RFTop 5G Antenna Tuner Manufacturers and Solutions
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5G antenna tuners play a crucial role in optimizing signal reception, reducing power consumption, and improving overall performance in 5G-enabled devices. Various manufacturers provide cutting-edge solutions tailored for smartphones, IoT devices, and network infrastructure. This article explores the top 5G antenna tuner manufacturers and their innovative offerings.
What is Antenna Tuning in 5G Smartphones?
Antenna tuners are devices placed between the transmitter and antenna in order to increase the EM (Electro-Magnetic) signal radiation by minimizing mismatch and absorption losses. Antenna tuners are categorized into aperture tuners and impedance tuners.
- Aperture tuners: These are placed at various locations in the antenna design which help in improving total antenna efficiency.
- Impedance tuners: These are placed between the RF front end and the antenna, helping to reduce mismatch losses over a wide frequency range.
In the latest technologies, the number of antennas has been increased in order to support higher data rates using MIMO and CA (Carrier Aggregation) techniques. In 5G smartphones, the number of antenna requirements has increased from 4-6 to about 8 or more.
Antenna tuners deliver the following benefits in WiFi MIMO, 4G LTE, and 5G NR (New Radio) systems:
- Offers higher data rates.
- Improves signal quality and coverage.
- Enhances battery life.
- Allows for smaller phone designs by embedding appropriate compact tuning solutions.
- Increases antenna efficiency over a wide bandwidth.
The figure depicts antenna tuning methods. Without tuning, it is not possible to achieve maximum radiated power due to increased mismatches and higher absorption loss of the RF signal. Aperture tuning and impedance tuning increase radiated power due to the reduction in mismatches and RF signal absorption losses. Both aperture tuning and impedance tuning methods offer various antenna tuning solutions such as switch tuners, capacitive tuners, and combinations of both.
5G Antenna Tuner Manufacturers
The following table lists popular manufacturers of 5G antenna tuners with their technical features.
| 5G antenna tuner manufacturers | Description |
|---|---|
| Skyworks | The company has developed wideband antenna tuners that support bandwidths from 600 MHz to 6 GHz. The Sky5 TM portfolio supports LTE Advanced Pro and 5G standards. The tuners are MIPI controlled and support 16 states. SKYWORKS also offers other products such as 5G NR PA (Power Amplifier) with integrated LNAs, 5G NR LAA receivers, 5G NR diversity modules, Switches, Filters, etc. |
| QorVo | The company offers aperture tuning and impedance tuning solutions as part of antenna control solutions. These solutions are used in next-generation 4G/5G smartphones or mobile handsets. The solutions support key features such as envelope tracking, higher efficiency, reduced complexity, smaller size, etc. A few of the impedance tuners include QM13244, QM13341, QM13344, etc. |
| Infineon Technologies AG | The company offers antenna tuners with the latest tuning switches which can support Sub-7.2 GHz frequency bands. Models include BGSA144ML10, BGSA403ML10, and BGSA400ML10. Antenna tuners from Infineon are available in very small footprints, usually 0.95 X 1.3 mm². They are used in 4G and 5G smartphones. |
| Qualcomm | The company has developed a 5G adaptive antenna tuning solution that improves antenna performance and helps OEMs to address the requirements of an increased number of antennas and wide frequency ranges to be supported in next-generation smartphones. The solution is enhanced with AI features. |
Conclusion
The demand for efficient 5G antenna tuners is rising as 5G adoption grows globally. Leading manufacturers continue to innovate, ensuring better connectivity, improved efficiency, and seamless integration into modern communication systems.
