19-0748; Rev 0; 2/07 MAX2023 Evaluation Kit The MAX2023 evaluation kit (EV kit) simplifies the evaluation of the MAX2023 direct upconversion (downconversion) quadrature modulator (demodulator) designed for single and multicarrier 1500MHz to 2300MHz GSM/EDGE, cdma2000(R), and WCDMA and base-station applications. It is fully assembled and tested at the factory. Standard 50 SMA connectors are included on the EV kit's input and output ports to allow quick and easy evaluation on the test bench using RF test equipment. The EV kit is lead free and RoHS compliant. This document provides a list of test equipment required to evaluate the device, a straight-forward test procedure to verify functionality, a description of the EV kit circuit, the circuit schematic, a bill of materials (BOM) for the kit, and artwork for each layer of the PCB. cdma2000 is a registered trademark of Telecommunications Industry Association. Features Fully Assembled and Tested 50 SMA Connectors on Input and Output Ports 1500MHz to 2300MHz RF Range High-Linearity and Low-Noise Performance Broadband Baseband Input/Output DC-Coupled Input Provides for Direct DAC/ADC Interface Lead Free and RoHS Compliant Ordering Information PART TEMP RANGE IC PACKAGE MAX2023EVKIT+ -40C to +85C 36 QFN-EP* +Denotes a lead-free and RoHS-compliant EV kit. *EP = Exposed paddle. Component List DESIGNATION QTY C1, C6, C7, C10, C13 5 22pF 5%, 50V C0G ceramic capacitors (0402) Murata GRM1555C1H220J 5 0.1F 10%, 16V X7R ceramic capacitors (0603) Murata GRM188R71C104K C2, C5, C8, C11, C12 C3 C9 C14-C25 1 1 DESCRIPTION 8pF 0.25pF, 50V C0G ceramic capacitor (0402) Murata GRM1555C1H8ROC 2pF 0.1pF, 50V C0G ceramic capacitor (0402) Murata GRM1555C1H2ROB 0 Not installed J1-J6 6 PCB edge-mounted SMA RF connectors (flat-tab launch) Johnson 142-0741-856 J7, J8 2 Headers 1 x 3 (0.100 spacing 0.062in thick board) L1-L4 0 Not installed 1 432 1% resistor (0402) Any R1 DESIGNATION QTY R2 1 562 1% resistor (0402) Any R3 1 301 1% resistor (0402) Any R4-R11 0 Not installed TP1 1 Large test point for 0.062in PCB (red) Mouser 151-107-RC TP2 1 Large test point for 0.062in PCB (black) Mouser 151-103-RC TP3, TP4 2 Large test point for 0.062in PCB (white) Mouser 151-101-RC 1 Mod/Demod IC (6mm x 6mm, 36-pin QFN exposed paddle) Maxim MAX2023ETX+ Note: U1 has an exposed paddle conductor that requires it to be solder attached to a grounded pad on the circuit board to ensure a proper electrical/thermal design. U1 DESCRIPTION ________________________________________________________________ Maxim Integrated Products For pricing, delivery, and ordering information, please contact Maxim/Dallas Direct! at 1-888-629-4642, or visit Maxim's website at www.maxim-ic.com. 1 Evaluates: MAX2023 General Description Evaluates: MAX2023 MAX2023 Evaluation Kit Component Suppliers SUPPLIER PHONE WEBSITE Johnson 507-833-8822 www.johnsoncomponents.com M/A-COM 800-366-2266 www.macom.com Murata 770-436-1300 www.murata.com Note: Indicate that you are using the MAX2023 when contacting these component suppliers. 1) Calibrate the power meter. For safety margin, use a power sensor rated to at least +20dBm, or use padding to protect the power head as necessary. 2) Connect a 3dB pad to the DUT end of the RF signal generators' SMA cable. This padding improves VSWR and reduces the errors due to mismatch. 3) Use the power meter to set the RF signal generators according to the following: * Quick Start The MAX2023 EV kit is fully assembled and factory tested. Follow the instructions in the Connections and Setup section for proper device evaluation as an upconverter. Test Equipment Required This section lists the recommended test equipment to verify the operation of the MAX2023 as an upconverter. It is intended as a guide only, and substitutions may be possible. LO signal source: 0dBm into DUT at 1850MHz (this is approximately 3dBm before the 3dB pad). Use an oscilloscope to calibrate the baseband I/Q differential inputs to the following: * Use a signal source where I+, I-, Q+, and Qare all 50 single-ended outputs. Load the I+/Iports and Q+/Q- ports with 50 differential loads. Set the voltage across the 50 differential loads to be 2.7VP-P differential. Remove the 50 differential loads. Note that the DUT's I+/Iand Q+/Q- port impedances will provide the differential loading in Step 10. * One DC supply capable of delivering +5.0V and 350mA 4) Disable the signal generator outputs. 