Microwaves & RF articles from August 2007

Microwaves & RF archives from August 2007

Title correction.(feedback)(Correction notice)
August 1, 2007... THANKS FOR THE opportunity to get on the June cover. The cover and the article ("Single Chip Holds WiMAX Transceiver," June 2007, p. 96) look great. There was one error in the article that I'd like to correct. My title is actually "Director,...

Claire Wainwright.(feedback)(Letter to the editor)
August 1, 2007... THANKS FOR A VERY NICE article about my dad ("The Odyssey Of Claire Wainwright," Editorial, June 2007, p. 17). We're all very proud of him, and he would've loved this article. Wendy Swenson Claire Wainwright's oldest daughter Jack...

Living life like a Microwave Legend.(from the editor)(Obituary)
August 1, 2007... Microwave Legends are made, not born. This year, the list of notable people, places, and things that have made their contributions to this industry has grown through the addition of five outstanding figures (see p. 44). Each lived life with...

China's Mobile navigation market to grow more than 10-fold by 2011.(the front end)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... EL SEGUNDO, CA--Because of strong demand for navigation services from Chinese consumers, manufacturers in the nation are developing handsets supporting the Global Positioning System (GPS). Meanwhile, wireless service operators see navigation as...

Wi-Fi muscling in on RFID's location-based services markets.(the front end)(radiorequency identification)(wireless fidelity)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... NEW YORK, NY--The large and growing installed base of Wi-Fi equipment means new opportunities for using Wi-Fi in unorthodox ways. One of the most interesting is the growing trend toward using Wi-Fi to provide real-time location services (RTLS)...

Software-defined radio may play key role in BWA market.(the front end)(broadband wireless access)
August 1, 2007... DENVER, CO--With users wanting seamless access to emerging triple-play services--voice, data/Web, and video--in all of their wire-line and wireless subscriptions, broadband appears to be the next big growth market in telecommunications. And...

Kudos.(the front end)
August 1, 2007... CLEVELAND, OH--Keithley Instruments, Inc. announced that it has received the Texas Instruments (TI) 2006 Supplier Excellence Award. The annual award honors firms whose dedication and commitment in supplying products and services meet TI's high...

Crystal oscillators keep time in communications systems; The rapid evolution of military-electronics systems and commercial wireless communications has created expansive opportunities for crystal oscillators.(News Report)
August 1, 2007... Reference oscillators are the heartbeat of many electronics systems, as they are counted upon to keep precise time. It is largely due to advances in crystal oscillators that radio communications became possible and practical during World War...

Millimeter-wave components aim for broad bandwidths; Growing use of millimeter waves for communications, imaging, and automotive radars are providing increasing opportunities for component and test-equipment manufacturers.(News Report)
August 1, 2007... Millimeter-wave frequencies offer a "new frontier" for communications. Realizing the overcrowding taking place at RF and microwave frequencies, the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and other regulatory agencies have looked...

Microwave Legends; Through their insightful creativity and research, these five historical figures shaped and in many ways spawned the microwave industry.(News Report)
August 1, 2007... In recognition of last August's 45th anniversary of Microwaves & RF, the magazine's editors came out with a list of the industry's top 45 "Microwave Legends." That list comprised the people, places, and products or technologies that had made...

Mobile business services to see big profits.(financialnews)
August 1, 2007... Mobile e-mail, sales-force automation tools, mapping applications, and Internet access--these are all mobile data applications and services that make business customers more efficient and improve their work quality. According to a report from...

Anaren, Inc.(CONTRACTS)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... Anaren, Inc--Has received a contract valued in excess of $11.0 million dollars from Northrop Grumman Corp., located in Baltimore, MD, for Integrated Ferrite Assemblies used in the S-Band radar, which is part of the Mission Equipment for the...

QUALCOMM, Inc. and Exoteq Aps.(CONTRACTS)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... QUALCOMM, Inc. and Exoteq Aps--Announced that the companies have signed a new, commercial OFDM/OFDMA license agreement. Under the terms of the worldwide, royalty-bearing agreement, QUALCOMM has granted Exoteq a patent license to develop,...

GigaBeam Corp.(FRESH STARTS)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... GigaBeam Corp.--Has officially relocated its headquarters to a new facility. GigaBeam's new address and contact information is: Giga-Beam Corp., Inc., 4021 Stirrup Creek Dr., Durham, NC 27703.

ANADIGICS, Inc.(FRESH STARTS)(revenue report)(Financial report)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... ANADIGICS, Inc.--Reported record quarterly second-quarter 2007 net sales of $53.9 million, an increase of 8.7 percent compared with net sales of $49.6 million in the prior quarter, and an increase of 37 percent compared to net sales of $39.3...

RFMW Ltd.(FRESH STARTS)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... RFMW Ltd.--Has moved to a new office. The new address of the company is 90 Great Oaks Blvd., Suite 107, San Jose, CA 95119. The phone and fax numbers as well as the e-mail addresses will remain the same.

Nujira.(FRESH STARTS)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... Nujira--Announced plans for the expansion of its activities in Japan and China. Nujira is establishing a dedicated facility in Japan to enhance the sales and technical support it can offer to its Japanese customers. At the same time, the...

