Rev A4
RFX2402E Single-Chip/Single-Die CMOS RFeIC
with PA, LNA, Power Detector and Antenna
Switch for 802.11ac/n/g/b
Eval Board Test Summary
& Technical Notes
4/9/2014 AJ
RFAXIS INC. CONFIDENTIAL NDA MATERIAL
1
Key Features and Benefits
RFX2402E Differentiating Features
(3x3x0.55mm
16L QFN)
GND
17
VDD
16
GND
15
VDD
DNC
14
13
1
12
GND
2
11
GND
3
10
ANT
4
9
GND
RX
GND
GND
TX
 All Key Functions for WiFi 802.11ac/n/g/b
Including PA, LNA, Tx-Rx Switching Circuitry,
Matching, Harmonic Filter, and Power Detector
in a Single-Chip Single-Die CMOS Device
 Reduced and Simplified Tx/Rx Control Lines
 Digital Logic with 1.2V Turn-On Voltage
 No Vref Regulator for Biasing
 Minimal External Component Requirements
 Small, Ultra-Thin 3x3x0.55mm 16L QFN Package
RFX2402E Customer Benefits
5
6
7
TXEN RXEN DET
8
GND
APPLICATIONS
 WLAN 11ac/n/g/b NIC Card and Access
Point
 Laptops, Netbooks, Tablets, MIDs and
Smartbooks with Embedded WLAN
 Other Portable with Integrated
802.11ac/n/g/b
 Multi-Radio 2.4GHz Transceivers
4/9/2014
 Simple 50-Ohm “Plug & Play” Implementation
onto Customer’s PCB
 Reduced Product Design Cycle and TTM
 Enabling Very Small Product Form-Factor
 Available in Bare-Die for Compact SiP Design
 Best-Class RF Performance for both Tx and Rx
 Very Competitive Price & Overall BOM Cost
 Ideal Building Block for 2x2/3x3/4x4 11n MIMO
 Pin Compatible with Legacy RFX2402C
RFAXIS INC. CONFIDENTIAL NDA MATERIAL
2
Package Pin Out and Pin Description
RX
1
GND
2
GND
TX
VDD
GND
VDD
DNC
16
15
14
13
12
GND
11
GND
3
10
ANT
4
9
GND
17
GND
5
6
7
8
TXEN
RXEN
DET
GND
(Top “See Through” View)
4/9/2014
Pin Number
Pin Name
Description
1
RX
Received RF Signal from the LNA to the Transceiver; DC Shorted to GND
2, 3, 8, 9,
11,12, 15, 17
GND
Ground – Must Be Connected to Ground in the Application Circuit
4
TX
Transmitted RF Signal from the Transceiver to the PA: DC Shorted to GND
5
TXEN
CMOS Input to Enable the PA
6
RXEN
CMOS Input to Enable the LNA
7
DET
Analog Voltage Proportional to the PA Output Power
10
ANT
Antenna Port RF Signal from the PA or RF Signal Applied to the LNA; DC
Shorted to GND
13
DNC
Reserved Pin, Do Not Connect in the Application Circuit
14, 16
VDD
Voltage Supply Connection (Pin 14 and 16 are internally connected)
RFAXIS INC. CONFIDENTIAL NDA MATERIAL
3
Evaluation Board and Preliminary BOM
GND
VDD
GND
GND
Recommended BOM
RX
Designator
C1
R1, R2
R3
Value
1uF
1KΩ
10KΩ
Footprint Notes
0402 X5R/X7R
0402
*
0402 Det. Load
* Only needed if the control pin is
directly connected to VDD
C1
ANT
R3
R1
Control Logic Truth Table
R2
TXEN
RXEN
DET
GND
TX
Evaluation Board Information:
- 4-Layer Stack, 10mil/40mil/10mil
TXEN
RXEN
Mode of Operating
0
0
Shutdown Mode
1
0
Transmit Mode
0
1
Receive Mode
Note: “1” denotes high voltage state (> 1.2V) at Control Pins
“0” denotes low voltage state (< 0.3V) at Control Pins
- FR4 with er=4.5, tan d = 0.02 (Typ)
- RFIN, RFOUT trace losses are ~0.25dB @ 2.4GHz – 2.5GHz
- Results in following slides are referenced to device pins
with the trace loss de-embedded
- VDD should be on before applying ctrl signals
-VDD Nominal 3.3 Vdc. Operational from 2.7 to 3.6 Vdc
4/9/2014
RFAXIS INC. CONFIDENTIAL NDA MATERIAL
4
DEVM Measurement
Vector Signal Generator
Signal Analyzer
- Calibrated for input power level of DUT
- Level calibrated for DUT Pout at Ant pin
Gating
Burst 200 us / 50% duty cycle
unless otherwise specified
Demodulation:
- no amplitude correction
- tracking on preamble only
EVB with DUT
VDD
RF
TXEN pulse
400 ns prior to gating
TX
port
ANT
port
No cable between
EVB and pad
TXEN
VDD
VDET
Bandwidth / Band Limit Dependence
