HMC792LP4E v00.0609 0.25 dB LSB GaAs MMIC 6-BIT DIGITAL ATTENUATOR, DC - 6 GHz 8 Typical Applications Features The HMC792LP4E is ideal for: 0.25 dB LSB Steps to 15.75 dB T M • Cellular/3G Infrastructure Power-Up State Selection S • WiBro / WiMAX / 4G High Input IP3: +55 dBm - • Microwave Radio & VSAT Low Insertion Loss: 1.8 dB @ 2.0 GHz L TTL/CMOS Compatible, Serial, Parallel • Test Equipment and Sensors A or Latched Parallel Control T • IF & RF Applications ±0.2 dB Typical Step Error I G Single +3V or +5V Supply I D 24 Lead 4x4mm SMT Package: 16mm2 - Functional Diagram General Description S R The HMC792LP4E is a broadband 6-bit GaAs IC O Digital Attenuator in a low cost leadless SMT package. T This versatile digital attenuator incorporates off-chip A AC ground capacitors for near DC operation, making U it suitable for a wide variety of RF and IF applications. N The dual mode control interface is CMOS/TTL com- E T patible, and accepts either a three wire serial input or T a 6 bit parallel word. The HMC792LP4E also features A a user selectable power up state and a serial output port for cascading other Hittite serial controlled components. The HMC792LP4E is housed in a RoHS compliant 4x4 mm QFN leadless package, and requires no external matching components. Electrical Specifications, T = +25° C, Vctl = 0/+Vdd A Min. Typ. Max. Min. Typ. Max. Parameter Frequency (GHz) Units Vdd = +3V Vdd = +5V DC - 3.0 GHz 1.8 2.4 1.8 2.4 dB Insertion Loss 3.0 - 6.0 GHz 3.3 5.0 3.3 5.0 dB Attenuation Range DC - 6.0 GHz 15.75 15.75 dB Return Loss (RF1, RF2, All Atten. States) DC - 6.0 GHz 17 17 dB DC - 0.8 GHz ± (0.2 + 4% of Atten. Setting) Max. dB Attenuation Accuracy: (Referenced to Insertion Loss) 0.8 - 3.0 GHz ± (0.2 + 3% of Atten. Setting) Max. dB All Attenuation States 3.0 - 4.0 GHz ± (0.2 + 5% of Atten. Setting) Max. dB 4.0 - 6.0 GHz ± (0.2 + 6% of Atten. Setting) Max. dB 0.05 - 0.15 GHz 22 22 dBm Input Power for 0.1 dB Compression 0.15 - 6.0 GHz 27 30 dBm Input Third Order Intercept Point DC - 6.0 GHz 55 55 dBm (Two-Tone Input Power= 10 dBm Each Tone) Switching Characteristics DC - 6.0 GHz tRISE, tFALL (10/90% RF) 110 110 ns tON, tOFF (50% CTL to 10/90% RF) 150 150 ns Supply Current DC - 6.0 GHz 1.4 1.6 mA For price, delivery and to place orders: Hittite Microwave Corporation, 20 Alpha Road, Chelmsford, MA 01824 8 - 1 Phone: 978-250-3343 Fax: 978-250-3373 Order On-line at www.hittite.com Application Support: Phone: 978-250-3343 or apps@hittite.com

HMC792LP4E v00.0609 0.25 dB LSB GaAs MMIC 6-BIT DIGITAL ATTENUATOR, DC - 6 GHz 8 Normalized Attenuation [1] Insertion Loss vs. Temperature [1] (Only Major States are Shown) 0 0 B) T -1 N (d M B) O -5 ON LOSS (d -2 ATTENUATI-10 L - S TI -3 D A R E SE LIZ T IN -4 ++2855 CC RMA-15 GI -40 C O N I -5 -20 D 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 - FREQUENCY (GHz) FREQUENCY (GHz) S R Input Return Loss [1] Output Return Loss [1] O (Only Major States are Shown) (Only Major States are Shown) T A 0 0 U -5 -5 N B)-10 B)-10 E d d S (-15 S (-15 T S S O O T N L-20 N L-20 A R R U-25 U-25 T T E E R R -30 -30 -35 -35 -40 -40 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 FREQUENCY (GHz) FREQUENCY (GHz) Bit Error vs. Attenuation State Bit Error vs. Attenuation State [2] 1 1 6 GHz 6GHz 0.8 0.8 4GHz 0.6 0.6 B) 0.4 B) 0.4 d d R ( 0.2 R ( 0.2 O O R 0 R 0 R R T E-0.2 T E-0.2 BI-0.4 BI-0.4 2GHz 1GHz, 2GHz 100MHz, 4GHz 900MHz -0.6 -0.6 -0.8 -0.8 -1 -1 0 4 8 12 16 0 4 8 12 16 ATTENUATION STATE (dB) ATTENUATION STATE (dB) [1] Data taken with broadband DC blocks on RF ports, Vdd = 5V [2] Data taken with ACG capacitors, C4, C5 & C6 removed. See application circuit and note. For price, delivery and to place orders: Hittite Microwave Corporation, 20 Alpha Road, Chelmsford, MA 01824 Phone: 978-250-3343 Fax: 978-250-3373 Order On-line at www.hittite.com 8 - 2 Application Support: Phone: 978-250-3343 or apps@hittite.com

