Microwaves & RF articles from December 2005

Microwaves & RF archives from December 2005

Looking back.
December 1, 2005... TWENTY-ONE YEARS AGO, Hewlett-Packard Co. (now Agilent Technologies) broke with the traditional "rack-and-stack" test instrument by introducing the HP70000 modular measurement system, a forerunner of the company's present activities in...

E-newsletter correction.(feedback)(Correction notice)
December 1, 2005... THE NOVEMBER 17, 2005 edition of Microwaves & RF UPDATE (the twice-monthly electronic newsletter) incorrectly stated that Computer Simulation Technology (CST) had acquired APLAC. Applied Wave Research, Inc. (AWR) is the company that actually...

Technology calls for an investment: medical applications represent a growing volume of opportunities for electronic research.(technological investments)
December 1, 2005... TECHNOLOGY DOESN'T COME CHEAP. It is not surprising that the firms that consistently remain at the forefront of technology are the same ones earmarking a significant portion of each year's budget to research and development. And these...

Semiconductor capacity utilization declines in Q4.(the front end)(Brief article)
December 1, 2005... EL SEGUNDO, CA -- With the global front-end semiconductor manufacturing capacity utilization rate approaching 90 percent in the third quarter, chip makers are expressing uncertainty over whether the present level is sustainable, or if the...

AR Worldwide breaks ground on $2.2 million expansion.(the front end)(Brief article)
December 1, 2005... SOUDERTON, PA -- AR Worldwide RF Microwave Instrumentation has broken ground on an additional 15,000-sq.-ft. building at its headquarters. The start of construction was just one in a series of activities at AR Worldwide, an international...

QUALCOMM files GSM patent-infringement suit against Nokia.(the front end)(Global System for Mobile Communications )(Brief article)
December 1, 2005... SAN DIEGO, CA -- QUALCOMM, Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiary, SnapTrack, Inc., filed suit on November 4 against Nokia Corp. and Nokia, Inc. in federal court in San Diego for infringement of eleven of QUALCOMM's patents and one patent owned...

ATC features expanded product offerings at its online shop.(the front end)(American Technical Ceramics Corp. to introduce online information services)(Brief article)
December 1, 2005... HUNTINGTON STATION, NY -- American Technical Ceramics, a firm involved in RF/microwave porcelain and ceramic capacitors, has introduced expanded product offerings for ATC QUIKBuy[TM], where customers may place online orders for small product...

Kudos.(the front end)(Micro Dynamics Corp. named as fastest growing private company)(Micralyne Inc. recieves an awards)(Brief article)
December 1, 2005... EDEN PRAIRIE, MN -- Micro Dynamics Corp., a company involved in design and manufacturing services, announced that it has been named as one of the fastest-growing private companies in the greater Minneapolis and St. Paul, MN area. The award is...

Emerging markets drive RF technologies: several wireless technologies and markets should spur a period of high activity for suppliers of devices, software, and test equipment in the next several years.(Radio Frequency )
December 1, 2005... Technology and customer demand are intertwined in this and many other industries. Although it is often uncertain which of the two is driving the other, technology advancement is an essential part of the economic health of the high-frequency...

Dual-band PA delivers output power to +20 dBm.(editor's choice)(Brief article)
December 1, 2005... REQUIREMENTS LIKE transmission range and cost continue to be critical to a design's success. A new power amplifier (PA), dubbed the SST13LP02, plans to meet these demands by offering high linear output power for dual-band coverage. The...

SMA switch performs through 26.5 GHz.(editor's choice)
December 1, 2005... BY INCORPORATING SMA connectors, a new switch allows high-density packaging and superior electrical performance. The Micro Miniature SMA switch is a single-pole, two-position type. If features an impedance of 50 ohms. At +25[degrees]C, the...

Low-power oscillators span 150 to 700 MHz.(Editorial)
December 1, 2005... DATA-COMMUNICATIONS applications just gained another oscillator choice in the CFPP-620. This one-time-programmable oscillator vows to provide fast delivery at any output frequency between 150 and 700 MHz. The CFPP-620 provides differential...

Radio IC serves location-based services.(editor's choice)(Brief article)
December 1, 2005... A RADIO IC strives to facilitate the implementation of a front end for software-defined GPS and solutions with alternative clock and multi-bit-input configurations. The SE4110L has a typical current draw of 10 mA from a 2.7 to 3.6-V supply. Its...

