NXP Delivers Industry's Lowest Power Ku-Band Downconverters for Satellite TV Receivers

Highly integrated LNB downconverters improve system performance, extend product lifetime and reduce manufacturing costs

EINDHOVEN, Netherlands — NXP Semiconductors N.V. (NASDAQ: NXPI) today introduced the TFF101xHN, a family of integrated downconverters for use in Low Noise Block (LNB) 10.7-GHz to 12.75-GHz Ku band satellite receiver systems. Designed for downlink signal reception for TV satellite dishes, NXP’s new family of DVB-S compliant downconverters consume 50-percent less current (52 mA) than other integrated solutions, significantly increasing the lifetime of the LNB and improving its reliability. The new downconverters are the most recent additions to NXP’s leading portfolio for satellite LNB, including other discrete products such as oscillators, amplifiers and switches, to provide complete coverage for all LNB architectures.

The TFF101xHN family offers simplicity and integration in a leadless 16-pin package with a conversion gain ranging from 37 dB to 45 dB. They also offer integrated phase noise of 1.5 degrees RMS and a low noise figure of 7 dB. Additionally, this high level of integration guarantees the stability of the local oscillator (LO), which improves overall system reliability by eliminating LO drift over lifetime due to temperature changes.

For satellite LNB makers, assembly is also made easy due to the high integration level of functionality and minimum requirement for external components. The TFF101xHN family comes in four fully RF-tested versions with pre-set LO frequencies, which significantly reduces the need for manual adjustments on the production line, speeding up the manufacturing process and time to market, as well as lowering operating costs.

The Low Noise Block downconverter is the device at the front of a parabolic satellite dish antenna that receives the very low level microwave signal from the satellite, amplifies the signal and converts it to a lower frequency band in order to send it down the cable to the indoor receiver. The Ku band (Kurtz-under band) is primarily used for satellite communications, particularly for editing and broadcasting satellite television.

The TFF101xHN family is backed by NXP’s proprietary QUBiC4 SiGe:C processes and RF intellectual property (IP). NXP’s industry-leading QUBiC4 technology, available since 2002, has been widely deployed in the field and offers more consistent parameter performance compared to GaAs technology. It speeds the migration from GaAs to silicon and delivers more functionality in less space. High integration reduces the design footprint and enables more cost-competitive designs. It also improves reliability and offers significant savings in manufacturing expenditure.

Technical Features

• Ultra low current consumption with Icc = 52 mA
• Small real estate on PCB with a package size: DHVQFN16 (2.5 x 3.5 x 0.85 mm), only 7 external components and no inductors necessary
• Single supply domain of 5 V +/-10%
• Requires low cost fundamental crystal of only one 25-MHz crystal
• High P1dBo and linearity (PL1dBo = 6 dBm / 3OIPo = 15 dBm)
• Multiple gain types available (36, 39, 42, 45 dB)
• Flat gain over frequency (less than 2 dBpp)
• Input & output matched
• Phase Noise typical 1.5 deg RMS (10 kHz-13 MHz integration bandwidth)