5) Connect the I/Q source to the differential I/Q ports. * One low-noise RF signal generator capable of delivering 10dBm of output power in the 1GHz to 3GHz frequency range (i.e., HP 8648) 6) Connect the LO source to the EV kit LO input. * One I/Q generator capable of producing two differential 1MHz sine waves, 90 out-of-phase with each other, with a 2.7VP-P differential amplitude * One quad-channel oscilloscope with a 100MHz minimum bandwidth * Low-capacitance oscilloscope probes * One RF spectrum analyzer with a 100kHz to 3GHz frequency range (HP 8561E) * One RF power meter (HP 437B) * One power sensor (HP 8482A) Connections and Setup This section provides a step-by-step guide to testing the basic functionality of the EV kit as an upconverter. As a general precaution to prevent damaging the outputs by driving high VSWR loads, do not turn on DC power or RF signal generators until all connections are made. This upconverter procedure is general for operation with an I/Q baseband input signal at 1MHz. Choose the test frequency based on the particular system's frequency plan and adjust the following procedure accordingly. See Figure 2 for the test setup diagram. 2 7) Measure the loss in the 3dB pad and cable that will be connected to the RF port. Losses are frequency dependent, so test this at 1850MHz (the RF frequency). Use this loss as an offset in all output power/gain calculations. 8) Connect this 3dB pad to the EV kit's RF port connector and connect a cable from the pad to the spectrum analyzer. 9) Set DC supply to +5.0V, and set a current limit around 350mA, if possible. Disable the output voltage and connect the supply to the EV kit (through an ammeter, if desired). Enable the supply. Readjust the supply to get +5.0V at the EV kit. A voltage drop occurs across the ammeter when the device is drawing current. 10) Enable the LO and the I/Q sources. Testing the Direct Upconverter Adjust the center and span of the spectrum analyzer to 1850MHz and 5MHz, respectively. The LO leakage appears at 1850MHz and there are two sidebands at 1849MHz and 1851MHz (LSB and USB). One of the sidebands is the selected RF signal, while the second is the image. Depending on whether the Q channel is 90 degrees advanced or 90 degrees delayed from the I channel determines which sideband is selected and _______________________________________________________________________________________ MAX2023 Evaluation Kit Detailed Description The MAX2023 is designed for upconverting (downconverting) to (from) a 1500MHz to 2300MHz RF from (to) baseband. Applications include multicarrier 1500MHz to 2300MHz GSM/EDGE, cdma2000, and WCDMA. Direct upconversion (downconversion) architectures are advantageous since they significantly reduce transmitter (receiver) cost, part count, and power consumption compared to traditional heterodyne conversion systems. The MAX2023 integrates internal baluns, an LO buffer, a phase splitter, two LO driver amplifiers, two matched double-balanced passive mixers, and a wideband quadrature combiner. The MAX2023's high-linearity mixers, in conjunction with the part's precise in-phase and quadrature channel matching, enable the device to possess excellent dynamic range, ACLR, 1dB compression point, and LO and sideband suppression characteristics. These features make the MAX2023 ideal for multicarrier generation, like cdma2000 or WCDMA. The MAX2023 EV kit circuit allows for thorough analysis and a simple design-in. Supply-Decoupling Capacitors The MAX2023 has several RF processing stages that use the various V CC pins. While they have on-chip decoupling, off-chip interaction between them can degrade gain, linearity, carrier suppression, and output power. Proper voltage-supply bypassing is essential for high-frequency