Keywords: CDMA, IS-95-based CDMA, PDC, personal digital cellular, TDMA, Time Division Multiple Access, PA, RF, power amplifier, adjacent-channel power ratio, ACPR Related Parts
REFERENCE DESIGN 1088
INCLUDES: Tested Circuit Schematic BOM Board Available
Abstract: This reference design (RD) shows how a CDMA PA, the MAX2265, provides -45dBc ACPR at +28.5dBm. Low-cost cellular CDMA power amplifier has good linearity and power-added efficiency for U.S. cellular-band IS-95-based CDMA, PDC, and IS-136-based TDMA modulation formats. Schematics and performance data are shown.
Rapid Engineering Prototypes are real circuits that Maxim application engineers have built and measured in our labs. They can provide a starting point for new RF designs. They are not available as Evaluation Kits.
Objective: For this low-cost CDMA cellular PA, to develop an application circuit that offers good linearity with good power-added efficiency (PAE).
The project requirement was to tune the MAX2265 RF power amplifier in a cellular-band CDMA handset to meet 28.5dBm power output with -45dBc ACPR1 and 34% PAE. The EV board was used initially for the tuning and the tests.
The MAX2265 linear RF power amplifier is designed for U.S. cellular-band IS-95-based CDMA, PDC, and IS-136-based TDMA modulation formats. To improve its PAE, the MAX2265 offers a continuous-bias-current throttle-back arrangement. In this way, the amplifier linearity (that is, the adjacent-channel power ratio, or ACPR) is held relatively constant, whereas both the output power and the current drain are reduced. Thus, the desired linearity can be maintained, while improving low-output PAE, over a continuously variable output control range.
Tested Circuit 
