Microwaves & RF articles from February 2008

Microwaves & RF archives from February 2008

Misleading survey results.(feedback)(Survey)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... SURVEYS SOMETIMES CREATE false impressions, and this was the case with an online survey recently conducted on the Microwaves & RF website and reported in this column in the December 2007 issue. The Quick Poll, which concluded last Nov. 28,...

Prepare for the worst, but expect the best.(from the editor)(Editorial)
February 1, 2008... With the bubble bursting in the home market, talk of a recession is everywhere. Remembering the telecom burst of the not-too-distant past, it is easy for people in the microwaves industry to get concerned. During that downturn, microwave...

China's national ID card drove RFID growth in 2007.(thefrontend)
February 1, 2008... In round figures, the value of the radio-frequency-identification (RFID) market grew strongly to $5 billion in 2007. This growth was mainly powered by a peak in deliveries of the Chinese national ID card. About $2 billion of cards and...

CAE firm celebrates 20th anniversary.(thefrontend)(Computer-aided engineering)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... MARLBOROUGH, MA -- This year, Flomerics (www.flomerics.com) celebrates its 20th anniversary as an independent company. According to the company's founder, Dr. David Tatchell, this landmark is a testimony to the company's high-integrity,...

US WiMAX adoption still faces many hurdles.(thefrontend)
February 1, 2008... MONTREAL, CANADA AND MIAMI, FLORIDA -- Short-term opportunities with broadband wireless access (BWA)/WiMAX will most likely benefit licensed and unlicensed Wireless Internet Service Providers (WISPs), according to a new report from Maravedis...

Kudos.(thefrontend)
February 1, 2008... SANTA CLARA, CA AND MALAGA, SPAIN -- Agilent Technologies (www.agilent.com) and ETS-Lindgren (www.ets-lindgren.com) have been selected by AT4 wireless labs (www.at4wireless.com) to provide WiMAX test equipment for use in radiated performance...

The latest news, in e-mail form.(Product Data Directory PDD)
February 1, 2008... Some of the most important high-frequency news won't be found in Microwaves & RF magazine, but in the e-mail newsletter Microwaves & RF UPDATE. Sent directly to your computer desktop twice each month, this concisely written newsletter features...

RF Blog.(Product Data Directory PDD)
February 1, 2008... The RF Components Blog features the latest news and technology of interest to designers of high-frequency, high-speed components. Although integrated-circuit components are included in the blog, the majority of the coverage is devoted to...

Link to the industry's most trusted directory.(Product Data Directory PDD)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... The Microwaves & RF website offers several instant links to the industry's only complete directory of products and suppliers: The Microwaves & RF Product Data Directory. With products from more than 2000 companies, thoughtfully classified into...

Find out more about: designing and testing wireless products.(Product Data Directory PDD)
February 1, 2008... Over the course of this year, the first five webcasts in the "Exploring Design and Test Challenges in the Wireless World" webcast series individually tackled the topics of WiMAX, Ultra Wideband (UWB), WiFi, ZigBee, and Bluetooth. In each...

Share your thoughts with quick polls: will LXI replace GPIB as the standard instrument bus for the RF/microwave industry?(Product Data Directory PDD)
February 1, 2008... Quick polls allow you to regularly share your opinion on a wide range of topics. NEW POLL: To cast your vote, go to www.mwrf.com now! Due to technical difficulties, this poll actually did not take effect last month as planned....

RF semiconductors take a variety of forms: as wireless technologies push semiconductors to integrate more features in smaller packages, government and satellite research is testing novel processes in extreme temperatures and performance scenarios.(SEMICONDUCTOR TECHNOLOGIES)
February 1, 2008... At the roots of almost all of today's electronic devices lie semiconductors. These integrated circuits (ICs) stem from a variety of semiconductor technologies, which have evolved to satisfy requirements like lower power, less noise, more...

