The HMC278MS8G is a 100mW GaAs MMIC medium power amplifier covering 1.7 to 3 GHz. The device is packaged in a low cost, surface mount 8 lead MSOP plastic package with an exposed base paddle for improved RF ground and thermal dissipation. The self-biased amplifier provides 21 dB of gain and +20 dBm P1dB output power while operating from a single positive supply of Vdd= +5V @ 130 mA. At Vdd = +3V the gain is 19 dB with a P1dB of +16dBm. With RF I/Os matched to 50 Ohm, external component requirements are minimal. At a height of 0.040" (1.0mm), the MSOP8 package is ideal for low profile portable wireless devices. Use the HMC278MS8G with the HMC309MS8 integrated LNA/TxRx switch front-end for BLUETOOTH Class I, HomeRF, 802.11 WLAN, and ISM 2.4 GHz radios.