Most Valuable Product
Dual-Band PaDs
for next-gen
Mobile Devices
A
chitecture has become the chosen solution for
some wireless communications designs. During
the past three years alone, TriQuint shipped
more than half a billion PADs and nearly 150
million TXMs. This trend toward integration
is expected to continue as new LTE networks
drive band count even higher.
s next-generation mobile devices
evolve, designers of smartphones,
tablets and other handheld wireless
products face daunting challenges. The seemingly insatiable demand for anytime, anywhere
connectivity and high-speed data communications is driving a dramatic increase in front-end
radio content. As new LTE networks deploy,
many next-generation smart phones will contain up to 14 frequency bands for quad-band 2G
roaming, quad-band 3G voice & data, dual- or
tri-band 4G data, dual-band Wi-Fi, receive diversity, Bluetooth, GPS and FM radio. How do
design engineers squeeze more RF content into
small handheld devices without sacrificing performance and battery life?
DriVing rf integration
Taking integration to new levels, TriQuint recently introduced what is reported to be the industry’s first family of dual-band PADs for nextgeneration 3G and 4G smartphones, tablets and
other mobile devices. The ultra-small TRITIUM
Duo modules combine two high-performance
PADs in the space of one. At 6 × 4.5 mm,
TriQuint’s new dual-band modules fit into a slightly smaller space than a standard single-band PAD
of 7 × 4 mm (i.e., 27 mm2 compared to 28 mm2).
The industry’s first 2-in-1 PADs integrate
two band-specific power amplifiers and duplexers, voltage regulation circuits and an RF output
detector — replacing up to 12 discrete components. A quad-band solution with two TRITIUM Duos is about 50 mm2, half the footprint
of a comparable discrete solution as shown in
Figure 1. By reducing design and assembly complexity, the modules speed time-to-market, a
critical factor for mobile device manufacturers as
product lifecycles become ever shorter in today’s
highly competitive global market. A lower BOM
also can produce significant savings in inventory,
qualification and manufacturing.
The 2-in-1 TRITIUM Duo modules optimize
the PA and duplexer match to deliver greater
overall system efficiency, optimal RF front-end performance and longer battery life. Unlike discrete
parts, TriQuint’s dual-band PADs do not need to
match circuits between the interstage filter and
power amplifier, or between the amplifier output
and the duplexer input. This removes production
variations that can result from the need to manually match discrete components on a phone board
for every band and vendor combination.
tWo PaDs rePlace 24 Discretes for
QuaD-BanD oPtiMiZation
To help them accomplish this feat, TriQuint
leverages its broad technology portfolio and integration expertise to combine active and passive components into compact modules, shrinking the precious PCB real estate occupied by RF
components. To address the interference issues
that arise with more radios, the modules match
efficient power amplifiers (PA) with advanced
filter technology to achieve lower insertion loss
with higher noise rejection.
These small yet powerful integrated solutions deliver compelling advantages over discrete parts. An integrated power amplifier-duplexer module (PAD)
or transmit module
(TXM) can replace
a handful of discrete
parts with a far smaller
footprint, while delivering greater efficiency,
lower power consumption and better value.
Mobile device manufacturers have embraced these streamlined, high-performance
solutions, and the comTwo of TriQuint’s dual-band TRITIUM Duo
bined PAD TXM arTRITIUM Duo™
TRITIUM Duo™
s Fig. 1
TriQuint Semiconductor
Hillsboro, OR
PADs can replace up to 24 discrete parts.
Reprinted with permission of MICroWAvE JournAL from the June 2012 issue.
©2012 Horizon House Publications, Inc.
®
Most Valuable
Valuable Product
Product
Most
PA
MODULE
25-30%
Size Reduction
PA
MODULE
TRITIUM Duo™ Dual-Band
PA-Duplexer Module
PA
MODULE
ANTENNA
PA
MODULE
TRITIUM Duo™
= LINEAR
SWITCH
PA MODULE
DCS/PCS
LPF/
MATCH
POWER
CONTROL
GSM850/900
LPF/
MATCH
QUANTUM Tx™
PA MODULE
PA MODULE
4G LTE
TRANSCEIVER
OPTION
TRITIUM Duo™
PA MODULE
s Fig. 2
TRITIUM Duo PADs and Quantum Tx transmit module
are a complete RF solution.
