Anadigics Inc develops power amplifiers, tuners and splitters for next-generation products in the broadband wireless and wireline markets. The company's HELP (High Efficiency at Low Power) technology was developed to improve the power efficiency and performance of its power amps.
The current HELP3 generation was developed for power amps for UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) and HSDPA/HSUPA (High Speed Downlink/Uplink Packet Access) handsets. HELP4, for UMTS and HSPA+ (Evolved HSPA) handsets, is scheduled for release in Q1 2009, while HELP5, for LTE (Long Term Evolution) handsets, will be available in Q2 2009. A dual-band 3G WCDMA PA, the AWT6221, is currently available in the market.
What is HELP?HELP reduces the power amp's current consumption by as much as 2 to 3 times at low to medium output power levels. Ultimately, the main advantage with a HELP power amp is that it increases talk-time.
The company's InGaP-Plus technology integrates HBTs (heterojunction bipolar transistors - i.e., transistors that offer higher RF power gain per stage, and which do not require a negative power supply) and pHEMTs (pseudomorphic high electron mobility transistors) on the same InGaP GaAs die for better performance, integration and reliability.
"We're unique in offering such an integration. The reason for doing so is that we believe MOSFETs are good for switching, while HBTs are good for power amps, and integrating them allows our products to enjoy both advantages," Mahendra Singh, WCDMA product manager, Anadigics explained.
Anadigics claims that its HELP power amps offer the lowest average current consumption compared to any competing power amps, as well as the highest max power efficiency - which lowers power dissipation, thereby keeping the power amp cooler.
The company's patented BiFET (bipolar field effect transistor) process allows for integration, while competing products use a separate LDO for the PA control logics and voltage regulator. Integration also allows for smaller, lower-cost packages.
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