Qorvo Design Tools – Go-To Resources for Your Next RF Project
November 2, 2020
The communications market is continuously evolving, creating new and more complex products than ever before. The bulk of realizing these creative and innovative solutions rests on the engineer. Qorvo knows this and is here to help. One of our primary goals is supporting the engineering community – aiding designers in bringing their solutions to market quickly and successfully. To do so, we have created a Design Tools Library. The main purpose of this library of design tools is to equip you with resources to help streamline your design process and improve accuracy. All of our tools are free – some can be used online, while others are downloadable.
The collection of tools is intended for engineers developing applications in mobile, infrastructure and defense markets. By providing these tools online, users can easily switch between applications to access the data needed during critical design stages.
Below is a brief description and link to each of the resources currently offered through the Qorvo Design Tools Library. Our goal is to be a helpful resource for applications engineers seeking to improve their RF design process and provide the necessary information to do so as quickly as possible.
Featured Design Tools
This simple, user-friendly RF/Microwave matching calculator easily matches S1P and S2P files.
Qorvo MatchCalc™ is a free, downloadable RF/microwave matching calculator with ideal tunable passive components. It displays the impedance of the input and output match in a 50-ohm test environment as measured on a network analyzer.
Some of its key features include:
- Displays insertion loss/gain of S1P and S2P files
- Real-time optimization and tuning
- Plot markers
- Snap-shot feature to hold static plots
- On-tool transmission-line calculator
- Return loss plots to all input and output ports
- Ability to create a match report in Word and thru-line function that displays input source impedance and output load.
Modelithics® Qorvo GaN Library
The Modelithics® Qorvo GaN Library contains high-accuracy nonlinear simulation models for Qorvo GaN transistor devices.
Qorvo and Modelithics® collaborate to provide designers with high-accuracy nonlinear simulation models for Qorvo GaN transistor devices. The Modelithics® Qorvo GaN Library was developed using best-in-class measurement and modeling techniques. Modelithics® is well-known for providing highly accurate measurement-based, advanced feature simulation models – offering powerful substrate and part-value scaling capability instrumental in high-frequency design. Modelithics®' model libraries integrate seamlessly with the latest electronic design automation (EDA) simulation tools and with model information data sheets.
3 Carrier Aggregation Maximum Power Reduction Calculator
An uplink carrier aggregation tool that calculates maximum power reduction for three component carriers.
The maximum output power requirements for LTE user equipment is defined by the 3GPP TS 36.521 specifications and contains requirements for both the maximum output power as well as the output power tolerance. This calculator allows you to determine the maximum power reduction for three component carriers.
2 Carrier Aggregation Maximum Power Reduction Calculator
An uplink carrier aggregation tool that calculates maximum power reduction for two component carriers.
Similar to the above, this calculator allows you to determine the maximum power reduction for two component carriers vs three.
Bandpass Filter Response Calculator
View and analyze Butterworth and Chebyshev filter performance using frequency inputs.
This tool helps analyze a Butterworth and Chebyshev filter response using frequency inputs. To use this calculator, simply change the upper and lower frequencies as well as the order. For Chebyshev filter designs, input the ripple in dB. As you move to another input field, the output values and graph will automatically update, showing the response of the filter.
Cascade Calculator (Active / Passive)
Analyze system performance including small-signal gain, noise figure, one-dB compression point and output IP3.
This Cascade Calculator provides performance values for system-level Gain, Noise Figure (NF), P1dB compression and Output IP3 for up to 20 cascaded RF passive and active components in a chain.
See the relationship between power in dBm, watts and RMS voltage. This is relevant for many power applications.
When designing RF power circuits, it’s useful to know the voltage level for a given power input. This table provides a chart showing the relationship between power in dBm, watts and the relevant voltage expressed in volts, millivolts and microvolts (peak-to-peak for sinusoidal signals) in a 50-ohm system. It is applicable for both low and high-power applications.
Noise Figure & Noise Temperature Calculator
Calculates the noise figure and noise temperature of an RF system.
