RF transistor delivers more than 50% power efficiency

8th March 2016

Ampleon

Nat Bowers

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Designed for DVB-T UHF asymmetrical wideband Doherty amplifier applications, the BLF888E RF power transistor has been unveiled by Ampleon. The device is fabricated in a SOT539 package using a 6th gen high voltage LDMOS process, enabling greater than 50% power efficiency. According to the manufacturer, this is typically up to 10% more efficient compared to previous devices.

The device's high efficiency rating helps reduce the energy consumption profile of the end-application. The average DVB-T power output is 150W, typically representing a 25% increase in output power of previous devices, making it one of the highest power levels available from a single transistor for such broadcast applications.

The characteristics of the BLF888E provide a typical 120MHz bandwidth per sub-band compared to the industry norm of 40-50 MHz narrow bands for similar applications.

To aid development of asymmetrical wideband Doherty amplifiers for UHF DVB-T applications, a set of three evaluation boards are available on request that cater for the 470-590, 580-690 and 650-790MHz sub-bands. The amplifiers have a 1:1.5 main/peak power ratio and are driven from a 50VDC supply.

Thijs Tullemans, Senior Director, Marketing, BU Multi-Market, Ampleon comments, “With the introduction of the BLF888E we demonstrate our thought leadership in the RF Power Broadcast market by crossing the 50% mark and taking efficiency to the next level. Along with the BLF888E, our application specialists have also developed three evaluation boards that cover the entire UHF band (470-800MHz). These help enable our customers to shorten the time-to-market for their UHF TV power amplifiers.”