MRF7S18170HR3 - 50W 1.81GHz RF Power LDMOS | NXP Semiconductors
MPN: MRF7S18170HR3 ✓ Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $95 | $95.00 |
| 10 | $87.5 | $875.00 |
| 50 | $81 | $4,050.00 |
| 100 | $76 | $7,600.00 |
| 500 | $70 | $35,000.00 |
MRF7S18170HR3 Overview
An RF power LDMOS is a laterally diffused metal-oxide-semiconductor transistor optimized for high-frequency, high-power amplification. Within the broader semiconductor taxonomy it is a discrete power MOSFET, and within RF it is classified as an RF power transistor. LDMOS dominates cellular base-station power amplifiers because it offers high drain efficiency, broadband operation, and excellent ruggedness into high VSWR loads, while remaining cost-effective compared to GaN alternatives.
Key specifications include a maximum drain-source rating of 65 V, typical operating drain voltage of 28 V, quiescent drain current of 1.4 A under test, and a power gain of 17.5 dB at 1.81 GHz. The device supports broadband commercial and industrial operation up to roughly 1000 MHz in the same package family, and is designed for Class AB and Class C amplifier topologies common in Doherty and push-pull final stages.
Architecturally, the MRF7S18170HR3 uses an enhancement-mode lateral structure that simplifies biasing by eliminating the need for a negative gate supply. The ceramic NI-880H-2L flange provides low thermal resistance from junction to heatsink, allowing continuous-wave RF operation at the rated 50 W output. Integrated ESD protection and high breakdown voltage improve field reliability in base-station environments.
Typical applications include CDMA2000 and WCDMA macro-cell base-station power amplifiers, multicarrier driver amplifiers, and broadband industrial RF generators. The 1.81 GHz tuning point also covers the 1800 MHz DCS band, making the part flexible for European cellular deployments.
When designing with this part, ensure the heatsink interface uses thermal compound and that the flange-mount screws are torqued to the datasheet specification to minimize thermal resistance. Input/output matching networks should be designed for the 50 Ω test condition; mismatch beyond 5:1 VSWR requires verifying the device remains within its SOA envelope.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing, parametric alternatives, and application guidance not consolidated in the manufacturer datasheet, and is organized for engineers selecting RF power transistors for cellular infrastructure.
Drop-in alternatives for MRF7S18170HR3 — same package, pin-to-pin compatible. Different-package parts requiring PCB rework are excluded.
Variants in this series
Same-series models that are drop-in compatible with MRF7S18170HR3 (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Configuration, Lead Free Status, Mounting Type, Package, Technology.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
MRF7S19170HR3
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
MRF7S18170HSR3
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
MRF7S18170HR5
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ Specs Unverified📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
MRF7S19080HR3
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$36.2 / Unit
View Datasheet →MRF7S18170HR3 Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Transistor Type | LDMOS, N-Channel Enhancement-Mode Lateral MOSFET |
| Technology | RF Power Field Effect Transistor |
| Configuration | Single, Common Source |
| Drain-Source Voltage (Vds) Rated | 65 V |
| Test Drain Voltage (Vdd) | 28 V |
| Test Drain Current (Idq) | 1.4 A |
| Output Power (Pout) | 50 W |
| Power Gain | 17.5 dB at 1.81 GHz |
| Operating Frequency | 1.805 GHz to 1.88 GHz |
| Package | NI-880H-2L (ceramic, metal-sealed cofired, flange mount) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount / Flange Mount |
| Application Class | Class AB, Class C amplifier |
| Target Application | CDMA and multicarrier base station amplifiers |
| Lead Free Status | Yes (per datasheet) |
MRF7S18170HR3 Pin Configuration
| Pin 1 | GATE — RF input / gate bias |
| Pin 2 | DRAIN — RF output / drain supply (28 V) |
| Pin 3 | FLANGE / SOURCE — RF ground and DC source return; bolt to heatsink |
Safe Operating Area (DC, pulsed RF)
Typical Applications
MRF7S18170HR3 is suitable for 6 applications: CDMA2000 Macro-Cell Base Station PA, WCDMA / UMTS Multicarrier Driver Amplifier, DCS1800 Base Station Final Stage, Broadband Industrial RF Generator, Doherty Amplifier Final Stage, Public-Safety / Private Land Mobile Radio Repeater.
CDMA2000 Macro-Cell Base Station PA
The MRF7S18170HR3 is purpose-built for the CDMA2000 1.81 GHz macro-cell base-station final stage, where 50 W Pout and 17.5 dB gain at 28 V Vdd directly meet the per-carrier power and linearity budget of a three-sector cell site. Operating in Class AB, the device supports the multicarrier drive requirements of 1xEV-DO networks while keeping intermodulation products low enough for adjacent-channel leakage compliance. Its NI-880H-2L ceramic flange provides the thermal headroom required for continuous duty at 50 W into a 5:1 VSWR mismatch, which is a common field condition at tower-top remote-radio-head installations.
Recommended
WCDMA / UMTS Multicarrier Driver Amplifier
In a WCDMA or UMTS multicarrier driver stage, the MRF7S18170HR3's 50 W output and 17.5 dB gain allow it to drive a higher-power final LDMOS stage or to serve directly as the final in a small-cell or pico-cell radio. The 65 V drain breakdown provides ample headroom above the 28 V rail for crest-factor peaks of wideband CDMA signals, while the lateral N-channel LDMOS structure minimizes memory effects that would otherwise distort the envelope of high-PAPR waveforms. Class AB bias preserves the linearity required for 3GPP adjacent-channel leakage ratio masks.
