Peregrine Semiconductor Enables a Dual-Band Architecture for DOCSIS 3.1 Devices

SAN DIEGO, Oct. 14, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Peregrine Semiconductor Corp. PSMI, founder of RF SOI (silicon on insulator) and pioneer of advanced RF solutions, announces the UltraCMOS® PE42722, a high-linearity RF switch that enables a dual upstream/downstream band architecture in cable customer premises equipment (CPE) devices. By using a dual-band architecture, multi-service operators (MSOs) have the flexibility to offer their customers new and expanded services while CPEs can comply with the new DOCSIS 3.1 cable industry standard.  MSOs also benefit from the switch supporting both DOCSIS 3.0 and 3.1, allowing for a simple and cost-effective transition to DOCSIS 3.1.

CPE devices, such as set-top boxes, cable modems and home gateways, have previously supported only one upstream and downstream band at a time. Until now, no switch has met the linearity requirements necessary to support a dual-band architecture. When upgrading to a different high-speed service plan, the customer currently is faced with the inconvenience of physically changing the CPE device to get the hardware necessary to support the higher upstream and downstream band requirements. The introduction of the PE42722 high-linearity switch marks the first time that dual upstream/downstream bands can reside in the same CPE device. Once CPE devices are equipped with the PE42722 switch, the exchanging of hardware will no longer be necessary.

"The PE42722 is a game changer for the cable industry," says Kinana Hussain, Peregrine's senior marketing manager. "By enabling a dual-band architecture, customers will be able to make a simple phone call to their cable service provider, who can then, 'with the flip of a switch', upgrade their customer's high-speed data service plan. The added bonus of also complying with the DOCSIS 3.1 standard makes this switch a must-have for all next-generation CPE devices."

An additional benefit of the PE42722 high-linearity switch is its compliance with the DOCSIS 3.0 and 3.1 cable standards. The cable industry faces the challenge of supporting the customer's increasing demand for more high-speed home data. In order to meet this rise in data consumption, the industry announced the DOCSIS 3.1 standard in Oct. 2013. These new DOCSIS 3.1 requirements put enormous pressure on the entire cable industry eco system, from CPE devices to the infrastructure. To ease the infrastructure transition to the higher speeds and eliminate the need to replace the CPE, these devices must incorporate the flexibility to accommodate multiple upstream/downstream frequency band definitions. To create a dual-band architecture, a switch must be placed directly at the cable modem (CM) connector before the filters and needs to comply with the stringent DOCSIS 3.1 CM spurious emissions requirements of -50 dBmV. Such a low spurious level requires the switch harmonic performance to be better than -115 dBc. The PE42722 is the only RF switch available today that can achieve these high harmonic requirements. 

Features, Packaging, Pricing and Availability
Covering a frequency range of 5-1,794 MHz, the PE42722 readily supports an average input power greater than 65 dBmV. The switch's low insertion loss (0.3 dB at 1218 MHz) preserves noise figure and receiver sensitivity and achieves superior signal quality, along with providing high isolation of 40 dB at 612 MHz. The PE42722 also features a low current consumption of 130 µA, standard +1.8V and +3.3V logic support, a wide voltage supply range from 2.3 to 5.5V, and 1.5 kV ESD protection on all pins.

Offered in a 32-lead 5 mm x 5 mm QFN package, volume-production parts, samples and evaluation kits are available now. For 10K-quantity orders, each PE42722 switch is $3.38. To learn more, please visit the PE42722 press kit.

USE OF FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding our management's future expectations, beliefs, intentions, goals, strategies, plans and prospects. Such statements constitute "forward-looking" statements, which are subject to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The achievement of the matters covered by such forward-looking statements involves risks, uncertainties and assumptions. If any of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or if any of the assumptions prove incorrect, our actual results, performance or achievements could be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, our dependence on a limited number of customers for a substantial portion of our revenues; intellectual property risks; intense competition in our industry; our ability to develop and introduce new and enhanced products on a timely basis and achieve market acceptance of those products; consumer acceptance of our customers' products that incorporate our solutions; our lack of long-term supply contracts and dependence on limited sources of supply; and potential decreases in average selling prices for our products.

For further information regarding risks and uncertainties associated with Peregrine's business, please refer to the filings that we make with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time, including those set forth in the section entitled "Risk Factors" in our Form 10-K for the year ended December 28, 2013, which should be read in conjunction with these financial results. These documents are available on the SEC Filings section of the Investor Relations section of our website at http://investors.psemi.com/. Please also note that forward-looking statements represent our management's beliefs and assumptions only as of the date of this press release. Except as required by law, we assume no obligation to update these forward-looking statements publicly, or to update the reasons actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements, even if new information, becomes available in the future.

ABOUT PEREGRINE SEMICONDUCTOR
Peregrine Semiconductor PSMI, founder of RF SOI (silicon on insulator), is a leading fabless provider of high-performance, integrated RF solutions. Since 1988 Peregrine and its founding team have been perfecting UltraCMOS® technology – a patented, advanced form of SOI – to deliver the performance edge needed to solve the RF market's biggest challenges, such as linearity. With products that deliver best-in-class performance and monolithic integration, Peregrine is the trusted choice for market leaders in automotive, broadband, industrial, Internet of Things, military, mobile devices, smartphones, space, test-and-measurement equipment and wireless infrastructure. Peregrine holds more than 180 filed and pending patents and has shipped more than 2 billion UltraCMOS units. For more information, visit http://www.psemi.com.

The Peregrine Semiconductor name, logo, and UltraCMOS are registered trademarks of Peregrine Semiconductor Corporation in the U.S.A., and other countries.  All other trademarks mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners.

Editorial Contact:
Elizabeth Brown
Peregrine Semiconductor
Phone: 619.993.4648
pr@psemi.com

Related Links
PE42722 Press Kit

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SOURCE Peregrine Semiconductor