HMC792LP4E v00.0609 0.25 dB LSB GaAs MMIC 6-BIT DIGITAL ATTENUATOR, DC - 6 GHz 8 Bit Error vs. Frequency Bit Error vs. Frequency [2] (Only Major States are Shown) (Only Major States are Shown) 2 2 T 1.5 1.5 M 15.75 dB 15.75 dB 1 1 S B) B) - R (d 0.5 R (d 0.5 L RRO 0 RRO 0 A T E-0.5 T E-0.5 T BI BI -1 -1 I G -1.5 -1.5 I D -2 -2 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 - FREQUENCY (GHz) FREQUENCY (GHz) S R O Worst Case Step Error Between Successive Input IP3 vs. Temperature (Worst Case Major T Attenuation States (Only Major States are Shown) Bit State at Each Frequency is Shown) A 1 70 U 0.8 65 N 0.6 E B) 0.4 60 T R (d 0.2 m) 55 AT ERRO 0 3 (dB 50 STEP --00..42 IP 45 ++2855 CC 40 -40 C -0.6 35 -0.8 -1 30 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 FREQUENCY (GHz) FREQUENCY (GHz) Input Power for 0.1dB Compression @ Input Power for 0.1dB Compression @ Vdd = 3V (Detail of Low Frequency Roll-Off) Vdd = 5V (Detail of Low Frequency Roll-Off) 32 32 30 30 m) 28 m) 28 B B d d B ( 26 B ( 26 d d 1 1 0. 0. P 24 P 24 22 22 20 20 0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1 0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1 FREQUENCY (GHz) FREQUENCY (GHz) For price, delivery and to place orders: Hittite Microwave Corporation, 20 Alpha Road, Chelmsford, MA 01824 8 - 3 Phone: 978-250-3343 Fax: 978-250-3373 Order On-line at www.hittite.com Application Support: Phone: 978-250-3343 or apps@hittite.com

HMC792LP4E v00.0609 0.25 dB LSB GaAs MMIC 6-BIT DIGITAL ATTENUATOR, DC - 6 GHz 8 Serial Control Interface The HMC792LP4E contains a 3-wire SPI compatible digital interface (SERIN, CLK, LE). The serial control interface is activated when P/S is kept high. The 6-bit serial word must be loaded MSB first. The positive-edge sensitive CLK T M and LE requires clean transitions. If mechanical switches are used, sufficient debouncing should be provided. When LE is high, 6-bit data in the serial input register is transferred to the attenuator. When LE is high CLK is masked to S prevent data transition during output loading. - L When P/S is low, 3-wire SPI interface inputs (SERIN, CLK, LE) are disabled and the input register is loaded with A parallel digital inputs (D0-D5). When LE is high, 6-bit parallel data changes the state of the part per truth table. T I For all modes of operations, the attenuation state will stay constant while LE is kept low. G I D - S R O T A U N E T T A For price, delivery and to place orders: Hittite Microwave Corporation, 20 Alpha Road, Chelmsford, MA 01824 Phone: 978-250-3343 Fax: 978-250-3373 Order On-line at www.hittite.com 8 - 4 Application Support: Phone: 978-250-3343 or apps@hittite.com

