NXP has a beefy new LDMOS power transistor for VHF transmission. The new BLF188XR is an “eXtremely Rugged” (NXP’s description) device, capable of withstanding a severe load mismatch of 65:1 at 5 dB of compression. The device itself can provide up to 1.6 kW of peak output power and can operate with as much as 60 volts and still pass the extreme ruggedness test.
According to NXP, the device is ideal for “large-scale industrial, scientific and medical applications (ISM) in frequency ranges under 300 MHz.” These applications often have mismatched load impedance.
The AC characteristics section BLF188XR datasheet shows the device putting out 1,200 Watts at 108 MHz. These devices would seem ideal as the basis of a high-power solid-state FM transmitter. Additional information is available in the BLF188XR product brief, which calls it “1400 W extremely rugged LDMOS power transistor for broadcast and industrial applications in the HF to 600 MHz band.”
Engineering samples are available now to qualified customers.
