Microwaves & RF articles from July 2006

Microwaves & RF archives from July 2006

Chinese criticism.(feedback)(Letter to the editor)
July 1, 2006... I WOULD LIKE TO THANK your editorial team for recognizing the recent achievement by RF Micro Devices (RFMD, Greensboro, NC, www.rfmd.com) of assembling 100 million RF modules for cellular telephones in China, as reported in the June 8th edition...

Watching the sun set at the MTT-S.(from the editor)
July 1, 2006... TRADE SHOWS PROVIDE different industries a chance to assess themselves. There was plenty of assessment taking place at the IEEE Microwave Theory & Techniques Symposium (or International Microwave Symposium, if you prefer), held last month in...

China's mobile-phone exports are rising sharply.(the front end)(Brief article)
July 1, 2006... EL SEGUNDO, CA -- According to a report from iSuppli Corp.'s (www.isuppli.com) Kevin Wang, China's mobile-phone handset exports rose sharply in the first quarter of 2006, expanding by 86 percent compared to the same period a year earlier....

TriQuint semiconductor to open North Carolina design center.(the front end)(Brief article)
July 1, 2006... HILLSBORO, OR AND HIGH POINT, NC -- TriQuint Semiconductor, Inc., a supplier of wireless handset RF front-end modules and network base-station components, has announced its intent to open a new design and support center in High Point, NC. The...

Service providers to invest $10.1b in IMS during the next five years.(the front end)(IP Multimedia Subsystem )(Brief article)
July 1, 2006... OYSTER BAY, NY -- Twelve months ago, ABI Research described IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) as a jet engine that would power telecom markets to a new level. A year later, that assessment still holds true, and IMS is on the verge of commercial...

Teledyne Microwave expands RF and microwave product offerings.(the front end)(KW Microwave Corp.)(Brief article)
July 1, 2006... MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA -- Teledyne Microwave, a firm involved in the design, development, and manufacturing of microwave components and integrated subsystems, has acquired KW Microwave Corp., a manufacturer of defense microwave components and...

Kudos.(the front end)(Southwest Test Workshop (SWTW) Lifetime Achievement Award)(TriQuint Semiconductor gets Preferred Supplier Status-Facility Award)(Delphi Corp.'s 2006 Pinnacle Award)(Brief article)
July 1, 2006... BEAVERTON, OR -- Cascade Microtech announced that Eric Strid and Reed Gleason, co-founders of Cascade Microtech, have received the Southwest Test Workshop (SWTW) Lifetime Achievement Award for more than 25 years of outstanding technical...

Share your thoughts with quick polls.
July 1, 2006... Quick Polls allow you to share your opinions on a wide range of topics. These informal surveys are updated on a regular basis and visitors to the Microwaves & RF website can freely view poll results and even review the results of previous Quick...

Crossover board facilitates subassemblies.(transmission lines)(Brief article)
July 1, 2006... One of the challenges in the layout of multifunction microwave assemblies is the crossing of microwave transmission lines while maintaining isolation requirements. In designs of limited complexity, this crossing-over has been done using a...

Oscillator technology conquers degradation.(Here's how we solve it)
July 1, 2006... Sophisticated military electronic systems aboard helicopters, missiles, and UAVs must provide superior performance while being subjected to severe environmental conditions. The greatest impact on high performance comes from dynamic...

Microwave synthesizers enable aircraft tracking.(Laser Detection and Ranging systems)
July 1, 2006... Significant advances in Laser Detection and Ranging (LADAR) systems have enabled a broad range of target imaging and tracking applications. LADAR provides significant advantages over conventional RF RADAR in image resolution, as much shorter...

SMD port discontinuities are conquered.(Here's how we solve it)(surface-mount devices)
July 1, 2006... It was a pesky problem: the high-accuracy EM analysis of circuits with ports placed internal to the circuit (instead of on the edge). These internal ports would be used to connect surface-mount devices (SMDs) or include transistors inside an RF...

ACPR analysis performs needed PA simulations.(Here's how we solve it)
July 1, 2006... Traditionally, power amplifiers for communication systems have been designed to meet specifications like 1-dB gain compression output power or third-order intercept point. In reality, however, these amplifiers are usually required to meet a...

Connectors raise density and reduce footprint.(Here's how we solve it)
July 1, 2006... A major defense contractor wanted to eliminate the use of cable assemblies for its in-the-box applications. The contractor gave W.L. Gore & Associates the challenge of developing low-profile board-to-board interconnects for its Common Radar...

