company blog about Qorvo AWMF-0156 High Integrated Single Polarization Silicon Quad Core Beamformer For 5G Applications

Shenzhen Mingjiada Electronics Co., Ltd. supplies and recycles the Qorvo AWMF-0156 highly integrated, single-polarisation, silicon-based quad-core beamformer, suitable for 5G applications.

I. AWMF-0156 Product Overview

The AWMF-0156 (formerly Anokiwave, now part of Qorvo) is a highly integrated, silicon-based, quad-core, single-polarisation beamforming IC designed for 5G millimetre-wave phased arrays. Operating in the 37.1–40 GHz frequency band and compatible with the 3GPP NR n260 millimetre-wave band, it is the second-generation commercially compliant 5G millimetre-wave beamforming chip. The device integrates four-channel transmit/receive (Tx/Rx) signal chains using a half-duplex architecture. A single chip drives four antenna radiating elements and incorporates complete phase and gain control circuits, significantly simplifying the hardware design of 5G millimetre-wave active arrays. It is widely used in equipment such as 5G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA), millimetre-wave small cells and 5G Customer Premises Equipment (CPE).

II. AWMF-0156 Core Hardware Specifications

Architecture: 4-channel, single-polarisation, quad-core beamformer (4×1 array architecture)

Operating frequency band: 37.1 GHz to 40.0 GHz, compatible with the n260 5G millimetre-wave standard

Operating Mode: Tx/Rx half-duplex; transmission and reception are achieved via time-division multiplexing on a single antenna port

Phase Control: 6-bit phase adjustment with an LSB step of 5.6°, enabling high-precision beam scanning

Gain Control: 5-bit gain adjustment with an LSB step of 0.5 dB

RF Performance

Transmit gain: 25 dB; OP1dB output power: 13.5 dBm

Receive gain: 30 dB; receive noise figure: 6.5 dB

Power supply: 1.8 V + 2.5 V dual-supply configuration

Package: WLCSP (Wafer-Level Chip-Scale Package) (3.6 × 3.6 mm), supports flip-chip mounting, compatible with planar phased array antenna PCBs

Protection: ESD protection integrated into all pins, enhancing device reliability in mass production

III. Key Features of the AWMF-0156

1. Highly integrated, streamlining the array BOM

Integrates four complete transmit/receive signal chains, phase shifters, variable gain amplifiers and control logic onto a single chip, eliminating the need for additional discrete phase shifters and gain components. Multiple AWMF-0156 devices can be cascaded to easily build large 5G phased array antennas with 8, 16 or 32 array elements, making it ideal for hybrid beamforming architectures.

2. Intelligent Beam Control System

Equipped with on-chip beam weight storage registers, it supports rapid beam switching and reduces beam switching latency; it features built-in temperature gain compensation algorithms, chip temperature reporting and transmit power telemetry functions. The system can monitor the RF link status in real time, automatically compensating for gain fluctuations caused by temperature drift to ensure long-term stability of 5G millimetre-wave beam pointing.

3. Advantages of Silicon-Based Process Technology, Suitable for Large-Scale Commercial Deployment

Utilising a low-cost silicon semiconductor process effectively controls hardware costs compared to compound semiconductor solutions; balanced power consumption facilitates thermal management design for millimetre-wave antenna modules, supporting the large-scale deployment of 5G millimetre-wave equipment.

4. Streamlined Mechanical and Circuit Design

The WLCSP flip-chip packaging places the chip in close proximity to the antenna array, minimising RF trace lengths and reducing millimetre-wave transmission losses; a standard digital control interface facilitates easy integration with baseband processors and main control MCUs, shortening customers’ product development cycles.

IV. Typical Application Scenarios for the AWMF-0156

5G NR n260 band millimetre-wave small cells

5G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) phased array terminals

Millimetre-wave CPE customer terminals and indoor hotspot coverage equipment

5G mobile broadband active flat-panel antenna arrays

V. Summary of the AWMF-0156

As a mature, mass-produced 5G millimetre-wave quad-core beamformer, the AWMF-0156 is centred on a highly integrated, single-polarisation, 4-channel architecture that balances RF performance, hardware costs and miniaturisation requirements. In the commercial deployment of 5G millimetre-wave technology, it helps equipment manufacturers simplify phased array antenna design and shorten R&D cycles, serving as the core RF front-end component for active antenna arrays in the n260 band.