SiGe BiCMOS Fuels Downconverting Mixer

Model MAX19996A from Maxim is a downconverting mixer for applications from 2.0 to 3.9 GHz based on monolithic SiGe BiCMOS technology. Ideal for LTE and WiMAX base stations, it contains two mixer cores, two baluns, and a pair of amplifiers, including a local oscillator (LO) buffer amplifier. The integrated circuit offers 8.7 dB conversion gain and typical noise figure of 9.8 dB, allowing elimination of a complete intermediate-frequency (IF) receiver stage. The high level of integration also allows a drastic reduction in size, by a factor of 2. The MAX19996A is supplied in a 20-pin TQFN package measuring just 5 x 5 mm.