NXP Broadcast Power Amplifier Achieves Breakthrough DVB-T Efficiency

Configured as a Doherty power amplifier, the BLF888B achieves breakthrough 50 percent DVB-T efficiency, offering significant reductions in the power consumption of UHF broadcast systems.

NXP’s latest UHF and FM LDMOS power transistors offer cost-effective solutions for specific power levels previously unavailable, using thermally optimized transistor designs. Innovations include:

Improved ruggedness over the full UHF frequency band from 470 to 860 MHz, which enables the application to withstand extreme mismatches
Lowest thermal resistance in the market (Rth = 0.15 K/W) for BLF888A and BLF888B
50 percent efficiency using the BLF888B in a Doherty configuration

YingHao Zhuo, NXP Semiconductors senior regional marketing manager for RF power and base stations in Greater China, said: “With our latest products, NXP is addressing market demand for improved higher drain efficiency, higher output power and improved frequency bandwidth with innovative UHF Broadcast DVB-T solutions.”

Highlights of the new UHF products are:

BLF888A transistor - 125 Wavg DVB-T with 32 percent efficiency, 21 dB gain, capable of covering the full UHF band
BLF888B transistor - optimized for use in a Doherty configuration, achieving 50 percent efficiency at 120 W output power and 18 dB gain
BLF879P transistor - 95 Wavg DVB-T with 32 percent efficiency, 20 dB gain, capable of covering the full UHF band
BLF884P transistor - 70 Wavg DVB-T with 33 percent efficiency, 21 dB gain, capable of covering the full UHF band

Characteristics of the new FM product:

BLF178P transistor - optimized for FM radio transmitters in terms of cost/performance, delivering 1kW CW with 75 percent efficiency at 108 MHz and 26.5 dB gain