Peregrine Extends Its High-Frequency Portfolio With 18 GHz UltraCMOS® RF Switches

SAN DIEGO, Sept. 17, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Peregrine Semiconductor Corp. (NASDAQ: PSMI), founder of RF SOI (silicon on insulator) and pioneer of advanced RF solutions, introduces the UltraCMOS® PE42542 and PE42543 18 GHz SP4T broadband RF switches. This expansion of the company's high-frequency portfolio – launched in 2013 with the PE42520 and PE42521 SPDT 13 GHz switches – represents the first RF SOI switches to deliver a high-performance alternative to incumbent gallium arsenide (GaAs) technology. Peregrine's new switches uniquely offer test-and-measurement, wireless backhaul and military systems designers additional features, such as broad bandwidth, low-frequency power handling, high ESD protection and a fast settling time.

"Peregrine is reaching high-frequency performance levels previously considered unachievable in RF SOI," says Kinana Hussain, senior marketing manager. "Our in-house, high-frequency design expertise coupled with our UltraCMOS technology has enabled Peregrine to break the 13 GHz RF SOI barrier last year and expand our high-frequency portfolio to 18 GHz today with a roadmap to many more high-frequency components."

Peregrine's entire high-frequency portfolio features high linearity that meets or exceeds GaAs switch performance across the entire frequency band. Because they are based on UltraCMOS technology, the components in the portfolio feature several attributes that GaAs technology cannot match, including:

• Broad bandwidth that maintains performance across the frequency range
• Low-frequency power handling that maintains signal fidelity as the power passes through
• Fast settling time that avoids the gate-lag phenomenon
• High linearity of 58 dBm (IIP3) that ensures minimal signal compression
• High ESD rating that offers four times more protection
• Low power consumption that uses less than 5 percent power

In addition to these advantages, Peregrine's UltraCMOS PE42542 and PE42543 18 GHz RF switches offer standard 1.8V and 3.3V input logic control and consistent performance across a wide, 2.3V to 5.5V supply range. For special RF requirements, PE42543 sports a fast switching time of 500 ns.

Features, Packaging, Pricing and Availability
Peregrine's PE42542 and PE42543 are single-pole four throw (SP4T) RF switches accommodating a frequency range between 9 kHz and 18 GHz and offering low-frequency power handling of 10 dBm at 9 kHz. The switches also offer consistent performance across a wide supply range with no drift in insertion loss and phase. Both switches feature 120-microampere power-supply-current consumption, which is a fraction of what is required by competing GaAs switches. The PE42542 has a high linearity of 58 dBm IIP3 and 118 dBm IIP2, a fast switching time of 3 microseconds and a high ESD rating of 3.5 kV HBM, 150V MM and 500V CDM on all pins. Its fast settling time of 7 microseconds eliminates gate lag in test-and-measurement equipment. The PE42543 has a high linearity of 59 dBm IIP3 and 113 dBm IIP2, a fast switching time of 500 ns, a fast settling time of 2 microseconds and a high ESD rating of 2.5 kV HBM, 150V MM and 250V CDM on all pins. Samples, evaluation kits and volume-production parts are available now. Offered in a RoHS compliant, 29-lead 4x4 mm LGA package, the PE42542 and PE42543 are each $18.15 for 10K-quantity orders. View the press kit for images and datasheets.

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 (NASDAQ: 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
[email protected]

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SOURCE Peregrine Semiconductor