Microwaves & RF articles from August 2005

Microwaves & RF archives from August 2005

Photo correction.(feedback)(Correction Notice)
August 1, 2005... IN THE JUNE 2005 issue of M-RF Product Quarterly, our client, Tampa Microwave, saw that their LNB press release ran with the product photo of Tampa's MiniSatSim.Would it be possible to run a correction? Christine Brate Project Manager...

LNB downconverts 7.27-to-7.75-GHz band.(feedback)
August 1, 2005... Model LNB-6300-50-112A is a low-noise block (LNB) downconverter designed for X-band satellite-communications applications. It translates input frequencies from 7.27 to 7.75 GHz to output frequencies from 950 to 1450 MHz. It operates with a...

EM analysis tools are now mainstream.(from the editor)
August 1, 2005... JUST A DECADE AGO, electromagnetic (EM) software simulation tools were still making their way from the university to the engineer's workstation or personal computer. In that relatively short time, however, EM software tools have evolved from...

Semiconductor market expansion slows down.(industry forecasts)
August 1, 2005... EL SEGUNDO, CA -- According to a report from iSuppli Corp.'s Byron Wu, China's semiconductor market is facing a number of significant challenges that are slowing its rate of growth. In the first half of 2004, iSuppli noted strong shipment...

Advanced signal processing is studied for UK's MoD.(United Kingdom. Ministry of Defence)(defense contracts)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... NEWPORT, ISLE OF WIGHT, UK -- RF Engines Ltd. (RFEL) has been contracted by the Naval Systems Department of Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), an agency of the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD), to carry out a study into advanced...

Two firms team up for new product development.(micro electronics)(Avo Photonics)
August 1, 2005... VISTA, CA -- Palomar Technologies, a firm involved in equipment design and process development for precision microelectronic assembly, has successfully collaborated with Avo Photonics, a company in the field of RF and optical packaging...

QUALCOMM sues Broadcom for patent infringement.(patent infringement)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... SAN DIEGO, CA -- QUALCOMM, Inc. has filed suit against Broadcom Corp. in federal court in San Diego for infringement of seven QUALCOMM patents. QUALCOMM's lawsuit asserts infringement of patents that are "essential" to the manufacture or use of...

Rockwell Collins is awarded Phase 2 of USAF GEMS program.(defense contracts)(United States. Air Force)(Ground Element Minimum System)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... CEDAR RAPIDS, IA -- Rockwell Collins has been selected by the US Air Force as the prime contractor for Phase 2 of the Ground Element Minimum Essential Emergency Communications Network (MEECN) System (GEMS) program. The total program value is...

Myrtle Beach, SC--AVX Corp., a manufacturer of passive components, has received a first-year Partners in Performance award from Celestica, a firm involved in electronics manufacturing services (EMS).(Kudos)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... MYRTLE BEACH, SC -- AVX Corp., a manufacturer of passive components, has received a first-year Partners in Performance award from Celestica, a firm involved in electronics manufacturing services (EMS). This is the sixth time that AVX has been...

Smyrna, GA--Murata Electronics North America, a supplier of ceramic passive components, announced that it has received a third-year Partners in Performance award from Celestica for its contribution to the company in 2004.(Kudos)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... SMYRNA, GA -- Murata Electronics North America, a supplier of ceramic passive components, announced that it has received a third-year Partners in Performance award from Celestica for its contribution to the company in 2004. Murata also received...

San Diego, CA--Information Systems Laboratories (ISL), a provider of science and engineering solutions to defense, intelligence, and commercial problems, announced that Dr. Michael Stowe, ISL's president and CEO, is the San Diego recipient of the Entrepreneur of the Year with regard to Software/Information Technology.(Kudos)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... SAN DIEGO, CA -- Information Systems Laboratories (ISL), a provider of science and engineering solutions to defense, intelligence, and commercial problems, announced that Dr. Michael Stowe, ISL's president and CEO, is the San Diego recipient of...

Greensboro, NC--RF Micro Devices, Inc., a provider of proprietary RF integrated circuits (RF ICs) for wireless-communications applications, announced that it has commenced production shipments of CDMA power-amplifier (PA) modules to Samsung Electronics.(Kudos)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... GREENSBORO, NC -- RF Micro Devices, Inc., a provider of proprietary RF integrated circuits (RF ICs) for wireless-communications applications, announced that it has commenced production shipments of CDMA power-amplifier (PA) modules to Samsung...