Microsemi agrees to acquire APT.(Advanced Power Technology Inc.)
December 1, 2005... MICROSEMI CORP. and Advanced Power Technology, Inc. (APT) have announced the signing of a definitive agreement for Microsemi to acquire APT. With this acquisition, Microsemi, a firm involved in the design and manufacture of high-performance...

Quantam Leap Packaging, Inc.(Acquired by Sumitomo Chemical Co. Ltd)(Brief article)
December 1, 2005... Quantam Leap Packaging, Inc. -- Announced that Sumitomo Chemical Co. Ltd. of Japan will acquire an equity position in the company. Sumitomo will obtain a 20-percent interest in QLP through the purchase of newly issued shares of privately held...

Motorola, Inc.(contract with The Michigan Department of Transportation )(Brief article)
December 1, 2005... Motorola, Inc. -- Signed its first contract with The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) and announced the successful deployment and trial of MOTODRIVE--a wireless network architecture that is aimed at supporting the US government's...

M/A-COM.(Contracted with US Army)(Brief article)
December 1, 2005... M/A-COM -- Announced that the company was awarded a $4.75 million contract by the US Army's APM LMR office to provide a fully interoperable radio network for the US Navy, with future potential for training, options, and maintenance. The...

QUALCOMM, Inc.(Shipped two billion chips)(Brief article)
December 1, 2005... QUALCOMM, Inc. -- Announced that they have shipped two billion chips since 1996, when QUALCOMM delivered the first commercial CDMA solutions to wireless handset and infrastructure customers. QUALCOMM marked the shipment of its first billion...

TECOM Industries, Inc. and Rockwell Collins.(Marketing agreements)(Brief article)
December 1, 2005... TECOM Industries, Inc. and Rockwell Collins--Have entered into a long-term purchase agreement for the HGA-2100 is the Boeing 787 SATCOM high Gain Antenna requirement. The HGA-2100 supports both voice safety services and cabin connectivity,...

AR Worldwide RF/Microwave Instrumentation.(Completed construction of a microelectronic laboratory )(Brief article)
December 1, 2005... AR Worldwide RF/Microwave Instrumentation -- Has completed construction of a microelectronic laboratory that meets requirements for Class 100K and Class 10K environment conditions. The "clean room" uses a nitrogen tank to supply Ni gas for...

Xpedion Design Systems, Inc.(Steve Lloyd Appointed)(Brief article)
December 1, 2005... Xpedion Design Systems, Inc. -- Announced the additions of Steve Lloyd, vice president of engineering for Beceem Communications, Dr. Vladimir Aparin, senior RF designer for QUALCOMM, Dr. Asad Abidi, professor of electrical engineering at UCLA,...

Astron Wireless Technologies.(FRESH STARTS)(Brief article)
December 1, 2005... Astron Wireless Technologies -- Was recently awarded a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II award from the Department of Defense (DoD) for development of an 'Adaptive Bandwidth High Power RF Antenna.' The objective is to develop a...

Agilent Technologies, Inc.(FRESH STARTS)(contracts with ZigBee Alliance)(Brief article)
December 1, 2005... Agilent Technologies, Inc. -- Announced that it is the first test and measurement equipment manufacturer to join the ZigBee Alliance, an association of more than 100 companies working to enable cost-effective, low-power wirelessly networked...

G.T. Microwave, Inc.(FRESH STARTS)(appoints Neil D. Newman and. Antonio Motta)
December 1, 2005... G.T. Microwave, Inc. -- Appointed two new representatives to cover foreign territories. Neil D. Newman of Telecom Associates will be responsible for customers in the Asian Rim, Africa, and South America. Dr. Antonio Motta of Teleprom...

Plexus Corp.(FRESH STARTS)(Brief article)
December 1, 2005... Plexus Corp. -- Announced that revenues for its fourth fiscal quarter increased 18 percent to $332.2 million from $273.3 million in the comparable prior-year period. The company reported net income for its fourth fiscal quarter of $10.5...

ANADIGICS, Inc.(supplier of power amplifiers)(Brief article)
December 1, 2005... ANADIGICS, Inc. -- Announced that the company is the primary supplier of power amplifiers (PAs) for Sierra Wireless' new high-speed downlink packet access (HSDPA) AirCard[R] products. ANADIGICS' High-Efficiency-at-Low-Power (HELP[TM]) wideband...