Noise figure and noise temperature are used interchangeably. NF measures degradation of the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), which is caused due to RF and electronic components used in the transmit or receive chain. The noise figure number is displayed in decibels (dB) and represents the performance by which an amplifier or RF receiver can be measured. Noise temperature is the noise power of a component that is introduced into a system. The noise temperature is directly proportional to the temperature in degrees Kelvin.
Provides the resistor values of a Pi and Tee attenuator based on impedance and attenuation inputs.
This calculator helps measure the value of the resistors R1, R2 and R3 in a Tee-pad, Pi-pad and Bridged-Tee attenuator. The user only needs to enter the attenuation in decibels (dB) and the impedance of the transmission lines to be matched.
Displays the contours of constant image rejection as a function of phase and amplitude error. Allows the user to see which error is most significant, thereby offering a path to improved performance.
This image rejection calculator displays the contours of constant image rejection as a function of phase and amplitude error. After the user inputs a specific error condition, the program computes the image rejection and displays the result on the graph along with the contours. This visual representation allows the user to see which error is most significant, thereby offering a path to improved performance.
RF Impedance Matching Calculator
Calculates capacitance and inductance of an L-Match network. This type of calculator is useful in matching one amplifier output to the input of a following stage.
The L-Match circuit gets its name due to the circuit topology – resembling the letter “L”. This tool will help create a matching circuit so optimal power transfer occurs between unmatched loads at a specific frequency. The calculator provides output data for circuit topology and component values.
Trace-Width Calculator (PCB Trace Power Handling Calc)
Calculates trace width values based on using the IPC-2221 (A) equations.
Calculating an accurate trace width is important in RF PC board design. Proper trace width is necessary to guarantee the desired DC current can be transported without overheating or damaging your PC board. By providing input values such as current, board thickness, temperature rise, ambient temperature and trace length, you’re able to calculate an estimate of the internal and external trace width layers for a given current and copper weight.The trace width design tool is based on the charts in IPC-2221 (A) equations.
See the relationship between VSWR and return loss. The VSWR value ranges from 1.01:1 to 3.5:1.
VSWR, which stands for Voltage Standing-Wave Ratio, is a measure used to determine the severity of standing waves in a transmission line. Return loss is the measure of how much of the signal is lost when it is reflected back to the source. This online conversion table converts between VSWR and return loss, which are different ways to express how well a load is matched to a source.
Table showing the 3GPP LTE and 5G FR1 / FR2 frequency bands, LTE and NR bandwidths, nicknames and regions.
There are a growing number of 4G LTE and 5G (i.e. FR1 & FR2) frequency bands driven by the need for frequency spectrum to attain increased data rates and capacity. Many of the FR1 and FR2 cellular bands are already in use, whereas other bands are new and being introduced. FDD spectrum requires pair bands, one for the uplink and one for the downlink. TDD requires a single band as uplink and downlink are on the same frequency, but time separated. This table provides the LTE band, new radio (NR) band, frequency, LTE channel bandwidth, NR channel bandwidth, band nicknames and region of usage.
This calculator shows the power added efficiency, power dissipation, and maximum junction temperature of your product or application.
PAE is a measure rating the efficiency of a PA which considers the effect of the gain of the amplifier. PAE will be like efficiency when the gain of the amplifier is high.
Power dissipation is the process in which an electric device produces heat as an unwanted byproduct of its primary action. If a circuit current flows through a given element, losing voltage in the process, then the Pdiss by that circuit element is the product of the current and voltage (P = I x V).
Junction temperature is the highest operating temperature of the actual semiconductor in an electronic device.
The RF Designer’s Best Friend
There are many calculations needed when creating successful RF designs – and just as many tools in the marketplace to support these steps. We hope you find the resources outlined above to be as helpful as our own engineers do. Our goal is to be your design partner to support bringing your innovations to life.
The tools listed above, and all of Qorvo’s design resources such as videos, blogs, white papers,e-books, block diagrams and brochures, are available at the Qorvo Design Hub.
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