Monolithic phase & amplitude controller targets radar applications
A new 8–12GHz monolithic phase and amplitude controller (MPAC) from Peregrine Semiconductor is available at Richardson RFPD with full design support capabilities. The PE19601 is a HaRP technology-enhanced MPAC-beamforming device designed for radar and beamforming networks.
It consists of a digital step attenuator (DSA), a phase shifter and RX/TX switching. This functionality is intended for the amplitude and phase control of signals to individual elements in an electronic scanning phased antenna array.
The new MPAC offers a maximum power handling of +17dBm up to 12GHz and covers 31.5dB attenuation range in 0.5dB steps. The phase shifter offers 360° of phase range with a resolution of 5.6°.
The device provides a serial interface to control the attenuation, phase and RX/TX switching. It maintains high attenuation and phase accuracy over frequency and temperature and exhibits low power consumption.
The PE19601 is designed for X-band radar applications including active electronically scanned array (AESA) weather, air-traffic control and military radar.
Additional key features of the PE19601 include broadband operation with 50Ω impedance, 6/10-bit phase shifter, 6-bit attenuation, Input IP3 of +40dBm and bare wirebond die.