GigaBeam Corp. and Memphis NetworxLLC.(Contracts)(Brief article)
December 1, 2005... GigaBeam Corp. and Memphis NetworxLLC -- Jointly announced an order by Memphis Networx for six WiFiber[TM] WirelessFiber links.

ABI/Precision Lighting taps Leopold for CFO position.(Gary Leopold Appointed )(Brief article)
December 1, 2005... ABI/Precision Lighting has named GARY LEOPOLD to the position of CFO. Leopold has held CEO and CFO positions for organizations specializing in telecommunications, manufacturing, and professional services.

Agere Systems.(people)
December 1, 2005... Agere Systems -- RICHARD L. CLEMMER to president and CEO; remains as a director of the company.

FKI Logistex.(people)
December 1, 2005... FKI Logistex -- TED CLUCAS to president of FKI Logistex Manufacturing Systems North America; formerly vice president for systems engineering and operations.

Quantam Leap Packaging.(people)
December 1, 2005... Quantam Leap Packaging -- DAVID GROOMS to membership on the board of directors; formerly president of Kyocera America, Inc. and Kyocera Mexicana S.A. de C.V.

Staccato Communications.(people)
December 1, 2005... Staccato Communications -- RONALD F. BRANDT to vice president of operations; formerly COO at Silicon Optix.

ABI Research.(people)
December 1, 2005... ABI Research -- SAM LUCERO to senior analyst; formerly an analyst at In-Stat, researching networking equipment and semiconductor markets. Also, MICHAEL WOLF to principal analyst in the broadband and residential entertainment technologies group;...

Rockwell Collins.(people)
December 1, 2005... Rockwell Collins -- KENT L. STATLER to senior vice president and general manager of Collins Aviation Services; formerly senior vice president of operations.

IPC.(people)
December 1, 2005... IPC -- NEAL BENDER to membership director; formerly director of membership operations at CompTIA.

Jennic.(people)
December 1, 2005... Jennic -- JOHN MORRIS to vice president of the Americas operation; formerly employed as vice president of ZigBee marketing at Figure 8 Wireless, a division of Chipcon.

iSuppli Corp.(people)
December 1, 2005... iSuppli Corp. -- MARK KIRSTEIN to vice president of media content and services; formerly president of Minova Technology.

Aeroflex, Inc.(people)
December 1, 2005... Aeroflex, Inc. -- FRED JIANG QI to China country manager for the Test and Measurement group; formerly district sales manager for the Communications Solutions Group at Hewlett-Packard (now Agilent).

Park Electrochemical Corp.(people)
December 1, 2005... Park Electrochemical Corp. -- LEENA GULIA to manager for OEM marketing; formerly senior OEM marketing engineer. Also, DENISE M. BAXTER to controller; formerly assistant controller. In addition, LOUIS J. STANS to vice president of quality;...

Rogers Corp.(people)
December 1, 2005... Rogers Corp. -- DAVID LIPARI to marketing manager for the Advanced Circuit Materials Division (ACMD); formerly vice president of marketing/ operations at Techloss Consultants.

Renaissance Electronics Corp.(people)
December 1, 2005... Renaissance Electronics Corp. -- THOMAS DALY to sales and marketing specialist for the Waveguide Division; formerly employed in sales positions in the telecommunications industry.

Indium Corp.(people)
December 1, 2005... Indium Corp. -- GARY USYK to network administrator; formerly a network technician at ES, Inc. (ESI).

Fox Electronics.(people)
December 1, 2005... Fox Electronics -- KEVIN MCCORMACK to director of European, Middle East, and African (EMEA) sales; formerly business development manager at Abacus Polar Electronics.

California Micro Devices.(people)
December 1, 2005... California Micro Devices -- DAVID A. CASEY to vice president of worldwide sales; formerly vice president of worldwide sales at Alliance Semiconductor.

Short courses.(Calendar)
December 1, 2005... Besser Associates Short Courses RF Transceiver Architecture, Design, and Evaluation February 27-March 3, 2006 (San Diego, CA) Digital and Analog Linearization Techniques for RF Power Amplifier Systems February 27-March 3, 2006 (San...

