An Envelope Tracking (ET) chip has been developed by Nujira for mobile handsets. The device is claimed to reduce wasted energy from power amplifiers (PAs) in mobile handsets by more than 50 percent, cutting heat dissipation and extending battery life.
Reducing the power consumption of PAs is one of the key challenges facing 3G and 4G smartphone OEMs as demand for higher data rates continues to drive network standards.
The improved spectral efficiency of the 4G LTE standard enables higher data bandwidth, but comes at the price of reduced energy efficiency in the RF PA.
Further penalties come from an increase in the average RF power transmitted from the handset, and the need to support an increasing number of frequency bands in the phone to support global roaming.
“Battery life has always been a key factor for consumers when it comes to mobile handsets, and it is a regular complaint from users of the latest smartphones. 4G handsets may need to be charged two or three times a day, which will have a catastrophic impact on user adoption,” commented Tim Haynes, CEO at Nujira.
“The industry consensus is that Envelope Tracking will become the standard PA architecture for the next generation of handsets, because it is the only power optimisation technology which delivers high efficiency over the entire spectrum.”
