivers provide broadband operation and require minimal external matching for a chosen band of operation. The ADL5320 provides an output linearity of 42 dBm and a 25.7 dBm output compression point at 2.14 GHz, while consuming just 104 mA of 5 V supply current. The ADL5321 provides an output linearity of 41

dBm and a 25.7 dBm output compression point at 2.6 GHz, while consuming just 90 mA of 5 V supply current. If a higher P1dB is required, then ADIs new ADL5324 SOT-89 W driver offers a dynamically adjustable biasing circuit that allows for the customization of OIP3 and P1dB performance from 3.3 V to 5 V, without the need for an external bias resistor. This feature gives the designer the ability to tailor driver amplifier performance to the specific needs of the design. The adjustable bias also allows for the driver to be dynamically biased in order to conserve power consumption when the full performance of the driver amplifier is not required, such as when a system is in stand-by mode. This scalability reduces the need to evaluate and inventory multiple driver amplifiers for different output power requirements, from 25 dBm to 29 dBm output power levels. The ADL5324 is also rated to operate across the widest temperature range of -40C to +105C for reliable performance in designs that will experience higher temperatures, such as power amplifiers. The W driver amplifier also covers the wide frequency range of 400 to 4000 MHz, and only requires a few external components to be tuned to a specific band within that wide range. The ADL5324 GaAs HBT W driver amplifier consumes the lowest 5 V current of 133 mA and delivers best-in-class performance with an OIP3 of 43.1 dBm, a P1dB of 29.1 dBm, a gain of 14.6 dB, and a low noise figure of 3.8 dB at 2140 MHz. When the bias voltage is reduced to 3.3 V, the driver only consumes 62 mA and delivers an OIP3 of 34.4 dBm, a P1dB of 25.3 dBm, a gain of 13.6 dB, and a lower noise figure of 3.2 dB at 2140 MHz. For higher yet P1dB the 1stage 1 W ADL5604, 0.7 to 2.7 GHz, and the higher gain 2-stage 1 W amplifiers ADL5605, 0.4 to 1.0 GHz, and the ADL5606, 1.8 to 2.7 GHz, provide extremely flat gain and very high output third order intercept (OIP3) specifications across their tuned frequency range. The ADL5605 provides an extremely flat gain of 23 dB, a P1dB of 31.1 dBm, an OIP3 of 44.3 dBm and a noise figure of 4.8 dB at 943 MHz. The ADL5606 provides an extremely flat gain of 23.8 dB, a P1dB of 30.7 dBm, an OIP3 of 45.7 dBm, and a noise figure of 4.8 dB at 2140 MHz.

The Industrys First Half Watt Driver Amplifier with Dynamically Adjustable Bias and Extended Temperature Range

Gain Blocks The gain block is the most versatile amplifier family as it provides a fixed gain over a wide frequency range from IF up to RF frequencies. The specifications to consider when choosing a gain block really vary according to the application they are going to fill, but gain flatness versus frequency in wideband applications is important. Dynamic range can also be important in order to not distort signals that are being amplified. ADIs ADL5601 and ADL5602 provide the highest dynamic range available from internally matched gain blocks. This is accomplished by providing extremely low noise figures and very high OIP3 specifications simultaneously, across their entire 4 GHz frequency range. The ADL5601 provides 15 dB of gain, an OIP3 of 43 dBm, and noise figure of 3.7 dB at 900 MHz on just 83 mA of current. The ADL5602 provides 20 dB of gain, an OIP3 of 42 dBm, and noise figure of 3.3 dB at 2 GHz

on just 89 mA of current. These internally matched gain blocks are also optimized to minimize gain roll off versus frequency. Both devices are Class 1C (1.5 kV) ESD rated and are offered in the industrystandard SOT-89 package, making it easy to drop-in and evaluate in any current design. The ADL5541 and ADL5542 are broadband gain blocks that operate from low frequencies up to 6 GHz, and are offered in small-footprint LFCSP packages. RF/IF Variable Gain Amplifiers Integration to reduce board space is desirable in multiple applications. The VGA accomplishes this requirement by integrating various amplifier topologies with a digital-step-attenuator (DSA). Operating in the 100 MHz to 4000 MHz frequency range, the ADL5240 and ADL5243 RF/IF digitally controlled VGAs offer unsurpassed gain control performance and accuracy. Designed with GaAs technology, the ADL5240 VGA combines a DSA and a gain block into a single IC, while the ADL5243 combines a DSA, a gain block, and a broadband W driver amplifier in a single IC, without any sacrifice in performance. Either the amplifier or the DSA can be first in the signal chain, maximizing system flexibility by allowing the VGA to be used in multiple places throughout a design. The DSA in each VGA offers a wide gain control range of 31.5 dB in 0.5 dB steps, and accommodates serial and parallel interface modes, while the gain block in each VGA offers a very high linearity of greater than 40 dBm and noise figure of 2.9 at 900 MHz. The ADL5243s W driver offers industry-leading linearity performance of 42.0 dBm with an impressive 25.7 dBm P1dB at 2.14 GHz.

ADIs RF/IF VGAs integrate high-performance amplifiers along with digital step attenuators that save significant board space over discrete solutions.

Analog Devices improves RF design in multiple ways: through innovative circuit design, simplified tuning requirements, and detailed data sheet information. These attributes allow RF designers to go to market quickly with solutions that meet their needs for smaller, lower power consuming systems. Ashraf Elghamrawi is a product marketing manager, RF Group, Analog Devices. For more information on ADI RF products, contact him at Ashraf.Elghamrawi@analog.com. For more information on Analog Devices, visit the ADI website at http://www.analog.com.