The F6212 is a 16-channel dual-beam receive active beamforming RFIC multi-chip module designed for application in Ka-Band SATCOM planar phased array antennas. The IC has eight RF input ports, two RF output ports and 16 (8 per beam) phase/amplitude control channels. The eight input ports of the IC may be driven by eight single-polarized elements or four dual-polarized elements of an electronically scanned array (ESA). Each channel has 6-bits of digital phase and gain control resolution spanning 360° and 26dB of dynamic range, enabling precise beam pattern and polarization control.

The IC operates from two supply rails of 2.1V–2.5V and 0.95V–1.05V with a typical channel gain of 28dB. The chip includes power management features such as a low power standby mode, independent enable controls on every channel and a single-beam mode activated via a dedicated control pin. An integrated Hi-Q bandpass filter provides rejection of SATCOM Tx and 5G mmWave signals, improving the dynamic range without additional power consumption. The device SPI bus and control pins operate from standard 1.8V logic at speeds up to 50MHz. Advanced digital modes and large on-chip memory allow for <100ns beam position switching times at the array level, greatly reducing dead time and latency.

Finally, the compact and CTE-matched FC-BGA organic package with all single-ended 50Ω matched RF ports and 0.5mm pitch greatly simplifies the physical integration of these devices onto large antenna panels.