circuit stability. C1, C6, C7, C10, and C13 are 22pF supply-decoupling capacitors used to filter high-frequency noise. C2, C5, C8, C11, and C12 are larger 0.1F capacitors used for filtering lower-frequency noise on the supply. DC-Blocking Capacitors The MAX2023 has internal baluns at the RF output and LO input. These inputs have almost 0 resistance at DC, so DC-blocking capacitors C3 and C9 are used to prevent any external bias from being shunted directly to ground. LO Bias The bias current for the integrated LO buffer is set with resistor R1 (432 1%). Resistors R2 (562 1%) and R3 (301 1%) set the bias currents for the LO driver amplifiers. Increasing the value of R1, R2, and R3 reduces the current, but the device operates at reduced performance levels. Doubling the values of R1, R2, and R3 reduces the total current by approximately 140mA, but degrades OIP3 by approximately 6dB. IF Bias LO leakage nulling is usually accomplished by adjusting the external driving DACs to produce an offset in the common-mode voltage to compensate for any imbalance from I+ to I- and from Q+ to Q-. The EV kit has an added feature to null the LO leakage if the above method is not available. To enable this added feature, first install 8k resistors for R8 through R11 (see Figure 3 for schematic details). To minimize cross coupling of the BB signals, consider adding in the C22 through C25 bypass capacitors. For this method to work, a DC-coupled source impedance (typically 50) needs to appear on all four baseband inputs to form voltage-dividers with the 8k injection resistors. Use a shunt to connect pin 1 of J7 to pin 2 of J7 and a second shunt to connect pin 1 of J8 to pin 2 of J8. Set two DC supplies to 0V and connect one to QBIAS (TP4) and one to IBIAS (TP3). Observe the LO leakage level out of the RF port and slowly adjust the QBIAS positive and observe whether the LO leakage increase or decreases. If the LO leakage decreases, the polarity of the offset is correct. If the LO leakage increases, QBIAS can be adjusted negative or the shunt can be moved on J8 to connect pin 2 to pin 3. Perform the same adjustment and method to the IBIAS (TP3) supply. Optimize the QBIAS and IBIAS voltages to null out the LO leakage. External Diplexer LO leakage at the RF port can be nulled to a level less than -80dBm by introducing DC offsets at the I and Q ports. However, this null at the RF port can be compromised by an improperly terminated I/Q IF interface. Care must be taken to match the I/Q ports to the driving DAC circuitry. Without matching, the LO's second-order (2fLO) term may leak back into the modulator's I/Q input port where it can mix with the internal LO signal to produce additional LO leakage at the RF output. This leakage effectively counteracts against the LO nulling. In addition, the LO signal reflected at the I/Q IF port produces a residual DC term that can disturb the nulling condition. _______________________________________________________________________________________ 3 Evaluates: MAX2023 which is rejected. Note that the sideband suppression is about 45dB typical down from the desired sideband. The desired sideband power level should be approximately +3dBm (+6dBm output power including 3dB pad loss). Phase and amplitude differences at the I and Q inputs result in degradation of the sideband suppression. Note that the spectrum analyzer's uncalibrated absolute magnitude accuracy is typically no better than 1dB. Evaluates: MAX2023 MAX2023 Evaluation Kit C = 2.2pF MAX2023 RF MODULATOR 50 I L = 11nH 50 C = 2.2pF C = 2.2pF LO 90 RF 50 Q L = 11nH 50 C = 2.2pF Figure 1. Example Diplexer Network for GSM 1800/1900 Applications As shown in Figure 1, providing an RC termination on each of the I+, I-, Q+, Q- ports reduces the amount of LO leakage present at the RF port under varying temperature, LO frequency, and baseband drive conditions. Note that the resistor value is chosen to be 50 with a corner frequency 1 / (2RC) selected to adequately filter the fLO and 2fLO leakage, yet not affecting the flatness of the baseband response at the highest baseband frequency. The common-mode fLO and 2fLO signals at I+/I- and Q+/Q- effectively see the RC networks and thus become terminated in 25 (R/2). The RC network provides a path for absorbing the 2fLO and fLO leakage, while the inductor provides high impedance at fLO and 2fLO to help the diplexing process. The MAX2023 EV kit includes flexibility for a diplexer network to be installed if desired. See Figure 3 for details on the EV kit schematic. 