High-power transistors surf GaNWave: a sea of transistor developments is supporting the growth of products for WiMAX, the latest base stations, and other near-future technologies.(NEWS: TRANSISTORS)
July 1, 2006... Transistors are workhorses in both analog and digital circuits. In modern high-power applications, they have almost completely replaced the vacuum tube. Since the transistor was invented in the middle of the 20th century, these devices have...

An interview with Digital Fountain's Charlie Oppenheimer.(crosstalk)(Interview)
July 1, 2006... MRF: What attracted you to join this company? Oppenheimer: There are two things you look for in an entrepreneurial situation. One is profit. Big markets are where big opportunities are made. The other is some distinguishing characteristics...

Plethora of patents fuels licensing foray: the technologies that result in wide tuning ranges and low phase noise in discrete oscillators can readily be adapted to integrated-circuit (IC) designs.(NEWS: PATENTS)(Synergy Microwave Corp.)
July 1, 2006... Technological advances often earn patents for their inventors. For large companies, such as IBM or Agilent Technologies, it is not unusual for multiple patents to be granted in a single year. But what makes the growing collection of US and...

iSuppli tweaks 2006 forecast.(financial news)
July 1, 2006... AFTER A BETTER-THAN-EXPECTED first quarter, iSuppli Corp. (www.isuppli.com) has upgraded its semiconductor forecast slightly for 2006. In the newly issued forecast, iSuppli's expected growth for 2006 has inched upward by a half-percentage...

TECOM Industries, Inc.(CONTRACTS)(Brief article)
July 1, 2006... TECOM Industries, Inc.--Announced that the company has received a contract award to supply antennas for SATCOM asset tracking. Terms of the contract include delivery of 60,000 antennas in various configurations for mobile land and seaboard...

Hughes Network Systems, LLC.(CONTRACTS)(Brief article)
July 1, 2006... Hughes Network Systems, LLC--Has been selected by Nsight Teleservices to supply its AB9400 LMDS system. Nsight Teleservices will implement Hughes' AB9400 28-GHz point-to-multipoint/point-to-point (PMP/PTP) LMDS system to provide up to 30 Mb/s...

TiaLinx, Inc.(CONTRACTS)(Brief article)
July 1, 2006... TiaLinx, Inc.--Announced that it has been awarded a Phase II contract by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). The objective of this program with DARPA to develop electronic components for wafer-scale integration in of...

Rosenberger of North America, LLC and Agilent Technologies, Inc.(FRESH STARTS)(contracts)(Brief article)
July 1, 2006... Rosenberger of North America, LLC and Agilent Technologies, Inc.--Have signed an agreement for Rosenberger to purchase assets and to license technology used by Agilent at its Santa Rosa, CA cable-assembly shop. Upon completion of the sale,...

Nu Horizons Electronics Corp.(FRESH STARTS)(new facility in Australia)(Brief article)
July 1, 2006... Nu Horizons Electronics Corp.--Opened its first office in Australia. The office, located in Melbourne, Victoria, provides local sales and engineering support within Australia and was established as part of the company's ongoing Asia Pacific...

Analog Devices, Inc.(FRESH STARTS)(acquisition of Integrant Technologies Inc.)(Brief article)
July 1, 2006... Analog Devices, Inc.--Announced that it has entered into definitive agreement to acquire privately held Integrant Technologies, Inc. of Seoul, Korea. A firm involved in the field of analog circuits designed for reconfigurable RF signal...

Agere Systems.(FRESH STARTS)(contracts)(Brief article)
July 1, 2006... Agere Systems--Announced that it will provide a system-on-a-chip (SoC) chip set to manufacturers of SIRIUS radios. SIRIUS products that will use this Agere SoC include satellite radio receivers used in automotive, home, portable, and...

Motorola, Inc.(FRESH STARTS)(acquisition of TTP Communications PLC)(Brief article)
July 1, 2006... Motorola, Inc.--Has reached agreement on the terms of a cash offer for the acquisition of TTP Communications plc. Under the terms of the offer, Motorola, through a wholly owned subsidiary, will acquire TTPCom for 0.45 UK pounds (approximately...

RF Code, Inc.(FRESH STARTS)(Brief article)
July 1, 2006... RF Code, Inc.--Announced a partnership with supply chain solutions provider, Manhattan Associates, Inc. Under the terms of the agreement, RF Code will supply its active RFID product line of tags, readers, and Real-Time Locating Systems...

Mimix Broadband, Inc.(FRESH STARTS)(www.mimixbroadband.com)(Brief article)
July 1, 2006... Mimix Broadband, Inc.--Has launched its enhanced and redesigned website featuring a searchable product database that allows users to sort by category or application, as well as search for specific parts and product types. The site's new design...

