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For price, delivery and to place orders: Hittite Microwave Corporation, 20 Alpha Road, Chelmsford, MA 01824
Phone: 978-250-3343 Fax: 978-250-3373 Order On-line at www.hittite.com
Application Support: Phone: 978-250-3343 or apps@hittite.com
ATTENUATORS - DIGITAL - SMT
8
8 - 1
HMC792LP4E
0.25 dB LSB GaAs MMIC 6-BIT
DIGITAL ATTENUATOR, DC - 6 GHz
v00.0609
Functional Diagram
Electrical Specications, TA = +25° C, Vctl = 0/+Vdd
The HMC792LP4E is a broadband 6-bit GaAs IC
Digital Attenuator in a low cost leadless SMT package.
This versatile digital attenuator incorporates off-chip
AC ground capacitors for near DC operation, making
it suitable for a wide variety of RF and IF applications.
The dual mode control interface is CMOS/TTL com-
patible, and accepts either a three wire serial input or
a 6 bit parallel word. The HMC792LP4E also features
a user selectable power up state and a serial output
port for cascading other Hittite serial controlled
components. The HMC792LP4E is housed in a
RoHS compliant 4x4 mm QFN leadless package, and
requires no external matching components.
Parameter Frequency (GHz) Min. Typ. Max. Min. Typ. Max. Units
Vdd = +3V Vdd = +5V
Insertion Loss DC - 3.0 GHz
3.0 - 6.0 GHz
1.8
3.3
2.4
5.0
1.8
3.3
2.4
5.0
dB
dB
Attenuation Range DC - 6.0 GHz 15.75 15.75 dB
Return Loss (RF1, RF2, All Atten. States) DC - 6.0 GHz 17 17 dB
Attenuation Accuracy: (Referenced to Insertion Loss)
All Attenuation States
DC - 0.8 GHz
0.8 - 3.0 GHz
3.0 - 4.0 GHz
4.0 - 6.0 GHz
± (0.2 + 4% of Atten. Setting) Max.
± (0.2 + 3% of Atten. Setting) Max.
± (0.2 + 5% of Atten. Setting) Max.
± (0.2 + 6% of Atten. Setting) Max.
dB
dB
dB
dB
Input Power for 0.1 dB Compression 0.05 - 0.15 GHz
0.15 - 6.0 GHz
22
27
22
30
dBm
dBm
Input Third Order Intercept Point
(Two-Tone Input Power= 10 dBm Each Tone) DC - 6.0 GHz 55 55 dBm
Switching Characteristics
tRISE, tFALL (10/90% RF)
tON, tOFF (50% CTL to 10/90% RF)
DC - 6.0 GHz
110
150
110
150
ns
ns
Supply Current DC - 6.0 GHz 1.4 1.6 mA
Typical Applications Features
General Description
The HMC792LP4E is ideal for:
• Cellular/3G Infrastructure
• WiBro / WiMAX / 4G
• Microwave Radio & VSAT
• Test Equipment and Sensors
• IF & RF Applications
0.25 dB LSB Steps to 15.75 dB
Power-Up State Selection
High Input IP3: +55 dBm
Low Insertion Loss: 1.8 dB @ 2.0 GHz
TTL/CMOS Compatible, Serial, Parallel
or Latched Parallel Control
±0.2 dB Typical Step Error
Single +3V or +5V Supply
24 Lead 4x4mm SMT Package: 16mm2
For price, delivery and to place orders: Hittite Microwave Corporation, 20 Alpha Road, Chelmsford, MA 01824
Phone: 978-250-3343 Fax: 978-250-3373 Order On-line at www.hittite.com
Application Support: Phone: 978-250-3343 or apps@hittite.com
ATTENUATORS - DIGITAL - SMT
8
8 - 2
Output Return Loss [1]
(Only Major States are Shown)
Input Return Loss [1]
(Only Major States are Shown)
Normalized Attenuation [1]
(Only Major States are Shown)
Insertion Loss vs. Temperature [1]
[1] Data taken with broadband DC blocks on RF ports, Vdd = 5V
[2] Data taken with ACG capacitors, C4, C5 & C6 removed. See application circuit and note.