40 MHz Channels in 2.5 GHz Band:
Burst
Gating
10 dB
pad
Supply
A
A
D
D
Lowest Channel: 2422 MHz
Highest Channel: 2462 MHz
80 MHz Channels in 5.5 GHz Band:
Lowest Channel: 5210 MHz
Highest Channel: 5775 MHz
4/9/2014
VDET
I DD
RFAXIS INC. CONFIDENTIAL NDA MATERIAL
Analyzer Offset Correction:
EVB loss + 10dB + cable loss
EVB Loss
2.5 GHz
5.5 GHz
ANT
0.20 dB
0.35 dB
TX in
0.20 dB
0.35 dB
5
RFX2402E TX 802.11g DEVM over Frequency
VDD = 3.3V
64QAM DEVM [dB] VDD = 3.3V
-20
-22
2.412 GHz
-24
2.437 GHz
-26
2.472 GHz
-30dB line
-28
-35dBm line
EVM [dB]
-30
-32
-34
-36
-38
-40
-42
-44
-46
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
Pout Burst [dBm]
4/9/2014
RFAXIS INC. CONFIDENTIAL NDA MATERIAL
6
RFX2402E 802.11n TX DEVM over Frequency
VDD = 3.3V
HT40 MCS7 DEVM [dB] VDD = 3.3V
-20
-22
2.412 GHz
-24
2.437 GHz
-26
2.472 GHz
-28
-30dB line
-35dBm line
EVM [dB]
-30
-32
-34
-36
-38
-40
-42
-44
-46
0
4/9/2014
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10 11
Pout Burst [dBm]
12
RFAXIS INC. CONFIDENTIAL NDA MATERIAL
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
7
Mask Margin [dB]
RFX2402E TX Mask over Frequency
VDD = 3.3V
11b 1Mbps Gaussian Mask VDD = 3.3V
6
4
2
0
-2
-4
-6
-8
-10
-12
-14
-16
-18
-20
2.412
2.437
2.472
Limit Line
Mask Margin [dB]
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
Pout Burst [dBm]
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
HT40 MCS7 Mask VDD = 3.3V
6
4
2
0
-2
-4
-6
-8
-10
-12
-14
-16
-18
-20
2.412
2.437
2.472
Limit Line
5
4/9/2014
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
Pout Burst [dBm]
RFAXIS INC. CONFIDENTIAL NDA MATERIAL
8
RFX2402E TX CW Gain, Current, and Vdet
VDD = 3.3V
Gain VDD = 3.3V
34
32
Gain [dB]
30
28
26
2.412 GHz
24
2.437 GHz
22
2.472 GHz
20
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
Pout Burst [dBm]
Current VDD = 3.3V
320
280
200
VDET [V]
Current [mA]
240
160
120
80
40
0
0
4/9/2014
2
4
6
8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26
Pout Burst [dBm]
Vdet VDD = 3.3V
2.0
1.8
1.6
1.4
1.2
1.0
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0.0
0
2
4
RFAXIS INC. CONFIDENTIAL NDA MATERIAL
6
8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26
Pout Burst [dBm]
9
RFX2402E CW TX Harmonics
VDD = 3.3V
2nd Harmonic
3rd Harmonic
0
-10
-10
-20
-20
-30
-30
3rd [dBm]
2nd [dBm]
0
-40
-40
2.412 GHz
-50
-50
2.437 GHz
2.472 GHz
-60
-60
-70
-70
0
4/9/2014
2
4
6
8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26
Pout Burst [dBm]
0
2
4
RFAXIS INC. CONFIDENTIAL NDA MATERIAL
6
8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26
Pout Burst [dBm]
10
RFX2402E TX S-Parameters
VDD = 3.3V
TX S21
30
20
S21, dB
10
0
-10
-20
-30
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Frequency [GHz]
TX Iq = 83mA
4/9/2014
RFAXIS INC. CONFIDENTIAL NDA MATERIAL
11
RFX2402E TX S-Parameters
VDD = 3.3V
TX S11
-2
-2
-4
-4
-6
-6
-8
-8
-10
-10
-12
-12
-14
-14
-16
-16
-18
-18
-20
0
1
2
3
4
TX S22
0
S11, dB
S11, dB
0
5
6
7
8
-20
0
1
Frequency [GHz]
TX Iq = 83mA
4/9/2014
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Frequency [GHz]
RFAXIS INC. CONFIDENTIAL NDA MATERIAL
12
RFX2402E RX Gain and Noise Figure
VDD = 3.3V
Noise Figure vs. frequency
Gain vs. frequency
8
13
12
7
11
10
6
Noise Figure [dB]
9
5
Gain [dB]
8
7
4
6
5
3
4
2
3
2
1
1
0
0
2.2
4/9/2014
2.3
2.4
2.5
2.6
f [GHz]
2.7
2.8
2.9
2.2
2.3
RFAXIS INC. CONFIDENTIAL NDA MATERIAL
2.4
2.5
2.6
f [GHz]
2.7
2.8
2.9
13
RFX2402E RX S-Parameters
VDD = 3.3V
RX S21
20
10
S21, dB
0
-10
-20
-30
-40
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Frequency [GHz]
RX Iq = 11mA
