TRF1015

The Texas Instruments (TI) TRF1015 is a single-chip RF downconverter suitable for 900-MHz receiver applications. It combines a low-noise amplifier (LNA), a buffered voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO), and an RF mixer into a 20-pin SSOP package requiring very few external components.

Minimal power consumption of TRF1015 can be further reduced by placing the required modules into operate mode and the remaining modules into standby mode.

Three modes of operation of TRF1015 are provided for both the LNA and the mixer: standby, low current, and improved compression. The improved compression mode is suitable for applications that require full duplex capability. The improved compression mode of TRF1015 is suitable for maintaining receiver sensitivity in the presence of large interfering signals and provides a low bit-error rate (BER) in digital modulation systems. The three modes of operation are selectable in accordance with the presence of a high or low signal on PD1 and PD2, as shown in Table 1.

The LNA TRF1015 has a gain of 13 dB and a noise figure of 2.2 dB. LNA input and output characteristic impedances are 50 Ω. The single balanced RF mixer has a gain of 9 dB with a single-sideband (SSB) noise figure of 10 dB. The VCO has a typical tuning range of 25 MHz using an external varactor and resonator. The VCO gain and tuning range of TRF1015 can be adjusted to meet the phase-locked loop (PLL) design requirement, with an external shunt and feedback capacitors in series with the resonator. A buffered output of the VCO provides phase locking capability and can be configured for single-ended or differential operation.

The TRF1015 is offered in the 20-pin SSOP (DB) package and is characterized for operation from 40°C to 85°C free-air temperature.