Amplifiers apply gain to diverse applications: amplifiers for RF and microwave use are available in a range of packaged and unpackaged varieties to suit low-noise and power requirements through millimeter-wave frequencies.(AMPLIFIERS)
February 1, 2008... High-frequency amplifiers are abundant in type and application, being used for everything from setting the noise figure of communications receivers to driving high-power signals to transmitter antennas. Types include broadband and narrowband...

QUALCOMM releases first-quarter results.(financialnews)(Financial report)
February 1, 2008... QUALCOMM, Inc. has announced results for the first fiscal quarter of 2008, which ended Dec. 30, 2007. According to the company, revenue was $2.44 billion--up 21 percent year over year and 6 percent sequentially. Net income was $767 million--up...

Loral Space & Communications.(CONTRACTS)
February 1, 2008... Loral Space & Communications--Announced that its subsidiary, Space Systems/Loral, was selected to provide a high-capacity broadband satellite for ViaSat, Inc. ViaSat-1 is expected to be the world's highest-capacity broadband satellite. The...

NEC Corp. and Sumitomo Corp.(CONTRACTS)
February 1, 2008... NEC Corp. and Sumitomo Corp.--Have signed a framework contract with Italian mobile-phone operator Wind for the supply of NEC's advanced point-to-point wireless access systems, dubbed PASOLINK NEO.

The Malibu Division of Communications & Power Industries, Inc. (CPI).(CONTRACTS)
February 1, 2008... The Malibu Division of Communications & Power Industries, Inc. (CPI)--Has been awarded a $5.6 million contract for telemetry antenna systems. The four-year, firm, fixed-price contract was awarded by the US Air Force, 96th Communication Group at...

Motorola, Inc.(FRESH STARTS)
February 1, 2008... Motorola, Inc.--Announced that its subsidiary, MI, Inc., has successfully completed its tender offer to acquire a controlling interest in Vertex Standard Co. Ltd., a global provider of two-way radio communication solutions. The tender offer...

Spreadtrum Communications, Inc.(FRESH STARTS)
February 1, 2008... Spreadtrum Communications, Inc.--Completed the acquisition of Quorum Systems, Inc., a San Diego-based fabless semiconductor company that specializes in the design of highly integrated CMOS RF transceivers. On November 18, 2007, China-based...

Datamars.(FRESH STARTS)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Datamars--Is celebrating its 20-year anniversary. This company is known for developing identification solutions based on radio-frequency-identification (RFID) tags, readers, and antennas. Aside from developing, designing, and manufacturing all...

Verigy.(FRESH STARTS)
February 1, 2008... Verigy--Signed an agreement to acquire Inovys. Invovys, which is privately held, provides solutions for design debug, failure analysis, and yield acceleration for complex semiconductor devices and processes. In contrast, Verigy designs,...

Northrop Grumman Corp.(FRESH STARTS)
February 1, 2008... Northrop Grumman Corp.--Announced that its board of directors has authorized a program to repurchase up to $2.5 billion of its outstanding common stock, which represents more than 9 percent of the company's current market capitalization. As of...

Cookson Electronics elevates Paul Lotosky.(people)
February 1, 2008... Cookson Electronics has named Paul Lotosky global director-customer technical support. He will lead the coordination of the ALPHA(R) global customer technical support efforts as they relate to optimizing support for ALPHA(R) customers and for...

Hypres.(people)
February 1, 2008... Hypres--ART EARL to director of strategic business development.

Kaben Wireless Silicon, Inc.(people)
February 1, 2008... Kaben Wireless Silicon, Inc.--XERXES WANIA to board of advisors; currently president and chief executive officer of Sidense Corp.

Xilinx.(people)
February 1, 2008... Xilinx--MOSHE GAVRIELOV to president and chief executive officer; formerly served as executive vice president and general manager of the verification division at Cadence Design Systems. Inc. Gavrielov succeeds Willem P. Roelandts who remains...

Tropos Networks.(people)
February 1, 2008... Tropos Networks--TOM AYERS to president and chief executive officer; formerly served as veteran sales executive. Ayers succeeds Ron Sege who will continue to serve as advisor to the company.

