Peregrine Extends Its High-Frequency Portfolio With 18 GHz UltraCMOS® RF Switches

PE42542 and PE42543 Feature Broad Bandwidth, Low-Frequency Power Handling and a Fast Settling Time Ideal for Test-and-Measurement Equipment

SAN DIEGO – Sept. 17, 2014 – Peregrine Semiconductor Corp. (NASDAQ: PSMI), founder of RF SOI (silicon on insulator) and pioneer of advanced RF solutions, introduces the UltraCMOS® PE42542 and PE42543 18 GHz SP4T broadband RF switches. This expansion of the company’s high-frequency portfolio – launched in 2013 with the PE42520 and PE42521 SPDT 13 GHz switches – represents the first RF SOI switches to deliver a high-performance alternative to incumbent gallium arsenide (GaAs) technology. Peregrine’s new switches uniquely offer test-and-measurement, wireless backhaul and military systems designers additional features, such as broad bandwidth, low-frequency power handling, high ESD protection and a fast settling time.

Peregrine's new 18 GHz UltraCMOS(R) RF switches, the PE42542 and PE42453, feature broad bandwidth, low-frequency power handling and a fast settling time ideal for test-and-measurement equipment.

“Peregrine is reaching high-frequency performance levels previously considered unachievable in RF SOI,” says Kinana Hussain, senior marketing manager. “Our in-house, high-frequency design expertise coupled with our UltraCMOS technology has enabled Peregrine to break the 13 GHz RF SOI barrier last year and expand our high-frequency portfolio to 18 GHz today with a roadmap to many more high-frequency components.”

Peregrine’s entire high-frequency portfolio features high linearity that meets or exceeds GaAs switch performance across the entire frequency band. Because they are based on UltraCMOS technology, the components in the portfolio feature several attributes that GaAs technology cannot match, including:

  • Broad bandwidth that maintains performance across the frequency range
  • Low-frequency power handling that maintains signal fidelity as the power passes through
  • Fast settling time that avoids the gate-lag phenomenon
  • High linearity of 58 dBm (IIP3) that ensures minimal signal compression
  • High ESD rating that offers four times more protection
  • Low power consumption that uses less than 5 percent power

In addition to these advantages, Peregrine’s UltraCMOS PE42542 and PE42543 18 GHz RF switches offer standard 1.8V and 3.3V input logic control and consistent performance across a wide, 2.3V to 5.5V supply range. For special RF requirements, PE42543 sports a fast switching time of 500 ns.

Features, Packaging, Pricing and Availability

Peregrine’s PE42542 and PE42543 are single-pole four throw (SP4T) RF switches accommodating a frequency range between 9 kHz and 18 GHz and offering low-frequency power handling of 10 dBm at 9 kHz. The switches also offer consistent performance across a wide supply range with no drift in insertion loss and phase. Both switches feature 120- microampere power-supply-current consumption, which is a fraction of what is required by competing GaAs switches. The PE42542 has a high linearity of 58 dBm IIP3 and 118 dBm IIP2, a fast switching time of 3 microseconds and a high ESD rating of 3.5 kV HBM, 150V MM and 500V CDM on all pins. Its fast settling time of 7 microseconds eliminates gate lag in test-and- measurement equipment. The PE42543 has a high linearity of 59 dBm IIP3 and 113 dBm IIP2, a fast switching time of 500 ns, a fast settling time of 2 microseconds and a high ESD rating of 2.5 kV HBM, 150V MM and 250V CDM on all pins. Samples, evaluation kits and volume- production parts are available now. Offered in a RoHS compliant, 29-lead 4×4 mm LGA package, the PE42542 and PE42543 are each $18.15 for 10K-quantity orders.

USE OF FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding our management’s future expectations, beliefs, intentions, goals, strategies, plans and prospects. Such statements constitute “forward-looking” statements, which are subject to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The achievement of the matters covered by such forward-looking statements involves risks, uncertainties and assumptions. If any of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or if any of the assumptions prove incorrect, our actual results, performance or achievements could be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, our dependence on a limited number of customers for a substantial portion of our revenues; intellectual property risks; intense competition in our industry; our ability to develop and introduce new and enhanced products on a timely basis and achieve market acceptance of those products; consumer acceptance of our customers’ products that incorporate our solutions; our lack of long-term supply contracts and dependence on limited sources of supply; and potential decreases in average selling prices for our products.

For further information regarding risks and uncertainties associated with Peregrine’s business, please refer to the filings that we make with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time, including those set forth in the section entitled “Risk Factors” in our Form 10-K for the year ended December 28, 2013, which should be read in conjunction with these financial results. These documents are available on the SEC Filings section of the Investor Relations section of  our website at http://investors.psemi.com/. Please also note that forward-looking statements represent our management’s beliefs and assumptions only as of the date of this press release.

Except as required by law, we assume no obligation to update these forward-looking statements publicly, or to update the reasons actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements, even if new information, becomes available in the future.

ABOUT PEREGRINE SEMICONDUCTOR

Peregrine Semiconductor (NASDAQ: PSMI), founder of RF SOI (silicon on insulator), is a leading fabless provider of high-performance, integrated RF solutions. Since 1988 Peregrine and its founding team have been perfecting UltraCMOS® technology – a patented, advanced form of SOI – to deliver the performance edge needed to solve the RF market’s biggest challenges, such as linearity. With products that deliver best-in-class performance and monolithic integration, Peregrine is the trusted choice for market leaders in automotive, broadband, industrial, Internet of Things, military, mobile devices, smartphones, space, test- and-measurement equipment and wireless infrastructure. Peregrine holds more than 180 filed and pending patents and has shipped more than 2 billion UltraCMOS units. For more information, visit https://psemi.com.

