Peregrine Semiconductor’s European subsidiary, Peregrine Semiconductor Europe, has been chosen by the European Space Agency (ESA) to develop the first phase-locked loop (PLL) device for integration into European space applications. The procurement proposal is established under the European Component Initiative (ECI), an action plan that aims to develop and qualify in Europe, using European technology, components that are intended for space applications.

Article Tools

• 

"Our mutual commitment to develop the ultra-high performance rad-hard RFICs for consumption in Europe's space programs begins with an ultra-low phase noise, low-power phase locked-loop frequency synthesizer, designed to enable superior RF performance in European satellite payload applications," said Ron Reedy, Peregrine's chief technical officer. "The current Peregrine portfolio of UltraCMOS PLLs has given us a strong foundation upon which we intend to further develop leading-edge RFIC performance for Europe and the world."

The current Peregrine Integer-N, Fractional-N, and DSM PLL portfolio consists of commercial and space-level devices, with phase noise at less than -210 dBc/Hz normalized. Also included is 3.2 GHz operation; serial, parallel and hardwire programming; 6-bit reference counters; integrated 10/11 prescaler; phase detection; and 100 krads Total Dose radiation tolerance.