Bit Error vs. Attenuation State Bit Error vs. Attenuation State [2]
HMC792LP4E
v00.0609
0.25 dB LSB GaAs MMIC 6-BIT
DIGITAL ATTENUATOR, DC - 6 GHz
-5
-4
-3
-2
-1
0
0123456
+25 C
+85 C
-40 C
INSERTION LOSS (dB)
FREQUENCY (GHz)
-40
-35
-30
-25
-20
-15
-10
-5
0
0123456
RETURN LOSS (dB)
FREQUENCY (GHz)
-1
-0.8
-0.6
-0.4
-0.2
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
0 4 8 12 16
BIT ERROR (dB)
ATTENUATION STATE (dB)
6 GHz
1GHz, 2GHz 100MHz, 4GHz
-1
-0.8
-0.6
-0.4
-0.2
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
0 4 8 12 16
BIT ERROR (dB)
ATTENUATION STATE (dB)
6GHz
4GHz
2GHz
900MHz
-20
-15
-10
-5
0
0123456
NORMALIZED ATTENUATION (dB)
FREQUENCY (GHz)
-40
-35
-30
-25
-20
-15
-10
-5
0
0123456
RETURN LOSS (dB)
FREQUENCY (GHz)
For price, delivery and to place orders: Hittite Microwave Corporation, 20 Alpha Road, Chelmsford, MA 01824
Phone: 978-250-3343 Fax: 978-250-3373 Order On-line at www.hittite.com
Application Support: Phone: 978-250-3343 or apps@hittite.com
ATTENUATORS - DIGITAL - SMT
8
8 - 3
Worst Case Step Error Between Successive
Attenuation States (Only Major States are Shown)
Input IP3 vs. Temperature (Worst Case Major
Bit State at Each Frequency is Shown)
Input Power for 0.1dB Compression @
Vdd = 5V (Detail of Low Frequency Roll-Off)
Input Power for 0.1dB Compression @
Vdd = 3V (Detail of Low Frequency Roll-Off)
HMC792LP4E
v00.0609
0.25 dB LSB GaAs MMIC 6-BIT
DIGITAL ATTENUATOR, DC - 6 GHz
-1
-0.8
-0.6
-0.4
-0.2
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
0123456
STEP ERROR (dB)
FREQUENCY (GHz)
30
35
40
45
50
55
60
65
70
0123456
+25 C
+85 C
-40 C
IP3 (dBm)
FREQUENCY (GHz)
20
22
24
26
28
30
32
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1
P0.1dB (dBm)
FREQUENCY (GHz)
20
22
24
26
28
30
32
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1
P0.1dB (dBm)
FREQUENCY (GHz)
Bit Error vs. Frequency [2]
(Only Major States are Shown)
Bit Error vs. Frequency
(Only Major States are Shown)
-2
-1.5
-1
-0.5
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
0123456
BIT ERROR (dB)
FREQUENCY (GHz)
15.75 dB
-2
-1.5
-1
-0.5
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
0123456
BIT ERROR (dB)
FREQUENCY (GHz)
15.75 dB
For price, delivery and to place orders: Hittite Microwave Corporation, 20 Alpha Road, Chelmsford, MA 01824
Phone: 978-250-3343 Fax: 978-250-3373 Order On-line at www.hittite.com
Application Support: Phone: 978-250-3343 or apps@hittite.com
ATTENUATORS - DIGITAL - SMT
8
8 - 4
HMC792LP4E
v00.0609
0.25 dB LSB GaAs MMIC 6-BIT
DIGITAL ATTENUATOR, DC - 6 GHz
Serial Control Interface
The HMC792LP4E contains a 3-wire SPI compatible digital interface (SERIN, CLK, LE). The serial control interface
is activated when P/S is kept high. The 6-bit serial word must be loaded MSB rst. The positive-edge sensitive CLK
and LE requires clean transitions. If mechanical switches are used, sufficient debouncing should be provided. When
LE is high, 6-bit data in the serial input register is transferred to the attenuator. When LE is high CLK is masked to
prevent data transition during output loading.
When P/S is low, 3-wire SPI interface inputs (SERIN, CLK, LE) are disabled and the input register is loaded with
parallel digital inputs (D0-D5). When LE is high, 6-bit parallel data changes the state of the part per truth table.
For all modes of operations, the attenuation state will stay constant while LE is kept low.
For price, delivery and to place orders: Hittite Microwave Corporation, 20 Alpha Road, Chelmsford, MA 01824
Phone: 978-250-3343 Fax: 978-250-3373 Order On-line at www.hittite.com
Application Support: Phone: 978-250-3343 or apps@hittite.com
ATTENUATORS - DIGITAL - SMT
8
8 - 5
HMC792LP4E
v00.0609
0.25 dB LSB GaAs MMIC 6-BIT
DIGITAL ATTENUATOR, DC - 6 GHz
PUP Truth TablePower-Up States
Control Voltage Input Reference
Insertion
Loss
D5 D4 D3 D2 D1 D0
High High High High High High 0 dB
High High High High High Low -0.25 dB
High High High High Low High -0.5 dB
High High High Low High High -1 dB
High High Low High High High -2 dB
High Low High High High High -4 dB
Low High High High High High -8 dB
Low Low Low Low Low Low -15.75 dB
Any combination of the above states will provide an attenuation
equal to the sum of the bits selected.
