Application Note
M540
GaAs MMIC Low Noise Amplifier SOIC-8 Platform
Rev. V3
Introduction
Early in 1994, M/A-COM began offering a family of
plastic packaged GaAs MMIC low noise amplifiers
(LNAs) featuring single positive supply voltage, low noise
figure, high dynamic range, and low power consumption
for the high volume commercial wireless communications
market. These MMIC LNAs use M/A-COM’s 0.5-micron,
low noise GaAs MESFET process and are housed in low
cost, 8-lead SOIC packages. These LNAs are tested in
M/A-COM’s volume automated facility to achieve low
production cost. The LNAs share a common ‘platform,’ a
product concept explained in the first major section
below, enabling fast development and delivery cycles.
This application note will show the user how to achieve
the performance in the product data sheets, i.e., how to
“get what we get,” and will answer some commonly
asked questions such as how performance varies over
bias.
This note also expands on the data sheet
information to show some interesting properties of the
MMIC LNAs for use in other applications and at slightly
different frequencies than those in the product data
sheet.
To allow the reader to use only those sections that are of
interest, the following is a brief synopsis of the major
sections of this application note:
GaAs MMIC LNA SOIC-8 Product Family:
This section
discusses the ‘platform’ concept and gives an overview
of the salient features for each MMIC LNA.
MMIC LNA Product Design and Performance
Features:
This section is a detailed look inside the
design, manufacturing, and reliability issues for these
GaAs MMIC LNAs.
MMIC LNA Product Customer Use Considerations:
This section discusses the issues of importance to the
customer in order to “get what we get “ in the data sheet.
MMIC LNA Product Applications:
This section shows
additional performance features of the MMIC LNAs for
their designed applications, as well as performance
characteristics for other applications such as power
amplifier driver amplifiers and using off-chip tuning
networks to shift the frequency range of performance.
Performance Data & Recommended Board Layouts:
This section discusses the measurement data that is
available, evaluation samples, and printed circuit boards.
Conclusion:
This section summarizes the application
note and gives names, addresses, and phone numbers
for worldwide support.
Glossary:
This section defines the abbreviated terms and
acronyms used in this application note.
GaAs MMIC LNA SOIC-8 Product Family
The MMIC LNA SOIC-8 product family establishes a
‘platform’ for M/A-COM’s Integrated Circuits Business
Unit. A ‘platform’ is a proven product concept and
manufacturing methodology that translates core
competencies into product families which fulfill the needs
of strategic markets. The MMIC LNA SOIC-8 platform
products share some common attributes, namely:
Standard Circuit Design:
All internal design blocks such
as low noise stage, gain stage, and biasing schemes are
based on proven design topologies.
Standard IC Fabrication:
Only one fixed production IC
process is used; it has proven yields and well defined
SPC parameters.
Standard Manufacturing:
All chips are assembled on
the same ISO-9001 certified manufacturing line in the
same SOIC-8 package.
The methods for product
assembly, test, qualification, in-line quality monitoring,
and documentation are identical for each device in the
platform.
The advantages of a platform approach to GaAs MMIC
product development are several. Using a common
design topology and methodology for similar products
means that many such products can be designed in
parallel-essentially a batch process-enabling fast
development times. The entire development cycle from
inception to preliminary release for the original five LNAs
(MAAM12021, MAAM12022, MAAM12031, MAAM12032,
and MAAM22010) in this platform took six months.
Additionally, these five LNAs are housed in one style
package, the SOIC-8, with identical pin assignments.
This commonality greatly simplifies the assembly,
fixturing, test, and documentation requirements.
Another advantage to the platform approach is that
derivative products, such as those with a different
frequency range or gain level, can be developed quickly
in one single design and manufacturing cycle; it is not
unusual to make the transition from
concept to full
production in three months. Both the AM50-0001
and
AM50-0002 LNAs are derivative products which
have benefited from the platform approach. The AM50-
0001 is a higher dynamic range LNA in a lower frequency
band which utilizes the SOIC-8 platform design
methodology and has identical pin assignments to the
original LNAs.
The AM50-0002 combines design
topologies from the original LNAs to produce a higher
gain LNA in the SOIC-8 platform.
•
North America
Tel: 800.366.2266 •
Europe
Tel: +353.21.244.6400
•
India
Tel: +91.80.4155721
•
China
Tel: +86.21.2407.1588
1
Visit www.macomtech.com for additional data sheets and product information.
M/A-COM Technology Solutions Inc. and its affiliates reserve the right to make
changes to the product(s) or information contained herein without notice.
MA-COM [ M/A-COM TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS, INC. ]