HMC792LP4E v00.0609 0.25 dB LSB GaAs MMIC 6-BIT DIGITAL ATTENUATOR, DC - 6 GHz 8 Timing Diagram (Latched Parallel Mode) Parameter Typ. T Min. serial period, t 100 ns M SCK Control set-up time, t 20 ns S CS Control hold-time, t 20 ns CH - LE setup-time, t 10 ns LN L Min. LE pulse width, t 10 ns A LEW T Min LE pulse spacing, tLES 630 ns I Serial clock hold-time from LE, t 10 ns G CKN Hold Time, t 0 ns I PH. D Parallel Mode Latch Enable Minimum Width, tLEN 10 ns - (Direct Parallel Mode & Latched Parallel Mode) Setup Time, tPS 2 ns S Note: The parallel mode is enabled when P/S is set to low. R O Direct Parallel Mode - The attenuation state is changed by the control voltage inputs D0-D5 directly. The LE (Latch T Enable) must be at a logic high at all times to control the attenuator in this manner. A Latched Parallel Mode - The attenuation state is selected using the control voltage inputs D0-D5 and set while the U LE is in the Low state. The attenuator will not change state while LE is Low. Once all Control Voltage Inputs are at the N desired states the LE is pulsed. See timing diagram above for reference. E T Power-Up States PUP Truth Table T A If LE is set to logic LOW at power-up, the logic state of LE PUP1 PUP2 Relative Attenuation PUP1 and PUP2 determines the power-up state of the 0 0 0 -15.75 part per PUP truth table. If the LE is set to logic HIGH 0 1 0 -12 at power-up, the logic state of D0-D5 determines 0 0 1 -8 the power-up state of the part per truth table. The 0 1 1 Insertion Loss attenuator latches in the desired power-up state 1 X X 0 to -15.75 dB approximately 200 ms after power-up. Note: The logic state of D0 - D5 determines the power-up state per truth table shown below when LE Power-On Sequence is high at power-up. The ideal power-up sequence is: GND, Vdd, digital inputs, RF inputs. The relative order of the digital Truth Table inputs are not important as long as they are powered after Vdd / GND Control Voltage Input Reference Insertion Control Voltage Table D5 D4 D3 D2 D1 D0 Loss High High High High High High 0 dB State Vdd = +3V Vdd = +5V High High High High High Low -0.25 dB Low 0 to 0.5V @ <1 µA 0 to 0.8V @ <1 µA High High High High Low High -0.5 dB High 2 to 3V @ <1 µA 2 to 5V @ <1 µA High High High Low High High -1 dB High High Low High High High -2 dB High Low High High High High -4 dB Low High High High High High -8 dB Low Low Low Low Low Low -15.75 dB Any combination of the above states will provide an attenuation equal to the sum of the bits selected. For price, delivery and to place orders: Hittite Microwave Corporation, 20 Alpha Road, Chelmsford, MA 01824 8 - 5 Phone: 978-250-3343 Fax: 978-250-3373 Order On-line at www.hittite.com Application Support: Phone: 978-250-3343 or apps@hittite.com

HMC792LP4E v00.0609 0.25 dB LSB GaAs MMIC 6-BIT DIGITAL ATTENUATOR, DC - 6 GHz 8 Absolute Maximum Ratings RF Input Power (DC - 6 GHz) +30 dBm ELECTROSTATIC SENSITIVE DEVICE T Digital Inputs (D0 to D5, P/S, CLK, -0.5 to Vdd +0.5 OBSERVE HANDLING PRECAUTIONS M SERIN, LE, PUP1, PUP2) S Bias Voltage (Vdd) 5.6V Channel Temperature 150 °C - L Continuous Pdiss (T = 85 °C) (derate 11.5 mW/°C above 85 °C) [1] 0.748 W A T Thermal Resistance 87 °C/W I (Channel to package bottom) G Storage Temperature -65 to +150 °C I D Operating Temperature -40 to +85 °C - S Outline Drawing R O T A U N E T T A NOTES: 1. LEADFRAME MATERIAL: COPPER ALLOY 2. DIMENSIONS ARE IN INCHES [MILLIMETERS] 3. LEAD SPACING TOLERANCE IS NON-CUMULATIVE. 4. PAD BURR LENGTH SHALL BE 0.15mm MAXIMUM. PAD BURR HEIGHT SHALL BE 0.05mm MAXIMUM. 5. PACKAGE WARP SHALL NOT EXCEED 0.05mm. 6. ALL GROUND LEADS AND GROUND PADDLE MUST BE SOLDERED TO PCB RF GROUND. 7. REFER TO HITTITE APPLICATION NOTE FOR SUGGESTED LAND PATTERN. Package Information Part Number Package Body Material Lead Finish MSL Rating Package Marking [1] HMC792LP4E RoHS-compliant Low Stress Injection Molded Plastic 100% matte Sn MSL1 [2] H792 XXXX [1] 4-Digit lot number XXXX [2] Max peak reflow temperature of 260 °C For price, delivery and to place orders: Hittite Microwave Corporation, 20 Alpha Road, Chelmsford, MA 01824 Phone: 978-250-3343 Fax: 978-250-3373 Order On-line at www.hittite.com 8 - 6 Application Support: Phone: 978-250-3343 or apps@hittite.com

