
1
900 MHz Design
The 900 MHz example follows
the same design approach that
was described in the previous
1900 MHz design. A schematic
diagram of the complete 900 MHz
circuit is shown in Figure 8. And
the component part list is show in
Table 3.
RFC=
47 nH
C2=39 pF
C3=680 pF
Vcc=5.25V
27x
C1=39 pf
Rc=20
Ω
Figure 8. Schematic of 900 MHz Circuit.
Table 3. Component Parts List for the
MSA-2743 Amplifier at 900 MHz.
R1
0
Ωchipresistor
RFC
47nHLL1608-FH47N
C1,C
39pFchipcapacitor
C3
680pFchipcapacitor
Performance of MSA-2743
900 MHz Amplifier
The amplifier is biased at a Vcc of
5.25 volts, I
d of 70 mA. The mea-
sured gain, noise figure, input and
output return loss of the complet-
ed amplifier is shown in Figure 9.
Noise figure is a nominal 3.8 to
4.0 dB from 800 through 1000
MHz. Gain is a minimum of 17.1
dB from 800 MHz through 1000
MHz. The input return loss at 900
MHz is 21.5 dB with a correspond-
ing output return loss of 29.9 dB.
The amplifier output intercept
point (OIP3) was measured at a
nominal +31.4 dBm. P
-1dB mea-
sured +18.5 dBm.
FREQUENCY (GHz)
Figure 9. Gain, Noise Figure, Input and Output
Return Loss Results.
GAIN,
NOISE
FIGURE,
INPUT
and
OUTPUT
RETURN
LOSS
(dB)
0.4
1.4
0.8
0.6
1.2
1
20
10
0
-10
-20
-30
-40
Figure 9. Gain, Noise Figure, Input and Output
Return Loss Results.
Designs for Other Frequencies
The same basic design approach
described above for 1.9 GHz can
be applied to other frequency
bands. Inductor values for match-
ing the input for low noise figure
are shown in Table 4.
Table 4. Input and Output Inductor Values for
Various Operating Frequencies.
Frequency C1&C,pF RFC,nH
C3,pF
400MHz
88
100
1500
900MHz
39
47
680
1900MHz
18
330
.4GHz
15
18
70
3.5GHz
18
15
5.8GHz
1.8
6.8
10
Actual component values may dif-
fer slightly from those shown in
Table 3 due to variations in circuit
layout, grounding, and component
parasitics. A CAD program such
as Avago Technologies’ ADS is
recommended to fully analyze and
account for these circuit vari-
ables.
Notes on RF Grounding
The performance of the MSA
series is sensitive to ground path
inductance. Good grounding is
critical when using the MSA-2743.
The use of via holes or equivalent
minimal path ground returns as
close to the package edge as is
practical is recommended to as-
sure good RF grounding. Multiple
vias are used on the evaluation
board to reduce the inductance
of the path to ground. The ef-
fects of the poor grounding may
be observed as a “peaking” in the
gain versus frequency response,
an increase in input VSWR, or
even as return gain at the input of
the RFIC.
A Final Note on Performance
Actual performance of the MSA
RFIC mounted on the demonstra-
tion board may not exactly match
data sheet specifications. The
board material, passive compo-
nents, and connectors all intro-
duce losses and parasitics that
may degrade device performance,
especially at higher frequencies.
Some variation in measured
results is also to be expected as a
result of the normal manufactur-
ing distribution of products.