Merrimac Industries, Inc.(FRESH STARTS)(Multi-Mix[R] Microtechnology patented)(Brief article)
July 1, 2006... Merrimac Industries, Inc.--Announced that it has been granted a patent for its Multi-Mix[R] Microtechnology from the US Patent and Trademark Office entitled "Coupler Resource Module."

Nitronex.(FRESH STARTS)(gets $21.8 million funding from Alloy Ventures)(Brief article)
July 1, 2006... Nitronex--Announced the closing of $21.8 million in venture funding led by Silicon Valley-based Alloy Ventures, a provider of expansion capital to growth-focused companies in information technology and the life sciences. Other new investors in...

Harris Corp.'s Broadcast Communications Division (BCD).(FRESH STARTS)(Brief article)
July 1, 2006... Harris Corp.'s Broadcast Communications Division (BCD)--Announced that Radio Television Guatemala has purchased a turnkey HDTV transmission, encoding, and master control package for the broadcaster's digital-television launch in the Guatemala...

Micromanipulator taps Hartman as CEO & President.(people)(Bill Hartman)(Brief article)
July 1, 2006... The Micromanipulator Co. has named BILL HARTMAN to the position of president and CEO. Hartman was previously president of MesoSystems Technology. He has over 20 years of experience in the test-equipment and telecommunications markets.

ABI Research.(people)(David Alexander and Michael Liard appointed)(Brief article)
July 1, 2006... ABI Research--DAVID ALEXANDER to senior analyst for automotive systems; formerly writer and editor for three publications at SAE International--Automotive Engineering International, Aerospace Engineering, and Off Highway Engineering magazines....

Labtech Microwave.(people)(Roger Burfoot appointed)(Brief article)
July 1, 2006... Labtech Microwave--ROGER BURFOOT to sales manager for microwave broadband components; formerly employed with the UK Ministry of Defence.

Endicott Interconnect Technologies, Inc.(people)(Doug Gotelli appointed)(Brief article)
July 1, 2006... Endicott Interconnect Technologies, Inc.--DOUG GOTELLI to director of sales for the Western region; formerly regional sales manager for Tyco Electronics' Printed Circuit Group.

IPC.(people)(Paul Langston and Nilesh Naik appointed)(Brief article)
July 1, 2006... IPC--PAUL LANGSTON to vice chairman; continues as CEO of Coretec, Inc. Also, NILESH NAIK to secretary/treasurer; continues as CEO of One Source Group.

Freescale Semiconductor.(people)(Sandeep Chennakeshu appointed)(Brief article)
July 1, 2006... Freescale Semiconductor--DR. SANDEEP CHENNAKESHU to senior vice president and general manager of the Wireless and Mobile Solutions Group; formerly head of Ericsson Mobile Platforms.

Diodes, Inc.(people)(Francis Tang appointed)(Brief article)
July 1, 2006... Diodes, Inc.--FRANCIS TANG to vice president of product development; formerly global product manager.

MagnaChip Semiconductor.(people)(Sang Park appointed)(Brief article)
July 1, 2006... MagnaChip Semiconductor--SANG PARK to president and CEO; formerly executive fellow at iSuppli.

Symmetricon, Inc.(people)(David Cox, Christine Mrena and William Minor appointed)(Brief article)
July 1, 2006... Symmetricon, Inc.--DAVID COX to vice president for corporate business development; formerly CEO at Stochasto ASA. Also, CHRISTINE MRENA to vice president for quality and process improvement; formerly an operations and supply management...

Conexant Systems, Inc.(people)(Lewis Brewster and Sailesh Chittipeddi appointed)(Brief article)
July 1, 2006... Conexant Systems, Inc.--LEWIS BREWSTER to general manager of the Broadband Media Processing business; remains as executive vice president and COO. Also, SAILESH CHITTIPEDDI to senior vice president of global operations; formerly held various...

Semflex, Inc.(people)(Stan Hardin appointed)(Brief article)
July 1, 2006... Semflex, Inc.--STAN HARDIN to senior applications engineer; formerly business unit director responsible for Semflex design engineering and manufacturing operations.

Synopsys, Inc.(people)(Brian Cabrera appointed)(Brief article)
July 1, 2006... Synopsys, Inc.--BRIAN CABRERA to vice president, general counsel, and corporate secretary; formerly senior vice president, general counsel, and secretary at Callidus Software, Inc.

FKI Logistex.(people)(Martin Clark appointed)(Brief article)
July 1, 2006... FKI Logistex--MARTIN CLARK to director of marketing and business development for FKI Logistex Manufacturing Systems North America; formerly director of international and newspaper operations.

Sabritec.(people)(Fredrik Thorell promoted)(Brief article)
July 1, 2006... Sabritec--FREDRIK THORELL to applications engineer; formerly a components and design engineer.