4/9/2014
RFAXIS INC. CONFIDENTIAL NDA MATERIAL
14
RFX2402E RX S-Parameters
VDD = 3.3V
RX S11
0
-4
-4
-6
-6
-8
-8
-10
-10
S22, dB
-2
S22, dB
-2
-12
-12
-14
-14
-16
-16
-18
-18
-20
RX S22
0
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
-20
0
1
Frequency [GHz]
RX Iq = 11mA
4/9/2014
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Frequency [GHz]
RFAXIS INC. CONFIDENTIAL NDA MATERIAL
15
RFX2402E PCB Layout Recommendation
VDD
C1
16
50 W Line
RX
50 W Line
TX
RXEN
14
13
1
12
2
11
3
10
4
9
5
TXEN
15
R1
R2
6
7
50 W Line
Antenna
Recommended BOM:
C1=1uF
R1=R2=1KΩ
R3=10KΩ
8
R3
DET
Notes:
-Tie GND pins (2,3,8,9,11,12,15) to center ground paddle
-DNC (pin 13) must be left disconnected in the application circuit
-VDD pins (14, 16) are internally connected; only one needs to be tied to the VDD supply
-For best RF performance place 9 vias under the center ground paddle
-Place two vias immediately next to the VDD shunt cap (C1) if possible
4/9/2014
RFAXIS INC. CONFIDENTIAL NDA MATERIAL
16
PCB Layout/BOM Harmonic Suppression
Recommended BOM with 4-Element Lumped Filter:
C1 = 1uF
R1 = R2 = 1KΩ
R3 = 10KΩ
C2 = 1.8pF (TDK C1005C0G1H1R8B)
C3 = 1.5pF (TDK C1005C0G1H1R5B)
C4 = 0.7pF (TDK C1005COG1H0R7B)
L1 = 1.3nH (TDK MLG1005S1N3S )
d0 = 1.25 mm
d1 = d2 = 3.1 mm
d3 = 0.7 mm
VDD
C1
d0
16
RXEN
14
13
d1
1
12
2
11
3
10
4
9
5
TXEN
15
R1
R2
6
7
d2
50 W Line
L1
To Ant
d3
8
C2
1 via
R3
C3
1 vias
C4
1 via
GND layer distance through vias is 10 mil for this BOM example
DET
Notes:
- For best RF performance please place 9 vias under the center ground paddle, and tie all unused pins to it
- Filter performance is impacted significantly by distances , vias, layer thickness and make of SMD elements
- Please contact RFaxis for layout recommendations if PCB stack is different from eval board (4-layer FR4, 10mil/40mil/10mil)
4/9/2014
RFAXIS INC. CONFIDENTIAL NDA MATERIAL
Appendix A
802.11ac
4/9/2014
RFAXIS INC. CONFIDENTIAL NDA MATERIAL
18
RFX2402E 802.11ac TX DEVM over Frequency
VDD = 3.3V, 100 us
VHT40 MCS9 DEVM [dB] VDD = 3.3V
-20
-22
2.412 GHz
EVM [dB]
-24
2.437 GHz
-26
2.472 GHz
-28
-30dB line
-30
-35dBm line
-32
-34
-36
-38
-40
-42
-44
-46
0
4/9/2014
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10 11
Pout Burst [dBm]
12
RFAXIS INC. CONFIDENTIAL NDA MATERIAL
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
19
RFX2402E 802.11ac TX DEVM over Frequency
VDD = 3.3V, 4 ms
VHT40 MCS9 DEVM [dB] VDD = 3.3V
-20
-22
2.422 GHz
EVM [dB]
-24
2.442 GHz
-26
2.462 GHz
-28
-30dB line
-30
-35dBm line
-32
-34
-36
-38
-40
-42
-44
-46
0
4/9/2014
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10 11
Pout Burst [dBm]
12
RFAXIS INC. CONFIDENTIAL NDA MATERIAL
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
20
RFX2402E 802.11ac TX DEVM over Frequency
VDD = 3.3V, 100 us
VHT20 MCS8 DEVM [dB] VDD = 3.3V
-20
-22
2.412 GHz
EVM [dB]
-24
2.437 GHz
-26
2.472 GHz
-28
-30dB line
-30
-35dBm line
-32
-34
-36
-38
-40
-42
-44
-46
0
4/9/2014
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10 11
Pout Burst [dBm]
12
RFAXIS INC. CONFIDENTIAL NDA MATERIAL
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
RFX2402E 802.11ac TX Mask over Frequency
VHT20 MCS0, VDD = 3.3V
Compliance Mask Margin VDD = 3.3
6
4
2.412
2
2.437
0
2.472
Mask Margin [dB]
-2
Limit Line
-4
-6
-8
-10
-12
-14
-16
-18
-20
5
4/9/2014
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
Pout Burst [dBm]
17
RFAXIS INC. CONFIDENTIAL NDA MATERIAL
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
22
Mouser Electronics
Authorized Distributor
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