New GPS LNAs from NXP Dynamically Suppress Strong Transmit Signals

“Consumers increasingly require the best GPS reception, meaning short time to first fix and high positioning accuracy,” said Duco Das, product marketing manager, NXP Semiconductors. “With our latest LNAs, we offer a complete and robust IC solution with all the ingredients necessary to enhance GPS performance while protecting against jamming signals coming into a device. The LNA can dynamically adjust device reception according to the way signals come in, transmitting more on the relevant frequency as needed, and offering the best possible chance to stay connected to the GPS signal. As such, this makes our new LNA family an ideal solution for designers looking to improve GPS reception through a discrete solution.”

GPS has become a standard feature in a wide range of consumer products, from personal navigation devices to digital video cameras, watches, electric cars, and more. GPS signal power levels are weak and below the noise floor at -155 dBm. In many of these products, especially smart phones, strong transmitters such as Bluetooth, WLAN and cellular can drive the GPS LNA into compression. When the GPS LNA is in compression, it has lower gain which causes poor GPS reception; it also generates intermodulation products and harmonics from the transmitter signals, capable of overpowering weak signals and leading to loss of GPS reception.

The NXP BGU700x/BGU8007 series use adaptive biasing to immediately detect any output power from jammers, and compensate by temporarily increasing the current. As a result, optimal GPS signal reception is maintained for as long as possible. Each device in the BGU700x/BGU8007 series requires only one input matching inductor and one supply decoupling capacitor to complete the design. This creates a very compact design and lowers the bill of materials. For example, the BGU7005 is in a 1.45-mm x 1-mm package with an application area of only 4.53 mm2. This is 50-percent smaller than a comparable solution with a 9.06-mm2 application area. Available in extremely small 6-pin packages, the new LNAs reduce footprint, lower cost, and enhance reception in systems that use an active or patch antenna.

Key Features

Low noise figure: 0.75 dB
System-optimized gain of 16.5 or 19 dB
AEC-Q100 qualified (BGU7004, BGU7008) for highest reliability in harsh conditions
Small 6-pin leadless package: 1.45 x 1.0 x 0.5 mm

Pricing and Availability

The new BGU700x/BGU8007 LNAs are available now. Suggested pricing starts at $0.35 for 5,000 units.