TriQuint unveils new WEDGE product portfolio for Qualcomm’s 3G chipset solutions

HILLSBORO, USA & BARCELONA, SPAIN: TriQuint Semiconductor Inc., a leading RF front-end product manufacturer and foundry services provider, unveiled a new RF front-end solution optimized to support recently released 3G chipset solutions from Qualcomm.

The new solution includes the TRITON PA Module family for WCDMA and the TQM7M5013, a HADRON II PA Module for GSM/EDGE. This solution is highly efficient, optimized for superior current consumption and available in the industry’s smallest footprint using discrete components. It is ideal for the rapidly expanding mobile devices market including data cards, netbooks, e-readers and next generation smartphones.

The introduction of this WEDGE portfolio combines TriQuint’s highly optimized WCDMA and GSM/EDGE products. “We are building on our leadership in the EDGE PAM market and our experience delivering products to the fastest growing segments of the market -- smartphones, data cards and other mobile internet devices (MIDs). The market for discrete WCDMA amplifiers, driven by the increasing number of frequency bands per wireless device, represents a significant opportunity for market share expansion,” said Tim Dunn, Vice President of Mobile Devices at TriQuint.

“TriQuint has worked hard to optimize our technology to offer a highly competitive, complete RF front-end solution for all of the industry’s leading 3G chipset providers. Lead customers are pleased with the performance of the products and the integration roadmap. We anticipate strong market adoption for these products ramping in the second half of 2010.”

The new TRITON PA Module family of 3x3mm discrete Power Amplifier Modules covers all major 3GPP WCDMA bands and is capable of multi-mode operation. The TRITON products provide superior current consumption and thermal performance, critical for today’s feature-rich smartphones and wireless devices.

TriQuint designed the TRITON family for performance, size and efficiency by leveraging a combination of its proprietary and innovative technologies, Copper Flip, CuFlip and TQBiHEMT. CuFlip enables superior RF performance and design flexibility while speeding manufacturing and assembly. TQBiHEMT enables the integration of two gallium arsenide (GaAs) processes onto a single die, reducing part count and saving board space. Together, these processes enable TriQuint to deliver an integrated feature set using a single die inside the module; all other market solutions require multiple die and/or complex assembly processes.

The TQM7M5013, a 5x5mm quad-band, HADRON II PA Module provides the GSM/EDGE portion of the WEDGE solution when paired with the TRITON modules. It incorporates an innovative architecture, enabling improved efficiency and resulting in longer talk time for consumers. The TQM7M5013 provides the building blocks for future converged/multi-mode amplifiers.

Aligned with a recently released 3G Qualcomm chipset, the TQM7M5013 is highly versatile and designed into more than a dozen platforms that are expected to launch in 2010. The TQM7M5013 builds on the success of the previous generation HADRON, the TQM7M5012, which enjoys more than 50 percent1 of today’s global market share for EDGE-Polar PAs.