Sunnyvale, CA — The MAX2839 from Maxim Integrated Products claims to be the industry's first single-chip, 2.3 GHz to 2.7 GHz, WiMAX MIMO RF transceiver in high-volume production. This device uses a dual-receiver architecture to mitigate RF channel fading, thereby increasing the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) by as much as 10 dB compared to a single-receiver architecture. This improved performance maximizes the data throughput and radio-link range of nomadic and mobile WiMAX subscriber applications in notebook computers, express/PC cards, smartphones, and in-home desktop CPE modems.
Currently shipping in volume to customers worldwide, the RF transceiver is ideal for mobile WiMAX, Korean WiBro, and other OFDM-based wireless broadband systems.
Designed using the company's in-house, high-performance SiGe BiCMOS process, the MAX2839 provides industry leading receiver noise performance. Both of the two receivers feature a low noise figure at 2.3 dB, -81 dBm sensitivity for a 64-QAM signal at 5MHz channel bandwidth, and a 95 dB gain control range that is digitally controlled in 1 dB steps. Factory calibrated to achieve better than -35 dB EVM, -45 dBc of sideband suppression, and carrier leakage of -40 dBc without DC-offset correction, the receivers significantly simplify integration with the digital MAC/baseband IC.
On the transmitter side, the RF transceiver features a 62 dB gain control range, digitally controlled in 1 dB steps. It delivers a 0 dBm linear output with a 64-QAM signal, greater than -45 dBc of sideband suppression, and more than -36 dB EVM, while meeting a -70 dBr spectral mask.
The MAX2839 operates from a 2.7 V to 3.6 V supply. A low-power shutdown mode reduces current consumption to 10 µA to save power in system-sleep/standby mode. The transceiver is available in a small, 8mm x 8mm, leadless, 56-pin TQFN package. An evaluation kit is available to speed designs.
Further information and a data sheet are available.
