TSX fixed chip attenuators offer excellent broad band RF performance to 50 GHz

Smiths Interconnect delivers increased power handling in a small surface mount package.

Smiths Interconnect announced today the release of its new TSX Series of fixed chip attenuators optimized to combine high frequency and power in a small package.
 
The acceleration of demand for communication and data transmission in the digital age is creating a huge market for broadband connectivity. Higher power ratings and broadband performance are needed to support a wide range of applications.
 
The new TSX Series is designed to offer excellent broadband performance up to 50GHz, while delivering increased power handling in a small 0604 surface mount package. It allows wider coverage than traditional components while providing optimized return loss for multiple frequency ranges.  This allows the customer to use a single chip in multiple applications, reducing the Bill of Material (BOM) item count and consequently, the cost of ownership.
 
“The TSX series pushes the boundaries of Size, Weight and Power in a cost effective, easy to implement surface mount solution suitable for a wide array of applications while lowering component product counts”,said Tullio Panarello, Vice President and General Manager of the Fibre Optics and Components Business Unit at Smiths Interconnect. “It provides excellent attenuation accuracy and reduces overall design footprint, saving valuable space on our customers’ system”, he concluded.
 
The chip attenuator design, available for surface mounting, offers 1 to 3 watts of power handling performance and multiple attenuation values. The use of a robust, proven all thin film process technology on an alumina substrate provides a product suitable for harsh environments, such as those of Space and Defenseapplications.
 
Each product is engineered using 3D Electromagnetic Simulation (EM) software to provide excellent performance in a total thin film process.
 
The new TSX Series is a compact unique solution covering multiple applications and offering the following features and benefits:

• Small form factor - Reduces overall footprint
• Surface mountable – Ideal for pick and place applications
• Broad frequency range – Reduces BOM count
• Low VSWR – Increases transmitted power
• Wide range of attenuation values – 1-10, 15 and 20dB
• Tight attenuation tolerance – For optimal performance