RF Micro Devices Expands Portfolio of DC-DC Converters

RF Micro Devices, Inc. announced the introduction of two new low noise, high efficiency dc-dc converters for mobile communication devices: the RF9003 and RF6280. The company claims that the dc-dc converters extend battery life and reduce thermal dissipation by improving efficiency across a mobile device’s output power range and by optimizing performance over an extended battery voltage discharge profile.

The expanding feature sets of next-generation EDGE and 3G multimode mobile devices are driving the demand for dc-dc converters. With the integration of Bluetooth®, GPS, WLAN and other functionality into mobile devices, the emphasis on current consumption and efficiency has increased proportionally. Unlike most stand-alone dc-dc converters, RFMD’s dc-dc converters employ a low noise dc-dc converter design to enhance performance and optimize interaction with the company’s front-end solutions. As a result, the company claims that its dc-dc converters enable greater functionality in next-generation mobile devices by improving mobile device efficiency and enhancing overall power amplifier performance. RFMD’s dc-dc converters can be used in a range of applications and are not restricted to use with RFMD’s front-end solutions.

Eric Creviston, Vice President of RFMD’s Cellular Products Group, said, "RFMD continues to develop architectures, circuits and components that improve the efficiency and performance of next-generation mobile communication devices. Our new dc-dc converters are very complementary to the open-loop polar modulation architecture of our POLARIS™ EDGE transceivers and are optimized for superior performance with our family of EDGE and WCDMA power amplifiers."