July 7, 2014, Seoul – Infineon Technologies (Korea Representative Director Seung-soo Lee) announced the expansion of its efficient IC solutions for RF front-ends with the launch of its antenna tuning IC series. This new family of antenna aperture tuning switches plays a critical role in enhancing the end-user experience in 4G smartphones and tablets. The new ICs fundamentally optimize antenna characteristics to enable maximum data rate operation in the relevant LTE bands. The BGA1xGN10 IC is available in the industry's smallest package, offering significant advantages for space-constrained applications such as the latest generation smartphones and other mobile devices. Furthermore, it further reduces current consumption, extending the standby and operating times of mobile devices.

Antenna tuning devices based on Infineon's RF CMOS switch technology enable the development of smartphone antennas that support a wider frequency range in a smaller size. Innovative features improve impedance matching for a single antenna across a wide frequency range, reducing power stress on the transmitter side and increasing sensitivity on the receiver side. The products are designed to provide high robustness, low parasitic factors, and maximum linearity to withstand critical mismatch conditions in the antenna. These new tuning ICs are key to optimizing antenna efficiency in relevant LTE bands. Improved antenna efficiency translates directly into superior signal quality and the fastest data transmission. All devices provide a general-purpose GPIO interface to enable seamless antenna control and system integration.

"Infineon has expanded its RF front-end footprint and product portfolio for smartphone applications by launching a new family of antenna tuning solutions," said Philipp Schierstaedt, Executive Vice President and General Manager of RF and Protection Devices at Infineon Technologies. "Combining Infineon's LNA, protection IC, and antenna switch products with the new antenna tuning solutions enables the development of smartphones and other related products that improve the end-user experience in terms of reception quality, battery life, and reliability."

The new antenna aperture tuning solution is produced using Infineon's high-performance 130nm RF CMOS process applied to RF front-end switches, providing the benefits of mass production scale.

The new antenna aperture tuning switch family is available in the following switch configurations.

BGSA12GN10 SPDT / BGSA13GN10 SP3T / BGSA14GN10 SP4T

All products are shipped in ROHS-compliant plastic packages measuring 1.5mm x 1.1mm, which is 60% smaller than the latest CSP-type devices currently on the market. As more features are incorporated and multiple LTE bands are supported, size is a critical factor in smartphones where antenna and PCB space is very limited.