Palm City, FL--Florida RS Technology (FLRST) announced that it has received ISO 9001-2000 certification.(certification from International Management Systems)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... PALM CITY, FL -- Florida RS Technology (FLRST) announced that it has received ISO 9001-2000 certification from International Management Systems.

Richardson, TX--Michael C. Shores, president and CEO of Texas Prototypes, Inc. (TXP), has been honored as a finalist for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year[R] 2005.(Kudos)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... RICHARDSON, TX -- Michael C. Shores, president and CEO of Texas Prototypes, Inc. (TXP), has been honored as a finalist for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year[R] 2005 in the Southwest Area in the Realizing Business Potential Award...

Lowell, MA--M/A-COM, a business unit of Tyco Electronics and a provider of of wireless RF, microwave, and millimeter-wave components and systems, was recently acknowledged by the Massachusetts Toxics Use Reduction Institute (TURI) and a collection of Massachusetts state representatives and senators.(semiconductor devices)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... LOWELL, MA -- M/A-COM, a business unit of Tyco Electronics and a provider of of wireless RF, microwave, and millimeter-wave components and systems, was recently acknowledged by the Massachusetts Toxics Use Reduction Institute (TURI) and a...

Carlsbad, CA--Palomar Technologies announced that it has received the 2005 Editors' Choice Best Product Award.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... CARLSBAD, CA -- Palomar Technologies announced that it has received the 2005 Editors' Choice Best Product Award. The annual award is given by Semiconductor International magazine for semiconductor manufacturing excellence. Palomar won the award...

Los Altos, CA--Provigent, Inc., a provider of system-on-a-chip (SoC) solutions for broadband wireless transmission, has been chosen as featured fabless start-up in the March issue of Fabless Forum, the quarterly magazine of the FSA.(Provigent, Inc)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... LOS ALTOS, CA -- Provigent, Inc., a provider of system-on-a-chip (SoC) solutions for broadband wireless transmission, has been chosen as featured fabless start-up in the March issue of Fabless Forum, the quarterly magazine of the FSA. Provigent...

EM simulators reveal contents of crystal ball: although they cannot handle every problem, EM simulators of various forms and functions are enhancing their ability to analyze and solve design problems.(NEWS: EM SIMULATOR SURVEY)(Electromagnetic simulators)
August 1, 2005... Electromagnetic (EM) simulators are fundamentally computer software tools that are used for microwave analysis, design, and optimization. Their existence has provided RF and high-speed digital designers with the resources needed to confront...

Subassembly integrates isolator, mixer, and filter.(editor's choice)
August 1, 2005... SYSTEM INTEGRATORS who need a complete isolator, mixer, and filter assembly have a new option in the MI80HS. This subassembly combines individual input and output isolators, a double-balanced mixer, and a bandpass filter. It offers RF and...

Vector Network Analyzer boasts eight ports.(editor's choice)
August 1, 2005... A NEW VECTOR NETWORK ANALYZER (VNA) vows to make it easier to measure multiport and balanced devices with high accuracy and wide dynamic range over a measurement range of 300 kHz to 8 GHz. At each of its eight test ports, the ZVT8 has a...

RF connectors perform through 100 GHz.(editor's choice)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... DEMANDS FOR increased packaging density, low mass, and increased performance at higher frequencies have spawned the 100 Series connectors. This high-density blindmate, microwave interconnect system offers performance through 100 GHz. The...

Testbench shows impact of RF link impairments.(editor's choice)(Code Division Multiple Access 2000)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... HIGH-FREQUENCY product developers have gained a new hope in the Code Division Multiple Access 2000 (cdma2000) testbench for the Visual System Simulator (VSS) design suite. This computer-aided-engineering (CAE) software testbench allows RF...

Wired-gear market will see rise.(industry forecasts)
August 1, 2005... ACCORDING TO A report from iSuppli Corp.'s (www.isuppli.com) Steve Rago, strengthening fundamentals in the telecommunications market are spurring an acceleration of shipments of wired-communications equipment starting in the second half of...

C-MAC Micro Technology.(contract with Galileo Avionica)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... C-MAC Micro Technology--Has won a major contract, expected to be worth around 8 million UK pounds (approximately $14 million US) over the next five years, from Galileo Avionica to supply high-speed microelectronic and electro-optical modules...

Information Systems Laboratories.(CONTRACTS)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Information Systems Laboratories--Announced that it has been awarded the SeaPort Enhanced (SeaPort-e) prime contract from the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Dahlgren, VA. SeaPort-e is a Multiple Award (MAC), Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite...