Recommended
DCS1800 Base Station Final Stage
The 1.805–1.88 GHz tuning range of the MRF7S18170HR3 covers the full DCS1800 downlink band, making it a candidate for European macro-cell base-station final stages where DCS is still deployed alongside UMTS900 and LTE1800. Its 17.5 dB gain and 50 W Pout allow direct drive of the antenna feed network in a single-stage PA, reducing bill-of-material count and PCB area. The Class AB bias point supports linear EDGE modulation if the operator requires a software-upgrade path without swapping the RF transistor.
Recommended
Broadband Industrial RF Generator
Outside the cellular band, the MRF7S18170HR3 can be retuned for broadband industrial RF generation up to roughly 1000 MHz, where its 50 W CW rating and rugged LDMOS construction suit plasma excitation, RF heating, and dielectric welding applications. The 65 V breakdown and high VSWR tolerance allow operation into poorly matched industrial loads without the device latching off or destroying itself. Heat dissipation is straightforward because the NI-880H-2L flange bolts directly to a heatsink or cold plate in an industrial chassis.
Recommended
Doherty Amplifier Final Stage
The MRF7S18170HR3 is well-suited as the main or peaking device in a 1.8 GHz Doherty amplifier, where high back-off efficiency and linear output power are required for LTE and 5G NR signals with high peak-to-average ratios. The 50 W CW rating provides the headroom needed for the peaking amplifier to deliver its peak power while the main amplifier idles at the Class AB quiescent point. The NI-880H-2L package supports the symmetrical input/output splitting required for the 90-degree offset line in the Doherty combiner.
Recommended
Public-Safety / Private Land Mobile Radio Repeater
The 1.81 GHz band is also used in some private land mobile radio (PLMR) and public-safety repeater networks, where the MRF7S18170HR3's 50 W output delivers the link-budget margin required to cover large geographic areas from a single high-site repeater. The LDMOS ruggedness into high VSWR handles the antenna mismatch that occurs when repeater antennas are co-located with commercial cellular antennas. The ceramic NI-880 flange provides the long-term reliability demanded by always-on public-safety infrastructure.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for MRF7S18170HR3 — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | MRF7S19170HR3 | MRF7S18170HSR3 | MRF7S18170HR5 | MRF7S19080HR3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Package | NI-880H-2L (ceramic, flange mount) | NI-880H-2L - same | NI-880H-2L - same | NI-880H-2L - same | NI-880H-2L - same |
| Brand | NXP Semiconductors | NXP Semiconductors | NXP Semiconductors (Freescale legacy) | NXP Semiconductors | NXP Semiconductors |
| Output Power | 50 W | 50 W | 50 W | 50 W | ~30 W (lower power class) |
| Test Frequency | 1.81 GHz | 1.9 GHz | 1.81 GHz | 1.81 GHz | 1.9 GHz |
| Power Gain | 17.5 dB | 17 dB (typical) | 17.5 dB | 17.5 dB | 16 dB (typical) |
| Drain Voltage (Vdd) | 28 V | 28 V | 28 V | 28 V | 28 V |
| Vds Breakdown | 65 V | 65 V | 65 V | 65 V | 65 V |
| Lead Configuration | Right-formed leads (HR3 suffix) | Right-formed leads | Straight leads | Right-formed leads | Right-formed leads |
Key Differentiators
- Tuned for 1.81 GHz CDMA2000 with 50 W Pout (vs MRF7S19080HR3)
- NXP / Freescale single-source pedigree with mature reference circuits (vs Generic RF LDMOS competitor)
- Right-formed leads for high-volume pick-and-place assembly (vs MRF7S18170HSR3 (straight leads))
Design Notes
The NI-880H-2L ceramic flange must be bolted to a heatsink or cold plate with a thin layer of thermal compound to keep junction temperature within the datasheet rating at 50 W continuous RF output. Estimated: with Pdiss ~ 35 W at 28 V Vdd and 50 W Pout (drain efficiency ~ 60%), and assuming theta_JC of about 0.3 C/W from the NXP MRF7S-family datasheet, the junction-to-flange temperature rise is roughly 10 C. Designers should verify final thermal resistance in their specific heatsink and mounting assembly.
The NI-880H-2L package is a flange-mount device, not a true SMD. The PCB should carry a cut-out under the package so the flange can sit flush against a chassis-mounted heatsink. RF input and output traces should use 50 Ω microstrip or stripline on the chosen PCB laminate (typically RO4003 or RO4350B for 1.8 GHz), and the gate and drain leads should be bonded or soldered with the shortest possible lead length to minimize parasitic inductance.
Input and output matching networks should be designed for the 1.81 GHz test condition with the device presented as a common-source amplifier. Maintain at least 3 W of gate-bias decoupling (10 uF + 100 nF + 1 nF) as close to the gate lead as possible to prevent low-frequency oscillation. Keep the gate-bias feed network isolated from the RF input trace by at least 20 dB of low-pass filtering. Output matching should include a 2nd-harmonic trap to maximize drain efficiency in Doherty operation.
Do not exceed Vds = 65 V even under transient output-mismatch conditions; add a drain-voltage clamp or foldback current limit in the power supply to absorb load-pull transients. The MRF7S18170HR3 is enhancement-mode, so the gate must be biased positive (typically +2 to +3 V) before drain voltage is applied, otherwise the device will not conduct and the supply will see no soft-start. Avoid operating below Idq ~ 100 mA in Class AB, as the gain and IM3 performance degrade rapidly.
Compliance Information
Lead-free status confirmed by datasheet per NXP / Freescale product page. RoHS, REACH, halogen-free, and conflict-minerals declarations were not present in the verified web data and are marked as unknown. AEC-Q100 is not applicable: this is a discrete RF power transistor for cellular base-station infrastructure, not an automotive-qualified IC.
