Peregrine Semiconductor Announces High-Frequency, High-Power 7-bit Digital Step Attenuator

Complementing Peregrine’s PE42520 and PE42521 high-frequency RF switches announced today, the PE43704 DSA supports monotonic operation at 8 GHz, with high power handling of +28 dBm. The UltraCMOS technology-based DSA features HaRP technology, resulting in high linearity of IIP3 of +61 dBm at 8 GHz. The new DSA is ideal for high-frequency and high-power applications in the test-and-measurement market, such as Automatic Test Equipment, signal sources, spectrum analyzers, and communication testers.

“Components in the RF signal chain inside test-and-measurement products must have higher linearity and performance than the systems they are measuring,” said Mark Schrepferman, director of the commercial and industrial product line with Peregrine’s High-Performance Solutions business unit. “With its high-power and high-frequency capabilities, and high linearity, the PE43704 DSA addresses these requirements.”

The PE43704 DSA is serial addressable and features multiple programming modes, including serial, direct parallel, and latched parallel, making it easy to design it into a wide range of systems. The device has high monotonic attenuation performance of 0.25 dB up to 6 GHz, and 1.0 dB up to 8 GHz, which improves instrument sensitivity and performance. Fast settling time of 2 microseconds saves costs by reducing overall test time. ESD protection of 2 kV HBM eases manufacturing and prolongs the life of the end product. 1.8V/3.3V control logic support makes it easy to integrate the DSA with the latest FPGAs. High integration in a single package eliminates the need for the discrete components and bias circuits that are required with pin-diode solutions, further easing design and reducing board space.

Development Tool Support
Peregrine also announced availability of the PE43704 Evaluation Kit, today.