TRF37A73: output termination

Hi Karo,

I don't think the output not being terminated will damage the amplifier, as the device is supposed to be unconditionally stable.

Do you have a circuit schematic of the TRF37A73 that you are using which I can take a look for debug? Also, what supply current are you re-cording on the fallout amplifiers? The supply current might be too high if there is any indication of damage to the amplifier, which could be the case of operating the device at higher supply voltage than recommended in the datasheet.

Best Regards,
Rohit

Hello Rohit;

Thank you for the response. Supply current is 3.3V. Please see attached file. This schematic is a section of a 16x16 RF switch and input of amplifier power doesn't exceed -20dBm.

Regards;

Karo

3GHz Output Amp.pdf

Hi Karo,

The TRF37A73 schematic looks ok.

Could you please elaborate on the symptoms of the device fallout, or the reason behind considering the device as damaged?

Best Regards,
Rohit

Hi;

So far we've seen >20 failures ( out of 450), we are still in the middle of troubleshooting the boards, but there are 5 amplifiers we know for sure that are bad. They are down 30dB  to 40dB compare to a path with a good AMP and there is only ~18 Ohm resistance on the input of AMP. I've attached comparison plots. Initially these amplifiers were good, we left the amplifiers on overnight without any signals and next day we saw the issues.

I'll send you updates when we have more data.

Regards;

Karo

BAD AMP VS GOOD.pdf;