editor's blog
Subscribe Now

Tracking the Envelope

For the last couple years, “envelope tracking” has caught on as a way to reduce power in phones, cellular base stations, and digital broadcast transmitters. The idea is that RF power amplifiers are most efficient when the signal amplitude runs near the drain voltage, operating in or near saturation or “compression.” When the signal isn’t running that high, then, with a constant power level on the amplifier, the remainder of that power is wasted as heat.

With envelope tracking (ET), the signal envelope is detected and fed to a power modulator that keeps the power amp’s voltage supply in the range of the signal it’s fed.

The OpenET Alliance exists to promote ET and facilitate an ET ecosystem. Towards that end, it just released a set of IP blocks for critical parts of the design. Of course, access to these blocks is touted as a benefit of membership (and, indeed, “… exceed[ing] the value of the first year’s membership fees…”).

More info in their release

Leave a Reply

featured blogs
Jun 12, 2025
We truly do live in a world that would have been considered to be a far-flung science fiction future only a few short decades ago...

featured paper

Shift Left with Calibre Pattern Matching: Trust in design practices but verify early and frequently

Sponsored by Siemens Digital Industries Software

As integrated circuit (IC) designs become increasingly complex, early-stage verification is crucial to ensure productivity and quality in design processes. The "shift left" verification approach, enabled by Siemens’ Calibre nmPlatform, helps IC design teams to identify and resolve critical issues much earlier in the design cycle.

Click to read more

featured chalk talk

Accelerate Your E-Mobility Designs with Digital Signal Controllers
Sponsored by Mouser Electronics and Microchip
In this episode of Chalk Talk, Jay Nagle from Microchip Technology and Amelia Dalton explore the trends driving the adoption of e-mobility designs and the biggest challenges associated with these applications. They also investigate the role that traction drive plays in these kinds of designs and how digital signal controller solutions from Microchip can help you ensure the accuracy, efficiency, and longevity of your next e-mobility application.
Jun 3, 2025
10,963 views