Envelope tracking could displace gallium arsenide from handset applications
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Envelope tracking pioneer Nujira has released test results that are said to show demonstrate how the technology can 'unlock the potential' of rf cmos power amplifiers (PAs) for high end 3G and 4G smartphone applications.
Tim Haynes, Nujira's ceo, said: "The complexity of the rf front end in today's smartphones is driving unprecedented rates of change in the component industry. Our test results are a significant breakthrough, demonstrating that cmos PAs can also be used in high end 3G/4G smartphone applications.
"The combination of CMOS PAs with Nujira's patented ET architectures could signal the death of the GaAs industry for handset applications. In the longer term, these results open the door for further cmos integration, enabling a highly integrated rf front end architecture for complex multimode, multiband handsets."
Nujira's tests have shown the combination of its ET power modulators and a prototype cmos PA achieves the performance required for 4G. The key metrics were an efficiency of 57%, an average output power of 28dBm and an adjacent channel leakage ratio of -38dB ACLR.
