Date: 18/02/2010

RMS power detector from Maxim for mobile technology applications

Maxim has introduced the MAX2203, a new RMS power detector designed to operate from 800MHz to 2.0GHz. The MAX2203 power detector is suitable for WCDMA, CDMA2000, 1xEVDO and HSDPA/HSUPA (high-speed downlink/uplink packet access) applications.

The MAX2203 accepts an RF signal at the input, and outputs the same voltage regardless of the peak-average of the input signal. The output voltage and input power is linear in dB. The device has a -24dBm to +3dBm detection range, and every dB change in input power gives 35mV (typ) change in output voltage.

The key features of the MAX2203 power detector are,

0.1dB (typ) RMS accuracy from WCDMA modulation change
±0.4dB of detection error due to temperature
Operating single-supply voltage ranges from +2.5V to +4.2V
Improved closed-loop performance of the transmit path in multiband, multimode smartphones, cellular phones, broadband laptop data cards
Also be used for SAR limiting

Maxim says, by using the SiGe BiCMOS process and wafer-level packaging technology, the MAX2203 offers a repeatable and exceptionally accurate RMS output over temperature and modulation. This "future-proof" performance means that the MAX2203 is modulation independent. A circuit can now be reused with no additional engineering effort in new end-equipment designs that add modulation schemes.

Operating temperature range: -40°C to +85°C

Package: 6-pin WLP package
Price: Starts at $0.50 for 1k pieces
Availability: Now

For more details visit www.maxim-ic.com