Symmetricon, Inc.(Advanced Technology Atomic Frequency Standard by Department of Defense )(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Symmetricon, Inc.--Has been selected as a supplier for the Advanced Technology Atomic Frequency Standard (ATAFS) program, sponsored by the Department of Defense (DoD) Joint Program Office (JPO). The ATAFS program will support development of the...

TestMart.(Blanket Purchase Agreement by Government Services Administration )(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... TestMart--Was awarded a Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) by the US Government to supply Government Services Administration (GSA) Schedule test equipment to multiple agencies. The agreement was launched with an order to provide up to $4 million...

Agilent Technologies, Inc.(CONTRACTS)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Agilent Technologies, Inc.--Has been awarded a $1.4 million contract by the US Air Force to provide Agilent N1906A-E05 transmission-line and antenna cable tests (TACTS) for characterizing B-2A aircraft RF communications cabling and antennas.

Aeroflex, Inc.(order from SGS International Certification Services)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Aeroflex, Inc.--Announced that it has won a multimillion-dollar order from SGS, an inspection, verification, testing, and certification company. The order, which is expected to be performed over a two-month period, is for a comprehensive suite...

Hittite Microwave Corp.(FRESH STARTS)(initial public offering )(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Hittite Microwave Corp.--Announced the pricing of its initial public offering of 4.500,000 shares of its common stock at $17.00 per share. Hittite is offering 2,700,000 shares of common stock and the selling stockholders are offering 1,800,000...

Mimix Broadband, Inc.(FRESH STARTS)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Mimix Broadband, Inc.--Announced that it had completed the purchase of substantially all of Celeritek's assets. The purchase price was $2.8 million in cash, plus the assumption of approximately $6 million in liabilities. Mimix also...

W.L. Gore & Associates, Inc.(FRESH STARTS)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... W.L. Gore & Associates, Inc.--GORE[TM] VNA and PHASEFLEX[R] Microwave Test Assemblies are now available for purchase online. GORE VNA assemblies are recommended for use when making very precise measurements, while GORE PHASEFLEX Assemblies are...

Fluke Corp.(FRESH STARTS)(acquired LEM Instruments)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Fluke Corp.--Announced that it has acquired LEM Instruments, a division of LEM Group. LEM Instruments is a European manufacturer of test and measurement equipment including analyzers and systems for power quality applications, earth/ground...

Fujitsu Microelectronics America, Inc. and MiTAC Technology Corp..--Announced that MiTAC will use the Fujitsu WiMAX System on a Chip (SoC) to develop and manufacture MiTAC's WiMAX Customer Premise Equipment (CPE).(FRESH STARTS)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Fujitsu Microelectronics America, Inc. and MiTAC Technology Corp.--Announced that MiTAC will use the Fujitsu WiMAX System on a Chip (SoC) to develop and manufacture MiTAC's WiMAX Customer Premise Equipment (CPE). Fujitsu has shipped its WEiMAX...

Elcoteq Network Corp.(FRESH STARTS)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Elcoteq Network Corp.--Opened the Elcoteq Engineering Service Center (ESC) in Richardson, TX on June 28, 2005. The mission of the center is to provide customers an on-going source of state-of-the-art assembly and new product introduction (NPI)...

Raytheon JPS names Kist as their new president.(Carl Kist)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Raytheon JPS Communications has appointed CARL KIST as its president, effective August 1, 2005. Prior to joining JPS in Raleigh, NC, Kist was based in Goleta, CA served as CFO for Precision Technologies & Components and Raytheon Vision Systems....

Alvarion Ltd.(appointed Mariana Goldhamer)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Alvarion Ltd.--MARIANA GOLDHAMER to chair of the IEEE 802.16h Task Group; continues as Alvarion's director of strategic technologies.

Silicon Border Development.(Octavio Garza appointed)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Silicon Border Development--OCTAVIO GARZA to vice president of business development and administration; formerly employed at Sony Electronics Corp. in strategic planning and administration positions.

Park Electrochemical Corp.(Anthony W. Digaudio, John C. Weidner and Jim Stewart appointed)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Park Electrochemical Corp.--ANTHONY W. DIGAUDIO to vice president of sales; formerly vice president of quality. Also, JOHN C. WEIDNER to president of Neltec Europe SAS, Park's printed-circuits materials business unit located in Mirebeau,...

ADAPTIX, Inc.(Dan Frydenlund appointed)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... ADAPTIX, Inc.--DAN FRYDENLUND to CFO; formerly managing director of the Strum Group, Inc.