Ansoft Corp.(FRESH STARTS)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... Ansoft Corp.--Announced a strategic partnership with ZTE Corp., China's largest listed telecommunications-equipment provider of customized network solutions for telecom carriers worldwide. Using Ansoft signal-and power-integrity analysis...

G.T. Microwave, Inc.(FRESH STARTS)(Reese Associates, Inc.)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... G.T. Microwave, Inc.--Announced the appointment of a domestic representative, Reese Associates, Inc., to cover Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas.

RF Micro Devices, Inc.(FRESH STARTS)(business expansion)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... RF Micro Devices, Inc.--Announced a major expansion at its Beijing, China. The expansion includes increased assembly capacity and the addition of new advanced capabilities. The expansion is expected to support RFMD's POLARIS[TM] 3 RF solution,...

IRC Advanced Film Division.(FRESH STARTS)
August 1, 2007... IRC Advanced Film Division--Has released a high-frequency products catalog. IRC's family of line terminators and attenuators include both chip and flanged high-power RF and microwave devices. To view the catalog, download the PDF from the...

API Delevan.(FRESH STARTS)(USI Electronics )(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... API Delevan--Appointed USI Electronics of Fort Lauderdale, FL as a franchised distributor for the company's full line of military products.

Plexus Corp.(FRESH STARTS)(revenue report)(Financial report)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... Plexus Corp.--Revenue for the fiscal third quarter ended June 30, 2007 was $380 million with diluted GAAP EPS of $0.33, including $0.02 per share of stock-option expense. Plexus established fiscal fourth-quarter revenue guidance of $425 to...

QUALCOMM, Inc.(FRESH STARTS)(revenue report)(Financial report)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... QUALCOMM, Inc.--Announced record results for the third quarter of fiscal 2007 ended July 1, 2007. Revenues were $2.33 billion, up 19 percent year-overyear and 5 percent sequentially. Net income was $798 million, up 24 percent...

Newtec appoints Warreyn as VP for Worldwide Sales.(people)(Kris Warreyn)
August 1, 2007... Newtec announced that it has named KRIS WARREYN as vice president for worldwide sales. Prior to joining Newtec, Kris Warreyn was the general manager of the French branch of Scientific Atlanta and the sales director for Southern Europe and...

Short courses.(education)
August 1, 2007... R.A. Wood Associates Short Courses Introductory RF and Microwaves September 10-11 (Syracuse, NY) November 5-6 (Philadelphia, PA) RF and Microwave Receiver Design September 12-14 (Syracuse, NY) November 7-9...

Meetings.(education)
August 1, 2007... Printed Electronics Asia 07 September 10-11 (Tokyo, Japan) Four Seasons Hotel Internet: www.IDTechEx.com/peASIA Computer Simulation Technology 3rd European User Group Meeting September 13-14 (Lake Tegernsee, Germany) ...

Call for papers.(education)
August 1, 2007... ARMMS RF & Microwave Society Conference November 5-6 (Northamptonshire, United Kingdom) Hotel Elizabeth Rockingham Deadline for submissions: September 5 For more information, contact Steve Williamson at...

Reflectarray antenna can steer main beam to large angles from broadside.(R & D roundup)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... MICROSTRIP REFLECTARRAY ANTENNAS promise to provide the best features of printed phased-array and parabolic reflector antennas. Such antennas comprise a feed horn, which illuminates a flat array of reflection elements. To produce a planar phase...

Active cable-mesh main reflector proves feasible.(R & D roundup)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... FOLLOWING THE COMPLETION of the Atacama large-millimeter/submillimeter array (ALMA), an initiative emerged to develop a radio telescope that would provide a two-orders-of-magnitude increment in sensitivity over existing facilities at...

2.4-GHz subthreshold LNA Achieves 9.8 dB gain.(R & D roundup)(low noise amplifier)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... MODERN WIRELESS APPLICATIONS are pushing complementary-metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) devices to scale toward sub-1-[mu]m gate lengths. For these devices to operate at higher frequencies, however, their gate-oxide thickness must be reduced...

Boost PA efficiency with digital predistortion; Effective use of digital predistortion (DPD) in power amplifiers for wireless-communications systems requires the right measurement tools.(Design Feature)
August 1, 2007... Power amplifiers for wireless applications are expected to provide exceptional linearity and efficiency in order to handle the complex waveforms used in modern communications systems. Rather than building RF power amplifiers with more pure...

CMOS clock approach breaks quartz tradition; This technology provides accurate frequency generation entirely in standard CMOS, a task formerly accomplished exclusively with quartz resonators and crystal oscillators.(Design Feature)(complimentary metal oxide semiconductor)
August 1, 2007... Clock generation generally evokes images of quartz crystals and quartzcrystal oscillators. The technology has existed since before World War II and has provided reliable reference signals in communications systems around the world. If ever a...

Predict Resonances Of Shielded PCBs; The equations presented here make it possible to predict and analyze the resonant behavior of microwave circuits enclosed in rectangular shields.(editor's choice)
August 1, 2007... Shielded enclosures are commonly used as protection for microwave printed-circuit boards (PCBs). While the enclosure can guard a PCB from environmental effects, it can also alter the electrical performance of the circuit. Understanding the...

