Peregrine Semiconductor Announces 8 GHz SP4T RF Switch for Test-and-Measurement/ATE Applications

Highly-Linear Switch Has Frequency Range of 10 Hz to 8 GHz and Low Insertion Loss

San Diego, California, June 19, 2012 – Peregrine Semiconductor Corporation (Peregrine), a fabless provider of high-performance radio-frequency (RF) integrated circuits (ICs), today announced from booth # 2009 at the  International Microwave Symposium (IMS2012) in Montreal, the SP4T PE42540 RF switch. Designed on the latest UltraCMOS® process version, STeP5, the HaRP™ technology-enhanced PE42540 switch has a frequency range of 10 Hz to 8 GHz, with low insertion loss of 0.8 dB @ 3 GHz, 1.0 dB @ 6 GHz, and 1.2 dB @ 8 GHz. The result is a highly-linear switch that is well suited for applications requiring highly-linear RF performance and fast settling time, such as Test and Measurement (T&M), and Automated Test Equipment (ATE).

The absorptive PE42540 switch is comprised of four symmetric RF ports, with high isolation RFX to RFX of 45 dB @ 3 GHz, 39 dB @ 6 GHz, and 31 dB @ 8 GHz. On-chip CMOS decode logic facilitates a two-pin low voltage CMOS control interface and an optional external VSS feature. Additionally, the switch features high linearity of 58 dBm IIP3, with high ESD tolerance of 2 kV HBM on RFC, and 1 kV HBM on all other pins. It also has a maximum input-power-handling capability of 30 dBm @ 8 GHz into 50 Ω.

“The PE42540 switch complements our PE42551 and PE42552 switches with extended frequency and low insertion loss,” said Mark Schrepferman, director of marketing for Peregrine’s High-Performance Solutions business unit. “We believe this is the industry’s highest-performance SP4T switch, in terms of bandwidth, insertion loss, and linearity.”

Packaging, Pricing & Availability

The PE42540 switch is available in a 32-lead, 5 mm x 5 mm QFN package, for $4.87 each, in 10,000-unit quantities. Samples and volume-production quantities can be ordered in late June through Peregrine’s global sales representatives and worldwide distribution partners. For more information, visit www.psemi.com.

About Peregrine Semiconductor

Peregrine Semiconductor is a fabless provider of high-performance radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs). Our solutions leverage our proprietary UltraCMOS® technology, which enables the design, manufacture, and integration of multiple RF, mixed-signal, and digital functions on a single chip. Our products deliver what we believe is an industry-leading combination of performance and monolithic integration, and target a broad range of applications in the aerospace and defense, broadband, industrial, mobile wireless device, test and measurement equipment, and wireless infrastructure markets. UltraCMOS technology combines the ability to achieve the high levels of performance of traditional specialty processes, with the fundamental benefits of standard CMOS, the most widely-used semiconductor process technology. UltraCMOS technology utilizes a synthetic sapphire substrate, a near-perfect electrical insulator, providing low parasitic capacitance, and enabling high signal isolation, and excellent broadband linearity. These attributes result in RF devices with excellent high- frequency performance and power-handling performance, reduced crosstalk between frequencies, and enhanced network efficiency. We have engineered design advancements, including our patented HaRP™ technology which significantly improves harmonic and linearity performance; and our patent-pending DuNE™ technology, a circuit design technique that we have used to develop our advanced Digitally Tunable Capacitor (DTC) products. We offer a broad portfolio of high-performance RFICs including switches, digital attenuators, mixers/upconverters, prescalers, frequency synthesizers, DTCs, and DC-to-DC converter products; and we are currently developing Power Amplifiers (PAs). Our products are sold worldwide through our direct sales and field applications engineering staff, and our network of independent sales representatives, and distribution partners. Additional information is available on the Company’s website at https://www.psemi.com.

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The Peregrine Semiconductor name, logo and UltraCMOS are registered trademarks, and DuNE and HaRP are trademarks of Peregrine Semiconductor Corporation in the U.S.A., and other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.