ABI Research.(Eric Mantion appointed)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... ABI Research--ERIC MANTION to principal analyst; formerly senior analyst at In-Stat.

FKI Logistex.(Paul Swietinski and Glen Chambers appointed)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... FKI Logistex--GLEN CHAMBERS to regional director for the Canadian operation of FKI's North American Manufacturing Systems unit; formerly employed with General Conveyor. Also, PAUL SWIETLINSKI to business development manager for the Canadian...

Northrup Grumman Corp.(appointed Frank W. Moore as director)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Northrup Grumman Corp.--FRANK W. MOORE to director of communications for the Information Technology (IT) sector; formerly corporate director of media relations.

Xpedion Design Systems, Inc.(appointed Dr. Henry Chang and Dr. Ken Kundert)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Xpedion Design Systems, Inc.--DR. HENRY CHANG to the technical advisory board; formerly an architect at Cadence. Also, DR. KEN KUNDERT to chairman of the technical advisory board.

Geotest-Marvin Test Systems, Inc.(appointed Robin Jacoby )(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Geotest-Marvin Test Systems, Inc.--ROBIN JACOBY to Northeastern regional sales manager; formerly director of US sales with Wireless Telecom Group, where he was responsible for sales-channel management for the Boonton Electronics and Noise/Com...

FOCUS Enhancements, Inc.(appointed Mark Zadeh as vice president )(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... FOCUS Enhancements, Inc.--MARK ZADEH to vice president of sales for the Semiconductor Group; formerly director of sales and business development at Planar Systems, Inc.

Keystone Electronics Corp.(appointed Joseph J. Schmalzried)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Keystone Electronics Corp.--JOSEPH J. SCHMALZRIED to the position of regional manager; formerly director of materials for Bisco Industries in electronics parts distributions.

Indium Corp.(appointed Christopher Nash )
August 1, 2005... Indium Corp.--CHRISTOPHER NASH to account specialist for inside sales.

Peregrine Semiconductor.(appointed Brian Hurst)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Peregrine Semiconductor--BRIAN HURST to vice president of worldwide sales; formerly vice president of worldwide sales and marketing at Anadigics.

Toshiba America.(appointed Vincent J. Giovinco)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Toshiba America--VINCENT J. GIOVINCO to national sales manager for the ME/FA Group; formerly president at ELMO USA Corp.

Short courses.(calendar)(Brief Article)(Calendar)
August 1, 2005... Besser Associates Short Courses RFID Made Simple November 14-15 (Dallas, TX) Applied RF Techniques I November 14-18 (Dallas, TX) February 27-March 3, 2006 (San Diego, CA) Production Testing of RF and SOC Devices for...

Meetings.(education)(Calendar)
August 1, 2005... 31st European Conference and Exhibition on Optical Communication September 25-29 (Glasgow, Scotland) Scottish Exhibition Conference Centre (SECC) Exhibition: September 26-28 For further information, contact: Highbury Business Media House...

Scissors antenna promises ultrawideband performance.(transmission technologies)
August 1, 2005... ULTRAWIDEBAND COMMUNICATIONS promises high-data-rate capabilities at low power levels. But before effective UWB systems can be developed, reliable components, including antennas must be designed and tested. One of the new antenna designs...

Parallel feedback pushes CMOS low-noise amplifier to 23 GHz.(R&D roundup)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... SILICON CMOS TECHNOLOGY continues to make great strides in achieving bandwidths once handled by GaAs technology. B.M. Frank and coworkers from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering of Queens University (Kingston, Canada) have...

Transformer feedback cuts power use in low-voltage CMOS VCO.(R&D roundup)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... LOW-POWER VOLTAGE-CONTROLLED OSCLLATORS (VCOS) are valuable components in radio front ends and other high-frequency applications. To minimize power consumption in a CMOS VCO design, KaChun Kwok and Howard C. Luong of the Department of...

Biconical antenna scans 4.8 to 5.8 GHz: this practical biconical dipole antenna can be used as a reference for testing across the 4.8-to-5.8-GHz band, notably for IEEE 802.11a wireless local-area networks (WLANs).(transmission technologies)
August 1, 2005... Biconical dipole antennas can provide uniform omni-directional gain in the horizontal plane and slowly varying gain with elevation across a wide frequency range. This antenna configuration was chosen for a wideband reference antenna capable of...

