NXP Semiconductors enables the realization of smaller, thinner, and lighter radio units with a new top-cooled packaging technology for RF power.

NXP Semiconductors announced a family of top-side cooled RF amplifier modules on the 16th.

This product family is based on packaging innovations designed to enable thinner and lighter radios for 5G infrastructure. Such small base stations are easy and economical to install and can blend more naturally with their surroundings.

NXP's GaN multichip module series, combined with the industry's first top-cooling solution for RF power, can reduce the thickness and weight of radios by more than 20%. It also reduces the carbon footprint required for the manufacturing and deployment of 5G base stations.

“Top cooling offers groundbreaking opportunities to the wireless infrastructure industry. By combining high-power capabilities with advanced thermal performance, we have made it possible to implement smaller RF subsystems. Through this innovation, we can provide solutions for more environmentally friendly base station deployments while simultaneously achieving the network density required to realize the secure performance benefits of 5G,” said Pierre Piel, Vice President and General Manager of Wireless Power at NXP.

NXP's new top cooling unit offers excellent advantages in terms of design and manufacturing. Dedicated RF shields can be eliminated, economical and simplified printed circuit boards can be used, and thermal management can be separated from the RF design. Networking solution providers can use these capabilities to manufacture thinner and lighter 5G radios for mobile network operators and shorten the overall design cycle.

NXP's first top-cooled RF power module series is designed for the 32T32R radio, which supports 3.3 GHz to 3.8 GHz with a 200 W output. The device combines proprietary LDMOS and GaN semiconductor technologies to achieve high gain and efficiency with wideband performance. Users can enjoy 31 dB of gain and 46% efficiency with an instantaneous bandwidth of 400 MHz.

The A5M34TG140-TC, A5M35TG140-TC, and A5M36TG140-TC products are currently available, and the A5M36TG140-TC is supported by NXP’s RapidRF reference board series. For more information, please refer to the fact sheet at NXP.com/TSCEVBFS or contact an NXP retailer worldwide.