4 Layout Considerations The MAX2023 evaluation board can be a guide for your board layout. Pay close attention to thermal design and close placement of components to the IC. The MAX2023 package's exposed paddle (EP) conducts heat from the device and provides a low-impedance electrical connection to the ground plane. The EP must be attached to the PCB ground plane with a low thermal and electrical impedance contact. Ideally, this is achieved by soldering the backside of the package directly to a top metal ground plane on the PCB. Alternatively, the EP can be connected to an internal or bottom-side ground plane using an array of plated vias directly below the EP. The MAX2023 EV kit uses nine evenly spaced 0.016in-diameter, plated through holes to connect the EP to the lower ground planes. Depending on the ground plane spacing, large surface-mount pads in the IF path may need to have the ground plane relieved under them to reduce parasitic shunt capacitance. _______________________________________________________________________________________ MAX2023 Evaluation Kit Evaluates: MAX2023 BENCH MULTIMETER HPIB (HP 34401A) DIFFERENTIAL I/Q GENERATOR POWER SUPPLY 3-OUT, HPIB (AG E3631A) 5.0V, 350mA (max) + (AMMETER) - + - + 5V Q+ GND Q- MAX2023EVKIT+ LO 3dB 1850MHz I+ I- RF SIGNAL GENERATOR (HP 8648B) 3dB RF RF SPECTRUM ANALYZER (HP 8561x) QUAD-CHANNEL OSCILLOSCOPE RF POWER METER (GIGA 80701A, HP 437B) RF HIGHPOWER SENSOR Figure 2. Test Setup Diagram _______________________________________________________________________________________ 5 VCC Figure 3. MAX2023 EV Kit Schematic _______________________________________________________________________________________ C1 22pF R1 432 1% LO J1 GND VCC C3 8pF TP2 GND +5V TP1 R2 562 1% C5 0.1F VCC N.C. RBIASLO2 GND VCCLOA LO GND RBIASLO1 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 C10 22pF 0 90 U1 EXPOSED PADDLE EP MAX2023 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 BIAS LO2 BIAS LO1 BIAS LO3 C6 22pF *IF THE DIPLEXER IS INSTALLED, THE TRACE JUMPERS ACROSS L1-L4 MUST BE CUT AWAY. C2 0.1F 2 GND 1 GND GND RBIASLO3 GND 36 35 34 33 32 31 30 29 28 GND GND VCCLOQ1 GND GND VCCLOI1 R3 301 1% GND C13 22pF VCCLOQ2 GND VCCLOI2 GND C12 0.1F GND VCC GND GND 6 C7 22pF GND C22 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 L1* L4* R8 J5 R4 I+ C14 L2* C9 2pF R9 RF J6 I- C17 R5 C15 R7 R6 J2 C19 C18 C21 Q- C20 L3* J4 R11 Q+ R10 C16 C8 0.1F VCC GND BBIBBI+ GND GND RF BBQ+ BBQ- GND C11 0.1F VCC C24 J3 C23 1 2 3 TP3 IBIAS J7 TP4 QBIAS 1 2 3 J8 C25 Evaluates: MAX2023 MAX2023 Evaluation Kit MAX2023 Evaluation Kit Figure 5. MAX2023 EV Kit PCB Layout--Top Soldermask Figure 6. MAX2023 EV Kit PCB Layout--Top Layer Metal Figure 7. MAX2023 EV Kit PCB Layout--Inner Layer 2 (GND) _______________________________________________________________________________________ Evaluates: MAX2023 Figure 4. MAX2023 EV Kit PCB Layout--Top Silkscreen 7 Evaluates: MAX2023 MAX2023 Evaluation Kit Figure 8. MAX2023 EV Kit PCB Layout--Inner Layer 3 (Routes) Figure 9. MAX2023 EV Kit PCB Layout--Bottom Layer (Metal) Figure 10. MAX2023 EV Kit PCB Layout--Bottom Soldermask Figure 11. MAX2023 EV Kit PCB Layout--Bottom Silkscreen Maxim cannot assume responsibility for use of any circuitry other than circuitry entirely embodied in a Maxim product. No circuit patent licenses are implied. Maxim reserves the right to change the circuitry and specifications without notice at any time. 8 _____________________Maxim Integrated Products, 120 San Gabriel Drive, Sunnyvale, CA 94086 408-737-7600 (c) 2007 Maxim Integrated Products CARDENAS is a registered trademark of Maxim Integrated Products, Inc.