Freescale launches “world's first” 50-volt LDMOS power transistors for L-Band radar applications

Freescale Semiconductor has unveiled what’s said to be the world's first 50-volt LDMOS RF power transistor line-up for L-Band radar applications. The line-up is ideal for a wide range of high-power RF applications including air traffic management and long range weather radar.

The RF product line includes the MRF6V14300H final stage device and the MRF6V10010N driver. The MRF6V14300H produces pulsed RF output power of 330 W at frequencies between 1200 and 1400 MHz and sets new standards for efficiency, gain and thermal resistance at this power level and frequency when compared to competing bipolar and field-effect transistor (FET) devices.
The advanced line of RF power transistors - the first in Freescale's 50 V RF power LDMOS avionics and radar portfolio - provides competitive advantages, such as a standard voltage supply, low cooling costs and high reliability of pallet design for Freescale's customers designing pulsed RF power opportunities in L-Band frequencies. Future additions to Freescale's radar and avionics portfolio, planned for announcement in the second half of this year, are expected to demonstrate gain, efficiency and thermal resistance characteristics that are designed to outperform other similar products in the market today.

The thermal resistance of Freescale's MRF6V14300H device, packaged in a RoHS compliant, air-cavity ceramic package, is less than 0.12o C/W JC, which is engineered to effectively manage heat dissipation and reduce heat sink size. The excellent thermal performance provides cooler junction temperature. The MRF6V10010N is in an over-molded plastic package, also offering significant thermal performance. When combined in a line-up, the result is low cooling costs and high reliability of a pallet design.

Key RF performance figures for the MRF6V14300H include 1200 to 1400 MHz frequency range, 330 W peak output power (at 1400 MHz, 300 ?sec pulse width, 12 percent duty cycle), 17 dB gain, and 60 percent drain efficiency. In particular, the 60 percent drain efficiency is engineered to a minimum 10 percentage points higher than competing devices. The MRF6V10010N delivers 8 W peak output power (at 1400 MHz, 300 µs, 12 percent duty cycle), 22 dB gain, and 60 percent drain efficiency.

Like other devices in Freescale's 50 V LDMOS family, these advanced devices incorporate electrostatic-discharge (ESD) protection to help reduce their susceptibility to electrostatic events on assembly sites. This ESD protection enables a wide gate voltage swing capability of -6 V and +10 V, which is advantageous when the devices are operating in higher efficiency classes such as Class C.

Freescale Semiconductor