The MAX2374 silicon-germanium (SiGe), switchable-gain, variable-linearity, low-noise amplifier (LNA) is designed for cellular-band, code-division multiple-access (CDMA). It can be used for applications such as TDMA and PDC or wherever high dynamic range and low noise are required. This LNA provides a high intermodulation intercept point (IIP3), which is adjustable to meet specific system requirements by selecting an appropriate external resistor. To achieve high gain and low noise, the LNA is packaged in a tiny ultra-chip-scale package (UCSP™) with six solder bumps. The LNA operates from a +2.7V to +5.5V single supply and consumes just 8.5mA while achieving a +6.2dBm input IIP3. Supply current reduces to less than 1µA in shutdown mode.
The MAX2374 provides two gain modes. High-gain mode optimizes system sensitivity, while low-gain mode optimizes system linearity.