STMicroelectronics Antenna Tuner Supports MIPI Alliance RF Front-End Standard

By Doug Lung
published

As wireless broadband consumes ever larger amounts of spectrum, engineers are looking for antenna designs capable of working over a wide range of frequencies. One approach is to use tuned antennas. The MIPI Alliance RF Front End (RFFE) is an emerging industry standard designed to simplify cellular radio design.

The STMicroelectronics STHVDAC-304MF3 has a four channel output for adjusting up to four tunable BST capacitors in the antenna-matching circuits of multi-band GSM/WCDMA/3G-LTE smartphones. It is controlled via an RFFE compliant 1.8V interface. A high-voltage digital to analog converter (HVDAC) provides tuning voltages ranging from 2 to 20 volts. Other features include a trigger mode for time critical applications and a shutdown mode allowing longer battery life.

While this device is designed for the cellular bands, it appears it could also be used on UHF and perhaps even VHF TV bands to improve reception on portable devices with limited space for antennas.

Doug Lung
Doug Lung

Doug Lung is one of America's foremost authorities on broadcast RF technology. As vice president of Broadcast Technology for NBCUniversal Local, H. Douglas Lung leads NBC and Telemundo-owned stations’ RF and transmission affairs, including microwave, radars, satellite uplinks, and FCC technical filings. Beginning his career in 1976 at KSCI in Los Angeles, Lung has nearly 50 years of experience in broadcast television engineering. Beginning in 1985, he led the engineering department for what was to become the Telemundo network and station group, assisting in the design, construction and installation of the company’s broadcast and cable facilities. Other projects include work on the launch of Hawaii’s first UHF TV station, the rollout and testing of the ATSC mobile-handheld standard, and software development related to the incentive auction TV spectrum repack.
A longtime columnist for TV Technology, Doug is also a regular contributor to IEEE Broadcast Technology. He is the recipient of the 2023 NAB Television Engineering Award. He also received a Tech Leadership Award from TV Tech publisher Future plc in 2021 and is a member of the IEEE Broadcast Technology Society and the Society of Broadcast Engineers.