Northrop Grumman Corp.(people)
February 1, 2008... Northrop Grumman Corp.--C. MICHAEL PETTERS elected corporate vice president and president of Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding; formerly corporate vice president and president of Newport News. PHILIP A. TEEL elected corporate vice president and...

Anadigics, Inc.(people)
February 1, 2008... ANADIGICS, Inc.--GILLES DELFASSY to board of directors; formerly retired senior vice president, worldwide wireless terminals business unit, Texas Instruments Inc.

LPKF Laser & Electronics.(people)
February 1, 2008... LPKF Laser & Electronics--CHRIS KORSON to business development manager for the plastic-welding and laser-direct structuring (LDS) product lines; formerly worked for Lanxess Corp.

Rohde & Schwarz, Inc.(people)
February 1, 2008... Rohde & Schwarz, Inc.--JACK COWPER to president and chief operating officer; he will retain the position of president of Rohde & Schwarz, Canada, which he has held since June 2007.

Inphi Corp.(people)
February 1, 2008... Inphi Corp.--JOHN S. EDMUNDS to chief financial officer; formerly served as senior vice president and CFO at Trident Micro Systems.

The Phoenix Company of Chicago.(people)
February 1, 2008... The Phoenix Company of Chicago--GREGORY POLLACK promoted to corporate director of sales & marketing for Palco Connector, an affiliate company.

Meguro I2A Technologies (formerly IPAC).(people)
February 1, 2008... Meguro I2A Technologies (formerly IPAC)--YUICHI MEGURO to process/yield enhancement manager; formerly responsible for wire-bonding-related technical issues, process and yield improvement for NEC's product lines.

Short courses.(education)(Calendar)
February 1, 2008... Besser Associates Short Courses RF CMOS Design February 25-26 (San Diego, CA) Applied RF Techniques I February 25-29 (San Diego, CA) May 12-16 (Burlington, MA) RF and High Speed PC Board Design Fundamentals February...

Meetings.(education)(Calendar)
February 1, 2008... RFID Smart Labels USA 2008 February 20-21 (Boston, MA) Boston Marriott Copley Internet: http://rfid.idtechex.com/rfidusa08/en/ SATELLITE 2008: the sixth decade February 25-28 (Washington, DC) Washington Convention...

40-Gb/s amplifiers achieve 3-dB bandwidth with high gain.(R & Droundup)
February 1, 2008... MOST 40-Gb/s AMPLIFIERS suffer from limited gain, as the gain is often sacrificed for adequate bandwidth in high-speed operations. To conquer these design limitations, a circuit structure for broadband amplifiers has been proposed by Jun-Chau...

Horn antenna aids ground-penetrating radar.(R & Droundup)
February 1, 2008... TO SATISFY THE NEEDS FOR BOTH low and high frequencies in ground-penetrating radar (GPR), an Ultra Wideband (UWB) GPR that transmits a short-time pulse signal is often used. To ensure that its performance is sufficient, Ahmet Serdar Turk and...

DC-to-50-GHz LTCC package suits MM-wave MMICs.(R & Droundup)
February 1, 2008... SURFACE-MOUNT monolithic-microwave-integrated-circuit (MMIC) packages must contain high-performance vertical transitions. Usually, such a transition will use viaholes, which act as an inductance and generates a discontinuity. In contrast,...

RF power calibration aids wireless transmitters: the use of precise RF power measurements and calibration techniques can save operating costs and improve the Cspectral performance of wireless communications transmitters.(RF POWER CALIBRATION)
February 1, 2008... Wireless transmitters can benefit from measurement and control of RF power. Because of such factors as regulatory requirements and the need to co-exist with other wireless networks, the RF power levels of wireless transmitter high-power...

GaN devices arm distributed amplifier: many military applications can benefit from a 10-W GaN-based distributed power amplifier developed for broadband applications from 20 to 2000 MHz.(GaN DISTRIBUTED AMP)
February 1, 2008... Broadband, high-efficiency power amplifiers serve a wide range of military applications in present and future communications and navigation systems. But amplifier designers are limited in performance by the active devices available to them....

