A 1mm2 flip-chip SP3T switch and low noise amplifier RFIC FEM for 802.11b/g applications

Abstract

This paper presents a 1mm2 Cu pillar flip chip SP3T/LNA RFIC targeted for use in 802.11b/g front-ends. The SP3T switch enables WLAN transmit/receive and Bluetooth modes of operation. This switch exhibits 0.6dB insertion loss per branch and delivers 802.11g linear performance up to +21dBm output power. A single-stage LNA with a bypass mode is connected after the WLAN Rx branch to increase overall receiver sensitivity and dynamic range. The LNA achieved 1.9dB NF with a typical 11.5dB small-signal gain, including the switch loss. This die occupies only 25% of the footprint of similar existing QFN style WLAN front ends.