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

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Markets

  • High Linearity RF Switches

    Industry-leading linearity and RF performance
    HaRP™ technology enhancement reduces gate lag and insertion loss drift
    Monolithic CMOS solution that integrates RF, analog and digital
    Best-in-class ESD and reliability
  • High Isolation RF Switches

    Industry-leading isolation and RF performance
    HaRP™ technology enhancement reduces gate lag and insertion loss drift
    Monolithic CMOS solution that integrates RF, analog and digital
    Best-in-class ESD and reliability
  • Low Insertion Loss RF Switches

    Industry-leading insertion loss and RF performance
    HaRP™ technology enhancement reduces gate lag and insertion loss drift
    Monolithic CMOS solution that integrates RF, analog and digital
    Best-in-class ESD and reliability
  • Antenna Tuning Switches

    Industry-leading RF power handling and ruggedness
    Best-in-class harmonic and linearity
    Small form factor with robust ESD and reliability
  • 75Ω Wired Broadband Switches

    Unmatched linearity performance for DOCSIS 3.1
    HaRP™ technology enhancement reduces gate lag and insertion loss drift
    Monolithic CMOS solution that integrates RF, analog and digital
    Best-in-class ESD ratings and reliability
  • Broadband RF Switches

    Wideband support with a frequency range from 0 Hz to 67 GHz
    Industry-leading insertion loss, isolation, linearity and settling time
    HaRP™ technology enhancement reduces gate lag and insertion loss drift
    Best-in-class ESD and reliability
  • High Power Switches

    Industry-leading power handling and RF performance
    HaRP™ technology enhancement reduces gate lag and insertion loss drift
    Monolithic CMOS solution that integrates RF, analog and digital
    Best-in-class ESD and reliability
  • Automotive Switches

    AEC-Q100 Grade 2-certified supporting temperatures up to +105°C
    HaRP™ technology enhancement reduces gate lag and insertion loss drift
    Monolithic CMOS solution that integrates RF, analog and digital
    Best-in-class ESD and reliability
  • Extended Temperature RF Switches

    Wide temperature range support from -55°C to +125°C
    HaRP™ technology enhancement reduces gate lag and insertion loss drift
    Monolithic CMOS solution that integrates RF, analog and digital
    Best-in-class ESD and reliability
  • 75Ω Wired Broadband RF Digital Step Attenuators

    High linearity, fast switching time with wide bandwidth
    Best-in-class attenuation error with fine attenuation steps
    Monolithic CMOS solution that integrates RF, analog and digital
    Excellent ESD protection and reliability
  • Glitchless RF Digital Step Attenuators

    High linearity, fast switching time with wide bandwidth
    Best-in-class attenuation error with fine attenuation steps
    Monolithic CMOS solution that integrates RF, analog and digital
    Excellent ESD protection and reliability
  • General-purpose RF Digital Step Attenuators

    High linearity, fast switching time with wide bandwidth
    Best-in-class attenuation error with fine attenuation steps
    Monolithic CMOS solution that integrates RF, analog and digital
    Excellent ESD protection and reliability
  • 2.4 GHz IoT FEMs

    Industry-leading monolithic Wi-Fi RF front-end solutions
    High linearity performance for Wi-Fi 6 and W-Fi 6E
    Compact form factors integrating high-performance RF, analog and digital
    Best-in-class ESD and reliability
  • Phase Shifters

    Ideal solutions for optimizing transmission phase angle
    Low root-mean-square (RMS) phase and amplitude error with fine phase resolution
    Digital control interface with parallel and serial programming options
    Best-in-class ESD and reliability
  • Monolithic Phase & Amplitude Controllers (MPACs)

    Reliable phase and amplitude control for next-generation communications
    Monolithic CMOS solution that integrates RF, analog and digital
    Integrated solution for Doherty power amplifier optimization (MPAC–Doherty)
  • Digital Tunable Capacitors (DTCs)

    Small form factor with high Q
    Monolithically integrated impedance tuning solution
    Wide-band tuning coverage, minimum mismatch losses, high linearity and fast switching speed
    Best-in-class ESD and reliability
  • Power Limiters

    Highly integrated solutions, smaller and more reliable than PIN-diode solutions
    Adjustable threshold control for maximum design flexibility
    High power handling and linearity required for wide-dynamic-range designs
    Fast response and recovery times for instantaneous protection and rapid return
  • Prescalers

    Exceptional performance with high-frequency support up to 13.5 GHz
    Low phase noise performance and low power consumption solutions
    Bare-die solutions for a wide variety of compact high-performance applications
    Best-in-class ESD and reliability
  • Mixers

    Broadband quad MOSFET array cores for high performance
    Industry-leading linearity, isolation and low conversion loss
    Available in MSOP, DFN and QFN packages
    Best-in-class ESD and reliability
  • Switch LNA

    Integrates dual-channel LNA with bypass function & high-power switch
    20W average RF input power
    Low noise figure of 0.9 dB
    +105°C operating temperature

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