BeO takes the heat in RF transistor packages; Even with challenges from other technologies, beryllium oxide (BeO) remains the insulating material of choice for the most demanding RF power transistor packages.(Design Feature)
August 1, 2007... Power-transistor packaging is not immune to the cost pressures facing commercial RF and microwave markets. RF power-transistor suppliers have long sought alternative materials to traditional insulating materials such as ceramics, including BeO....

All-capacitor Pi matching network utilizes series element's ESL.(application notes)(effective series inductance)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... AT LEAST TWO REACTIVE ELEMENTS are needed to match a lossless network to an arbitrary load. Yet two elements alone will not provide simultaneous control over the bandwidth and degree of match. Three-element matching networks, such as Pi-and...

TDR/TDT system handles high-bandwidth S-parameter analysis.(application notes)(ime-domain reflectometry)(time-domain transmission)
August 1, 2007... IN HIGH-SPEED SERIAL communications systems, a designer usually relies on a vector network analyzer (VNA) to measure S-parameters. The VNA measures input/output reflections and transmission by sequentially applying signals at various...

Technique trims VCXO phase noise; This patented circuit approach can improve the phase-noise performance and frequency stability of even low-cost voltage-controlled crystal oscillators.(Cover Story)(voltage controlled crystal oscillators)
August 1, 2007... Frequency reference standards are essential to achieving frequency accuracy and phase stability in electronic systems. Such sources require the chief characteristics of low phase noise and good frequency stability. (1-13) The best oscillator...

Downconverters deliver flexible IF choices; This line of broadband frequency downconverters includes models covering 0.5 to 40.0 GHz with IF bandwidths as wide as 500 MHz at IF center frequencies to 1.2 GHz.(Product Technology)
August 1, 2007... Frequency downconversion is the basis for virtually all RF/microwave systems, whether they are involved in commercial communications or military surveillance. Ideally, a frequency downconverter covers a full input frequency range of interest,...

InGaP HBT amplifiers power WiMAX systems; These high-linearity power amplifiers provide costeffective solutions to GaAs FET amplifiers in Wi-Fi and WiMAX wireless systems through 5.9 GHz.(Product Technology)(heterojunction bipolar transistor)(field effect transistor)
August 1, 2007... Broadband wireless access (BWA) is being driven by increasing demand for streaming video and highspeed data anywhere and at any time. One of the technologies that may deliver these services is WiMAX, which has been standardized by the IEEE in...

Cells gain boost from antenna diversity; This technology works on the upstream side of the cellular link, residing in the system's mobile handsets, to greatly enhance the performance of a cellular network.(Product Technology)
August 1, 2007... Cellular networks must overcome many obstacles, including buildings, trees, signal fading, and multipath effects. One solution would involve simply increasing transmit power in the face of these obstacles, but the carefully crafted...

Unequal dividers channel 300 W from 380 to 2700 MHz; These low-distortion unequal power dividers feature a patented airline structure to achieve negligible losses with tightly controlled power splits from 1:3 to 1:1000.(Product Technology)
August 1, 2007... Power must often be distributed at different levels within a system. A line of unequal power dividers from R&D Microwaves LLC (www.rdmicrowaves.com) can handle the task for many wireless systems at frequencies from 380 to 2700 MHz. Based on a...

Jitter test instrument offers crest factor above 18 dB.(editor's choice)
August 1, 2007... AS SERIAL BUSES ADVANCE through faster edges and narrower unit intervals, more pressure is being placed on the design, compliance testing, and debug processes. The J7000 Jitter Test System promises to alter serial signal streams by injecting...

Digital Radio Test Set satisfies TETRA and P25.(editor's choice)
August 1, 2007... TO STAY CURRENT with varied and evolving communications standards, many digital test sets are now rooted in software-defined-radio (SDR) technology. As a result, users can easily expand and upgrade their capabilities. The 3920 Radio Test Set,...

Wideband downconverter RF IC covers 800 to 2700 MHz.(editor's choice)
August 1, 2007... MANY NEW PRODUCTS SIMULTANEOUSLY target third-generation (3G), fourthgeneration (4G), and WiMAX infrastructure. For example, a wideband-downconverter RF integrated circuit (RF IC) now claims to satisfy almost all wirelessinfrastructure...

Chip capacitors are valued at 10 to 220 pF At 4000 VDC.(editor's choice)
August 1, 2007... UNLIKE STANDARD ELECTROLYTIC CAPACITORS, the Type EDL electric double-layer supercapacitor can actually act as a battery. By leveraging this feature, designers can avoid the environmental or hazardousmaterial issues associated with batteries....

Perfecting Pulsed RF Radar Measurements: Measurement solutions series.(MICROWAVE DESIGN WHITE paper)
August 1, 2007... Pulsed RF radar signals must be accurately characterized to evaluate a radar system's performance,therefore using the right test tools is vital.Modern radar test instruments,with advances in DSP measurement technology,are able to provide even...