Founded 28 years ago, Maxim Integrated Products Inc. is a leader in analog and mixed-signal innovation and integration. Based in Sunnyvale, California, the company reported revenue of approximately $2.5 billion for fiscal 2011.
Maxim’s wireless RF products division has developed femtocell components, specifically the RF transceiver that interfaces between the baseband processor and the PA (power amplifier) or antenna.
Maxim were probably the first company to invest specifically in femtocell RF chipset design. An Application Note first published in June 2007, appeared at the time when the early femtocell reference designs were developed. As a result, the chips were designed into the majority of femtocell products commercially deployed today.
Separate RF transmitter and receiver parts are in production for both UMTS and CDMA technologies. Different variants are available depending on frequency band and technology option.
In February 2011, Maxim announced their single chip MAX2550 RF front end at Mobile World Congress. With parts available for sampling, commercial production is scheduled for Q3. The Application Note can be found here. These products remain available for design into Small Cells.
