RF switch from Peregrine optimizes performance of broadband cable systems

SAN DIEGO, USA: Peregrine Semiconductor Corp. announced the availability of the PE42720 75-Ohm RF switch for broadband cable systems.

Manufactured on Peregrine's UltraCMOS® technology, the HaRP-enhanced single-pole, double-throw (SPDT) switch features high linearity, leading isolation performance and excellent video feedthrough - a combination that is ideal for supporting higher data rates in cable modem termination systems (CMTS), multi-service headends, cable television (CATV) optical transceivers, fiber hubs, optical network terminals, and CATV amplifier modules.

Optimized for high linearity and isolation performance, the PE42720 supports increasing data rates as required by the industry transition to DOCSIS 3.1. High linearity minimizes distortion in the cable network to support new modulation schemes such as 4096-QAM, while the ability to support high isolation between RF ports minimizes unwanted signal interference.

This combination is critical as DOCSIS 3.1 relies on orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) to improve spectral efficiency, allowing a 50 percent increase in data rates up to 10Gb/s downstream and 1Gb/s upstream.