Truth Table
Control Voltage Table
Timing Diagram (Latched Parallel Mode)
Parallel Mode
(Direct Parallel Mode & Latched Parallel Mode)
Note: The parallel mode is enabled when P/S is set to low.
Direct Parallel Mode - The attenuation state is changed by the control voltage inputs D0-D5 directly. The LE (Latch
Enable) must be at a logic high at all times to control the attenuator in this manner.
Latched Parallel Mode - The attenuation state is selected using the control voltage inputs D0-D5 and set while the
LE is in the Low state. The attenuator will not change state while LE is Low. Once all Control Voltage Inputs are at the
desired states the LE is pulsed. See timing diagram above for reference.
LE PUP1 PUP2 Relative Attenuation
0 0 0 -15.75
0 1 0 -12
0 0 1 -8
0 1 1 Insertion Loss
1 X X 0 to -15.75 dB
Note: The logic state of D0 - D5 determines the
power-up state per truth table shown below when LE
is high at power-up.
If LE is set to logic LOW at power-up, the logic state of
PUP1 and PUP2 determines the power-up state of the
part per PUP truth table. If the LE is set to logic HIGH
at power-up, the logic state of D0-D5 determines
the power-up state of the part per truth table. The
attenuator latches in the desired power-up state
approximately 200 ms after power-up.
Power-On Sequence
The ideal power-up sequence is: GND, Vdd, digital
inputs, RF inputs. The relative order of the digital
inputs are not important as long as they are powered
after Vdd / GND
Parameter Typ.
Min. serial period, tSCK 100 ns
Control set-up time, tCS 20 ns
Control hold-time, tCH 20 ns
LE setup-time, tLN 10 ns
Min. LE pulse width, tLEW 10 ns
Min LE pulse spacing, tLES 630 ns
Serial clock hold-time from LE, tCKN 10 ns
Hold Time, tPH. 0 ns
Latch Enable Minimum Width, tLEN 10 ns
Setup Time, tPS 2 ns
State Vdd = +3V Vdd = +5V
Low 0 to 0.5V @ <1 µA 0 to 0.8V @ <1 µA
High 2 to 3V @ <1 µA 2 to 5V @ <1 µA
For price, delivery and to place orders: Hittite Microwave Corporation, 20 Alpha Road, Chelmsford, MA 01824
Phone: 978-250-3343 Fax: 978-250-3373 Order On-line at www.hittite.com
Application Support: Phone: 978-250-3343 or apps@hittite.com
ATTENUATORS - DIGITAL - SMT
8
8 - 6
HMC792LP4E
v00.0609
0.25 dB LSB GaAs MMIC 6-BIT
DIGITAL ATTENUATOR, DC - 6 GHz
Absolute Maximum Ratings
RF Input Power (DC - 6 GHz) +30 dBm
Digital Inputs (D0 to D5, P/S, CLK,
SERIN, LE, PUP1, PUP2) -0.5 to Vdd +0.5
Bias Voltage (Vdd) 5.6V
Channel Temperature 150 °C
Continuous Pdiss (T = 85 °C)
(derate 11.5 mW/°C above 85 °C) [1] 0.748 W
Thermal Resistance
(Channel to package bottom) 87 °C/W
Storage Temperature -65 to +150 °C
Operating Temperature -40 to +85 °C
ELECTROSTATIC SENSITIVE DEVICE
OBSERVE HANDLING PRECAUTIONS
Outline Drawing
NOTES:
1. LEADFRAME MATERIAL: COPPER ALLOY
2. DIMENSIONS ARE IN INCHES [MILLIMETERS]
3. LEAD SPACING TOLERANCE IS NON-CUMULATIVE.
4. PAD BURR LENGTH SHALL BE 0.15mm MAXIMUM.
PAD BURR HEIGHT SHALL BE 0.05mm MAXIMUM.
5. PACKAGE WARP SHALL NOT EXCEED 0.05mm.
6. ALL GROUND LEADS AND GROUND PADDLE MUST BE
SOLDERED TO PCB RF GROUND.