HMC792LP4E v00.0609 0.25 dB LSB GaAs MMIC 6-BIT DIGITAL ATTENUATOR, DC - 6 GHz 8 Pin Descriptions Pin Number Function Description Interface Schematic T M 1 P/S S - L 2 CLK A See truth table, control voltage T table and timing diagram. I G 3 SERIN I D - 4 LE S R O 5, 14 GND These pins and package bottom must be connected to RF/DC ground. T A These pins are DC coupled and matched to 50 Ohms. U 6, 13 RF1, RF2 Blocking capacitors are required. Select value based N on lowest frequency of operation. E External capacitors to ground is required. Select value for T 7 - 12 ACG1 - ACG6 lowest frequency of operation. Place capacitor as close to pins as possible. T A 15 SEROUT Serial input data delayed by 6 clock cycles. 16, 17 PUP2, PUP1 See truth table, control voltage table and timing diagram. 19 - 24 D5, D4, D3, D2, D1, D0 18 Vdd Supply voltage For price, delivery and to place orders: Hittite Microwave Corporation, 20 Alpha Road, Chelmsford, MA 01824 8 - 7 Phone: 978-250-3343 Fax: 978-250-3373 Order On-line at www.hittite.com Application Support: Phone: 978-250-3343 or apps@hittite.com

HMC792LP4E v00.0609 0.25 dB LSB GaAs MMIC 6-BIT DIGITAL ATTENUATOR, DC - 6 GHz 8 Application Circuit T M S - L A T I G I D - S R O T A U N E T T A For frequencies less than 700 MHz, the use of ACG capacitors C4, C5 and C6 is recommended. For frequencies greater than 700 MHz, the HMC792LP4E has similar performance with and without the ACG capacitors. For price, delivery and to place orders: Hittite Microwave Corporation, 20 Alpha Road, Chelmsford, MA 01824 Phone: 978-250-3343 Fax: 978-250-3373 Order On-line at www.hittite.com 8 - 8 Application Support: Phone: 978-250-3343 or apps@hittite.com

HMC792LP4E v00.0609 0.25 dB LSB GaAs MMIC 6-BIT DIGITAL ATTENUATOR, DC - 6 GHz 8 Evaluation PCB T M S - L A T I G I D - S R O T A U N E T T A List of Materials for Evaluation PCB 118853 [1] The circuit board used in the final application Item Description should use RF circuit design techniques. Signal J1, J2 PCB Mount SMA Connector lines should have 50 Ohm impedance while the J3 18 Pin DC Connector package ground leads and exposed paddle should J4 DC Pin be connected directly to the ground plane similar C1, C2 100 pF Capacitor, 0402 Pkg. to that shown. A sufficient number of via holes C3 1000 pF Capacitor, 0402 Pkg. should be used to connect the top and bottom C4 - C6 330 pF Capacitor, 0402 Pkg. ground planes. The evaluation circuit board shown U1 HMC792LP4E Digital Attenuator is available from Hittite upon request. PCB [2] 118852 Evaluation PCB [1] Reference this number when ordering complete evaluation PCB [2] Circuit Board Material: Arlon 25FR or Rogers 4350 For price, delivery and to place orders: Hittite Microwave Corporation, 20 Alpha Road, Chelmsford, MA 01824 8 - 9 Phone: 978-250-3343 Fax: 978-250-3373 Order On-line at www.hittite.com Application Support: Phone: 978-250-3343 or apps@hittite.com

HMC792LP4E v00.0609 0.25 dB LSB GaAs MMIC 6-BIT DIGITAL ATTENUATOR, DC - 6 GHz 8 Notes: T M S - L A T I G I D - S R O T A U N E T T A For price, delivery and to place orders: Hittite Microwave Corporation, 20 Alpha Road, Chelmsford, MA 01824 Phone: 978-250-3343 Fax: 978-250-3373 Order On-line at www.hittite.com 8 - 10 Application Support: Phone: 978-250-3343 or apps@hittite.com