Gauge wideband LO noise in passive Tx/Rx mixers: a single parameter can be used to evaluate the effect of wideband LO buffer amplifier noise on the performance of passive upconverter and downconverter mixer ICs.(transmission technologies)
August 1, 2005... Passive integrated-circuit (IC) mixers are widely used in cellular base-station transceivers because of their low noise and outstanding linearity. Suitable for both downconversion in receivers and upconversion in transmitters, these mixers...

Avoiding re-spins with a design flow for RF SoC development.(semiconductor devices)
August 1, 2005... ADVANCED MIXED-SIGNAL/RF CMOS semiconductors are working to meet the wireless industry's demands for lower cost, lighter weight, and longer battery life. The resulting system-on-achip (SoC) solutions merge complex digital circuitry,...

Using RF CMOS SOI attenuators for wireless applications.(application notes)(CMOS SOI HRF-AT4521)
August 1, 2005... SILICON-ON-INSULATOR (SOI) technology comprises a thin layer of silicon that is developed on an insulating substrate. Traditionally, this process reduces the amount of electrical charge that must be moved by the transistor during switching. In...

Synthetic instruments tackle military testing: these initial products hint at the flexibility, versatility, and cost savings that can be achieved in military test systems through the use of the synthetic-instrument (SI) concept.(Company Profile)
August 1, 2005... Synthetic instruments (SI) promise a flexible, cost-effective future for military systems testing. These modular function blocks can be combined under the command of different software engines to perform all of the functions currently offered...

InGaP gain blocks boost 0.1 to 6.0 GHz: these extremely broadband Darlington amplifiers can be used unmatched for a wide range of applications, or output matched for continuous-frequency requirements.(PRODUCT technology: GAIN BLOCKS)(Heterojunction bipolar transistor)
August 1, 2005... Gain blocks are invaluable "amplitude adjustment" devices for a wide range of circuits and systems. Since such gain blocks are often used in broadband applications, Celeritek (Santa Clara, CA) has added two extremely broadband devices to its...

RF chip sets support 802.16d/e front ends: these 2.5- and 3.5-GHz chip sets provide multiple duplex modes while a 5.8-GHz offering includes both the RF and IF transceivers.(radio frequency )
August 1, 2005... Broadband wireless market forecasts predict huge opportunities, despite the fact that sales are still modest. To give the broadband market a boost, Texas Instruments (Dallas, TX) recently introduced three RF chip sets that fully comply with...

Divider handles 5 W average power.(new products)
August 1, 2005... MODEL D3225 two-way Wilkinson divider covers the full 225-to-2500-MHz range in a package size of 2.6 x 1.0 x 0.375 in. (plus SMA connectors). The unit is designed to operate at 5 W average input power with the power divider terminated with...

High-power loads are available in 250- and 500-W models.(new products)
August 1, 2005... CTN SERIES loads are available in 250- and 500-W models and provide return loss across all bands for DC to 3 GHz, making them suitable for many base-station and in-building wireless-system applications. Both models feature N-Male connectors and...

Mini satellite simulator solves satellite accessibility challenges.(new products)
August 1, 2005... THE MINI SATELLITE SIMULATOR is a single-band simulator that provides a comprehensive, flexible, and economical alternative to costly leased time on an orbiting spacecraft. The MSS Series Mini Satellite Simulator (Mini SatSim) can accept input...

Microstrip isolator suits defense and space apps.(new products)
August 1, 2005... THE MODEL D9A8031 is a Ka-Band microstrip isolator featuring an ultra-miniature design that is suitable for defense and space applications. Typical electrical specifications of the Model D9A8031 include: insertion loss of 18 dB. ...

1.3-GHz radio meets demands of military users.(new products)
August 1, 2005... THIS 1.3-GHZ SYSTEM transmits on a frequency range of 1.350 to 1.390 GHz. The spreading method can be configured as either frequency hopping or fixed frequency. This technology features 32-b CRC error detection with automatic retransmission,...

SiGe mixer works for 2.5G and 3G base stations.(new products)
August 1, 2005... THE MAX2031 is a fully integrated, 815-to-1000-MHz SiGe passive mixer. This single IC provides 36 dBm of IIP3, 27 dBm of IP1dB, 7 dB of noise figure, and a conversion loss of 7 dB. The MAX2031 is suitable for 815-to-1000-MHz WCDMA,...

Looking back.
August 1, 2005... NEARLY 37 YEARS AGO, a Special Report on the Vietnam War described how random-orbit satellites were being used to establish space-based relay links between command posts in Vietnam and other points around the world.