- MaxLinear and NI (formerly National) Instruments)announced the integration of MaxLinear’s dual-band RF power amplifier (PA) linearization algorithms into NI’s RFIC test software.
- This integration empowers validation of new wideband, cellular infrastructure PA designs leading to increased power efficiency and lower non-linear effects.
NI’s RF testbench coupled with MaxLinear’s linearization IP gives design validation engineers a streamlined test and measurement approach, providing ACLR reduction, EVM improvements, and power efficiency advantages.
The rollout of 5G networks has triggered a rapid increase in deployed multi-band radios requiring support for contiguous and non-contiguous wideband carrier aggregation configurations. These new RF front-end designs share a single, high-bandwidth PA and signal path, resulting in significant cost and size savings. However, to achieve maximum energy efficiency, engineers need to drive these wideband PAs into non-linear operation and understand how to minimize the undesired effects of RF energy leaking into adjacent channels.
To address this challenge, NI’s RFIC test software integrates MaxLinear’s wideband linearization techniques with the latest DC, Digital, Analog, and RF PXI instrumentation, enabling consolidated, more efficient, single transmit radio chain architectures while minimizing leakage into adjacent channels.