7. REFER TO HITTITE APPLICATION NOTE FOR SUGGESTED
LAND PATTERN.
Part Number Package Body Material Lead Finish MSL Rating Package Marking [1]
HMC792LP4E RoHS-compliant Low Stress Injection Molded Plastic 100% matte Sn MSL1 [2] H792
XXXX
[1] 4-Digit lot number XXXX
[2] Max peak reow temperature of 260 °C
Package Information
For price, delivery and to place orders: Hittite Microwave Corporation, 20 Alpha Road, Chelmsford, MA 01824
Phone: 978-250-3343 Fax: 978-250-3373 Order On-line at www.hittite.com
Application Support: Phone: 978-250-3343 or apps@hittite.com
ATTENUATORS - DIGITAL - SMT
8
8 - 7
HMC792LP4E
v00.0609
0.25 dB LSB GaAs MMIC 6-BIT
DIGITAL ATTENUATOR, DC - 6 GHz
Pin Number Function Description Interface Schematic
1 P/S
See truth table, control voltage
table and timing diagram.
2 CLK
3 SERIN
4 LE
5, 14 GND These pins and package bottom
must be connected to RF/DC ground.
6, 13 RF1, RF2
These pins are DC coupled and matched to 50 Ohms.
Blocking capacitors are required. Select value based
on lowest frequency of operation.
7 - 12 ACG1 - ACG6
External capacitors to ground is required. Select value for
lowest frequency of operation. Place capacitor as close to
pins as possible.
15 SEROUT Serial input data delayed by 6 clock cycles.
16, 17
19 - 24
PUP2, PUP1
D5, D4, D3,
D2, D1, D0
See truth table, control voltage
table and timing diagram.
18 Vdd Supply voltage
Pin Descriptions
For price, delivery and to place orders: Hittite Microwave Corporation, 20 Alpha Road, Chelmsford, MA 01824
Phone: 978-250-3343 Fax: 978-250-3373 Order On-line at www.hittite.com
Application Support: Phone: 978-250-3343 or apps@hittite.com
ATTENUATORS - DIGITAL - SMT
8
8 - 8
Application Circuit
For frequencies less than 700 MHz, the use of ACG capacitors C4, C5 and C6 is recommended. For frequencies
greater than 700 MHz, the HMC792LP4E has similar performance with and without the ACG capacitors.
HMC792LP4E
v00.0609
0.25 dB LSB GaAs MMIC 6-BIT
DIGITAL ATTENUATOR, DC - 6 GHz
For price, delivery and to place orders: Hittite Microwave Corporation, 20 Alpha Road, Chelmsford, MA 01824
Phone: 978-250-3343 Fax: 978-250-3373 Order On-line at www.hittite.com
Application Support: Phone: 978-250-3343 or apps@hittite.com
ATTENUATORS - DIGITAL - SMT
8
8 - 9
Evaluation PCB
The circuit board used in the nal application
should use RF circuit design techniques. Signal
lines should have 50 Ohm impedance while the
package ground leads and exposed paddle should
be connected directly to the ground plane similar
to that shown. A sufficient number of via holes
should be used to connect the top and bottom
ground planes. The evaluation circuit board shown
is available from Hittite upon request.
List of Materials for Evaluation PCB 118853 [1]
Item Description
J1, J2 PCB Mount SMA Connector
J3 18 Pin DC Connector
J4 DC Pin
C1, C2 100 pF Capacitor, 0402 Pkg.
C3 1000 pF Capacitor, 0402 Pkg.
C4 - C6 330 pF Capacitor, 0402 Pkg.
U1 HMC792LP4E Digital Attenuator
PCB [2] 118852 Evaluation PCB
[1] Reference this number when ordering complete evaluation PCB
[2] Circuit Board Material: Arlon 25FR or Rogers 4350
HMC792LP4E
v00.0609
0.25 dB LSB GaAs MMIC 6-BIT
DIGITAL ATTENUATOR, DC - 6 GHz
For price, delivery and to place orders: Hittite Microwave Corporation, 20 Alpha Road, Chelmsford, MA 01824
Phone: 978-250-3343 Fax: 978-250-3373 Order On-line at www.hittite.com
Application Support: Phone: 978-250-3343 or apps@hittite.com
ATTENUATORS - DIGITAL - SMT
8
8 - 10
Notes:
HMC792LP4E
v00.0609
0.25 dB LSB GaAs MMIC 6-BIT
DIGITAL ATTENUATOR, DC - 6 GHz