Assemble High-power attenuator systems: working with off-the-shelf components and connectors, it is still possible to assemble a cost-effective attenuation system for 2 to 1000 MHz capable of levels to 12.5 kW.(DesignFeature)
February 1, 2008... High-power signal processing and testing requires the use of high-frequency attenuators designed to handle large signals without damage or performance degradation. Especially when working with signals exceeding 1 kW, as common in commercial...

Adaptive amplifier/antenna/cell combinations generate 10 To 200 V/m.(applicationnotes)
February 1, 2008... WITH TODAY'S STRICT DESIGN REQUIREMENTS, engineers are forced to closely scrutinize data sheets. To help them take those specifications further, a series of application notes shows how amplifier/antenna/cell combinations can generate 10 V/m, 20...

Development guide helps engineers build better test systems.(applicationnotes)
February 1, 2008... Test engineers are under constant pressure to maximize performance and flexibility while minimizing cost and complexity. By providing practical advice and real-world examples, Agilent Technologies, Inc. hopes to help them achieve that goal in...

Gore celebrates 50 years of PTFE: the ingenious new-product ideas of their founder continue to this day at W. L. Gore & Associates, all based on a single material: PTFE.(50 YEARS AT GORE)(Company overview)
February 1, 2008... Most RF/microwave engineers know it by the acronym PTFE rather than the full name of polytetrafluoroethylene. The polymer is ever-present in the high-frequency industry in coaxial and fiber-optic cables, printed-circuit-board (PCB) materials,...

Converter eases multiport testing from 75 To 110 GHz: this compact frequency converter integrates fully into R&S vector network analyzers (VNAs) for simplified multiport measurement capability at millimeter-wave frequencies.(FREQUENCY EXTENDER)
February 1, 2008... Characterizing multiport devices with a vector network analyzer (VNA) in the 75-to-110-GHz range has always been performed using an external frequency converter that increases the usable frequency range of the VNA. Such converters are...

Waveguide diplexer extends to E-band: this design combines the functionality of two waveguide bandpass filters into a single compact component for millimeter-wave radios.(WAVEGUIDE DIPLEXER)
February 1, 2008... High-data-rate communications require generous amounts of bandwidth, a valuable commodity with the growing number of spectral users for wireless applications. Several years ago, the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC)...

Real-time spectrum analyzers capture 8 GHz: the latest additions to a line of real-time spectrum analyzers provide the power to capture and display time-varying digitally modulated signals found in modern wireless systems.(SPECTRUM ANALYZERS)
February 1, 2008... Wireless technology is acquiring a digital nature, due to the increasing use of digital modulation formats as a way to increase spectral efficiency. Traditional test instruments served as excellent tools for analyzing analog transmissions. But...

Amplifiers span 20 to 4000 MHz.(editor's choice)
February 1, 2008... To satisfy applications ranging from point-to-point and multipoint radios to military jammers, an amplifier line boasts noise figures down to 0.9 dB. The QBH-8900 series amplifiers are available in frequencies from 20 to 4000 MHz. Second-order...

Amplifiers boast variable output impedance.(editor's choice)
February 1, 2008... An increasing amount of low- to mid-frequency RF applications are now being characterized by impedances other than 50 [ohm]. This trend led to the A3 amplifier family, which features an internal impedance transformer with selectable output...

Synthesizer switches in under 1 [mu]s.(editor's choice)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Thanks to its fast switching speeds, a frequency synthesizer can be used as a narrow to wideband signal source as well as a programmed test source for digital radio, satcom, radar, and other communications equipment. The MBS-3300 narrowband...

Probe station reliably handles 300-mm wafers.(editor's choice)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... At 45 nm and below, testing geometries must confront many problems related to wafer-level measurements. Front-end processes and equipment must be upgraded to handle new process materials, lower operating voltages, and increasingly complex...