Meetings.(Conferences and Expo)(Calendar)
December 1, 2005... 2006 International CES January 5-8, 2006 (Las Vegas, NV) Internet: www.CESweb.org 2006 IPC Printed Circuits Expo, APEX, and Designers Summit February 8-10, 2006 (Anaheim, CA) Anaheim Convention Center Internet: www.GoIPCShows.org...

Microstrip antenna handles multiple frequencies.(R&D roundup)(MICROSTRIP PATCH ANTENNAS )
December 1, 2005... MICROSTRIP PATCH ANTENNAS (MPAs) are widely used in microwave and millimeter-wave applications even though they suffer from narrow impedance bandwidths. To explore to potential of MPAs for multiple-frequency applications, Jibendu Sekhar Roy and...

Elliptical slot antenna grabs UWB signals.(R&D roundup)
December 1, 2005... ULTRAWIDEBAND (UWB) APPLICATIONS in the FCC-approved band from 3.1 to 10.6 GHz require small broadband antennas that are low in cost. For such purposes, P. Li and associates from the Queen Mary University of London (London, England) developed a...

Frequency-selective surfaces achieve wideband tuning.(R&D roundup)
December 1, 2005... FREQUENCY-SELECTIVE SURFACES (FSS) offer the potential to improve the spectrum efficiency of wireless indoor communications systems by suppressing unwanted interference. But for FSS materials to represent a practical solution for indoor...

X-ray lithography yields high-Q microwave cavity resonators.(R&D roundup)
December 1, 2005... MICROWAVE CAVITY RESONATORS are essential building blocks for low-noise oscillators and high-rejection microwave filters. To further the technology, Z. Ma and associates from TRLabs (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada) and the University of...

NPR specification aids wireless system analysis: although in use for more than 50 years, NPR is still a valid figure of merit for evaluating the wideband, multiple-signal performance of ADCs in modern communications systems.(Noise power ratio)(Analog to digital converters)
December 1, 2005... Noise power ratio (NPR) has been used to characterize communications systems since the onset of frequency-division-multiplexing (FDM) systems. Traditionally, NPR has been used to test noise and intermodulation distortion (IMD) in 4-kHz voice...

Resistive loading enhances LNA stability: a new method has been developed to predict improvements in stability and degradation of noise figure due to resistive loading of low-noise and broadband amplifier input and output ports.(improving amplifier stability)
December 1, 2005... Designing an effective low-noise amplifier (LNA) requires a high-performance transistor. But most suitable devices are potentially unstable at microwave frequencies, leading to oscillation. Fortunately, resistive loading at the input or output...

Real-time spectrum analyzers show complex waveforms: compared to traditional spectrum analyzers, the real-time spectrum analyzer can capture signals via triggering and view complex signals in the frequency and time domains.(DESIGN: SPECTRUM ANALYZER)
December 1, 2005... Wireless technology has become much a part of everyday business and personal lives, with networks, gaming, entertainment, and communications relying on wireless devices. Wireless users want to eliminate wires and achieve communications with...

Characterizing and measuring RF devices.(Maury Microwave Corp)(evaluation of RF devices)
December 1, 2005... IMPEDANCE IS OFTEN USED to characterize RF and microwave transistors. With automated tuner measurements, de-embedded transistor characteristics like noise figure, gain, optimum linearity, and power-added efficiency (PAE) all can be...

Performing transient RF-signal analysis.(application notes)
December 1, 2005... WIRELESS APPLICATIONS HAVE GROWN in popularity, leading to an abundance of RF signals. To resist interference while avoiding detection and raising capacity, modern radar systems and commercial communications networks usually employ combinations...

Portable VNA tests two ports to 6 GHz: this handheld, battery-powered instrument brings error-corrected one- and two-port measurements from 2 MHz to 6 GHz to both commercial and military field operators.(VECTOR NETWORK ANALYZERS)(Cover story)
December 1, 2005... Vector network analyzers (VNAs) represent one of the "standard" test tools for RF and microwave engineers. Their capability to provide error-corrected amplitude and phase characteristics of active and passive components make them invaluable in...

Top products of 2005: this list of products represents a sampling of the year's exceptional components, devices, components, systems, and measurement equipment.(PRODUCT technology)(List)
December 1, 2005... Market pressures generally speed product developments, and that trend was evident across the wide range of high-frequency products introduced in 2005. The list of Top Products of 2005 (see table), as selected by the editors of Microwaves & RF,...