recorded over the operating frequency range. Unless
the amplifier is specified to operate over a defined
temperature range, this measurement is per-
formed at room ambient temperature (+23°C). If a
range of temperatures is specified, the measurement
must also be verified at the temperature extremes.
NOISE FIGURE
Noise figure is classically defined as:
Since all realistic amplifiers add thermal noise, the
signal-to-noise ratio at the output will be degraded;
therefore, noise figure will be a ratio greater than one,
or when expressed in decibels, a positive number
(NFdB = 10 log10(NFRatio). The additive noise of an
amplifier can also be expressed in a parameter
referred to as noise temperature. In this approach,
the noise temperature of the amplifier is equal to the
temperature (in degrees Kelvin) of a 50
termination
at the input of an ideal noiseless amplifier with the
same gain and generating the same output noise power.
The relationship between noise figure and noise tem-
perature is :
Noise figure data is measured at discrete frequencies
throughout the band at +23°C unless specified otherwise.
OUTPUT POWER AT 1 dB COMPRESSION
The 1 dB output compression point of an amplifier is
simply defined as the output power level at which the
gain deviates from the small signal gain by 1 dB.
All active components have a linear dynamic range.
This is the range over which the output power varies
linearly with respect to the input power. As the output
power increases to near its maximum capability, the
device will begin to saturate. The point at which the
saturation effects are 1 dB from linear is defined as
the 1 dB compression point. Because of the nonlin-
ear relation between the input and output power at
this point, the following relationship holds:
Pout 1 dB = Pin 1 dB + Linear Gain - 1 dB
BIPOLAR AMPLIFIERS
GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS
All models described in this catalog are classified by
several specifications, namely:
Operating Frequency Range
Gain
Gain Flatness
Noise Figure
Output Power at 1 dB Compression
Input and Output VSWR
DC Supply Voltage and Current Consumption
The following notes give detailed definitions to these
and additional specifications which may relate to your
system requirements.
OPERATING FREQUENCY RANGE
The operating frequency range is the range of fre-
quencies over which the amplifier will meet or exceed
the specification parameters. The amplifier may per-
form beyond this frequency range.
GAIN
Gain is defined as the ratio of the power measured at
the output of an amplifier to the power provided to the
input port. It is usually expressed in decibels and is
typically measured in a swept fashion across the
operating frequency range. The gain of all amplifiers
is verified by a swept measurement before shipment
from MITEQ.
GAIN FLATNESS
Gain flatness describes the variation in an amplifier's
gain over the operating frequency range at any fixed
temperature within the operating temperature range.
As such, it does not include the variation of gain as a
function of temperature (see Gain Variation vs.
Temperature).
The gain flatness of an amplifier is measured by view-
ing the swept gain and determining the difference
between the minimum gain and the maximum gain
SPECIFICATION DEFINITIONS
Peak-to-Peak Gain Flatness
Operating Frequency Range
(Measured at one temperature)
Max. Gain
Min. Gain
F Low
F High
4
Noise Figure =
=
Si/Ni
So/No
Signal-to-noise ratio
at the amplifier input
Signal-to-noise ratio
at the amplifier output
Noise Figure = 10 Log 10
{
+1
}
Noise Temperature (Kelvin)
290 Kelvin