TABLE I
TriQuint’s versatile TRITIUM Duo™ PADs integrate
popular band pairs
TriQuint TRITIUM Duo™ PA-Duplexers
Band Pairs
Duo Part #
Geographies Served
Bands 1 & 4
TQM6M6214
North America, Europe, Africa & Asia
Bands 1 & 8
TQM6M6218
Europe, Africa & Asia
Bands 2 & 5
TQM6M6225
North & South America, Japan &
Australia
The TRITIUM Duo’s PAs are mated to the duplexers using
only a single-section matching network, reducing loss by 1 dB
and current consumption by 20 percent. For battery-powered
devices, this is a significant benefit. In addition, the balanced Rx
outputs make these modules ideal for use with the latest RF
transceivers without the need for an external balun.
Mix-and-Match Bands for Design Flexibility
TriQuint’s TRITIUM Duo product family includes three
distinct modules, each integrating two commonly used
bands in one small footprint, as shown in Table 1. The band
pairs offered in the three products provide global coverage for regional variations across mobile device platforms.
Designers can combine the integrated 2-in-1 TRITIUM Duo
PADs to add or remove bands as needed to meet the needs
of a specific wireless carrier.
The dual-band modules provide a scalable, mix-andmatch solution. All three TRITIUM Duo modules share a
common 6 × 4.5 mm size, giving designers the flexibility to
use a similar, ultra-small footprint to support multi-band,
multi-mode operations across multiple mobile product platforms. Mobile device manufacturers can capitalize on the
dramatic size reductions to include more features or larger
batteries in thinner, lighter form factors with all the performance needed for CDMA, 3G and 4G networks.
46
WLP SAW
Filter
CuFlip™
TRITIUM Duo™
3G MULTI-MODE
TRANSCEIVER
BiHEMT
s Fig. 3
Integration technology delivers ultra small 2-in-1 PAD.
Paired with TriQuint’s QUANTUM TxTM family of transmit modules, the dual-band PADs form a complete RF frontend solution for multi-band, multi-mode smartphones and
other mobile devices (see Figure 2). Using its integration
expertise to reduce PCB space requirements even further,
TriQuint recently introduced two new QUANTUM Tx
transmit modules that are 40 percent smaller than the previous generation, enabling more PCB layout flexibility.
Dual-Band PAD Benefits
TriQuint’s TRITIUM Duo family provides several key benefits to mobile device vendors:
• Smallest Size, Highly Integrated
–– Two PAs and two duplexers in a module smaller than
a single-band PAD
–– A quad-band solution (two TRITIUM Duos) is ~ 50 mm2,
half the footprint of a comparable discrete solution
• Increased Flexibility
–– Common family footprint simplifies design, speeds
overall time to market
–– Mix & match popular band combinations across platforms
• Lower Parts Count
–– Replace up to 12 discrete parts with 1 PAD
–– Reduce BOMs: improve manufacturing & supply chain
efficiency
• High Performance
–– Optimized for each of its two bands, no switching is required
after amplification – unlike configurable architectures
The dual-band TRITIUM Duo implements proprietary
TriQuint CuFlipTM technology to replace wire bonds with
copper bumps. This reduces PCB real estate and enables
superior system performance by eliminating noise-radiating
wires. The copper bumps also dissipate heat better than
traditional interconnect techniques. The integrated CuFlip
BiHEMT power amplifier die achieves low current consumption to provide maximum talk-time and thermal efficiency critical for smartphone applications (see Figure 3).
The new TRITIUM Duo also employs a wafer level packaging (WLP) technique that eliminates bulky ceramic packages, significantly reducing size and increasing performance.
The filter die is encapsulated within a polymer seal to create
a protective air cavity around the filter area. This permits
high-frequency operation and provides mechanical protection for the filter, enhancing performance. The approach
also eliminates the ceramic cavity that would normally be
needed around the duplexer, reducing overall size.
The dual-band modules feature two output power
modes (high power mode/mid power mode), and low off
and standby currents. This means longer talk times in portable applications, even without a DC/DC converter. The
2-in-1 PADs operate from a nominal battery voltage of 3 to
4.2 V. All control inputs are fully CMOS compatible and will
interface easily with any modern baseband processor.
The TRITIUM Duo family is slated for production in September 2012.
TriQuint Semiconductor, Hillsboro, OR (503) 615-9000, www.triquint.com.
MICROWAVE JOURNAL n JUNE 2012