Short courses.(education)
July 1, 2006... ATI Short Courses Satellite Communications--An Essential Introduction September 18-20 (Cape Canaveral, FL) Fundamentals of Radar Technology September 27-29 (Beltsville, MD) For further information, contact: The Applied Technology Institute...

Meetings.(education)
July 1, 2006... RFID Applications Fall 2006 September 21-22 (Washington, DC) Internet: www.shorecliffcommunications.com/rfid06fall/ 2006 International Conference on Ultra-Wideband (ICUWB 2006) September 24-27 (Waltham, MA) Westin Hotel Internet:...

CMOS direct-downconversion mixer hits +78 dBm IIP2 for UMTS.(downconversion mixer capable of an input second-order-intercept point )(Brief article)
July 1, 2006... DYNAMIC RANGE is a key performance parameter in emerging wireless and next-generation cellular communications systems. But silicon CMOS technology has shown that it is not yet approaching the limits of its performance in terms of frequency and...

Approach provides unobtrusive detection of passive RFID tag motion.(R&D roundup)(radio frequency identification)(Brief article)
July 1, 2006... RADIO-FREQUENCY IDENTIFICATION (RFID) TAGS are dropping in price and growing in popularity as a cost-effective means of tracking inventory. They offer several advantages over bar-coding and other methods of inventory tracking, including the...

CMOS process yields low- phase-noise, 1-V, 24-GHz phase-locked loop.(R&D roundup)(Brief article)
July 1, 2006... PHASE-LOCKED LOOPS (PLLs) stabilize the phase and frequency of oscillators throughout wired and wireless communications systems. There is usually a penalty in power for such stability, however, although progress has been made in recent years in...

Establish test procedures for WiMAX transceivers: by understanding WiMAX signals and how they can be impaired by distortion and noise, it is possible to construct a baseband test receiver for evaluating performance per IEEE 802.16-2004.(DESIGN: WIMAX TRANSCEIVER TESTING, PART 1)
July 1, 2006... Data-intensive wireless applications have sped the development of multicarrier modulation techniques, such as orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM). OFDM can overcome many problems that arise with high-bit-rate communications, such...

Topology and technology drive E-PHEMT amplifiers: the combination of a new design topology and proven half-micron enhancement-mode PHEMT semiconductor process help extend the performance of a Darlington amplifier.(DESIGN: PHEMT)
July 1, 2006... Wideband Darlington amplifiers offer versatile gain for a variety of wireless and wire-line applications, including in base stations, fiber-optic transceivers, cable-television (CATV) systems, and measurement systems. A Darlington feedback...

Satisfying the new edition of IEC 61000-4-3.(application notes)
July 1, 2006... EUROPE'S IEC 61000-4-3 test standard was spawned to create a common reference to radiated RF immunity. For years, designers have used it as a basic standard for radiated, electromagnetic-field immunity testing. Often, it is used with a product...

Choosing the right ZigBee solution.(wireless sensors and switches)
July 1, 2006... THE PAST FEW YEARS have seen the rise of the IEEE 802.15.4 low-data-rate wireless standard. This standard permits lighting, security, climate control, and other systems to be controlled with a network of wireless sensors and switches. Although...

Surface-mount amps span 0.1 to 40.0 GHz: these tiny amplifiers measure 0.52 x 0.44 x 0.14 in. but provide high gain and wideband performance to 40 GHz without the limitations of chip and wire and connectors.(AMPLIFIERS)(Cover story)
July 1, 2006... Broadband amplifiers serve an endless list of applications, from amplitude adjustment in commercial and military systems to signal driving signals in test equipment. Adding an amplifier to an application usually requires a trade-off between...

Making the case for well-rounded devices.(Here's how we solved it)(Freescale Semiconductor introduces LDMOS RF power transistors )
July 1, 2006... In today's competitive wireless market, success is measured by providing solutions for customers rather than simply delivering "unprecedented performance" in a single area. For example, a new performance benchmark set by an RF power transistor...

System monitors satellite carriers: This high-performance carrier monitoring system provides a wide instantaneous bandwidth for real-time spectrum analysis of satcom signals from 3 to 1800 MHz.(product technology: SPECTRUM ANALYZER)(VC1800 Carrier Monitoring System)
July 1, 2006... Satellite-communications (satcom) systems send signals where terrestrial-based wired and wireless systems often fail to go. But monitoring the health and performance of a satcom network requires specialized spectrum-analysis tools with enough...

RF power devices meet wireless challenges head on.(radio frequency)(Brief article)
July 1, 2006... The number and types of commercial wireless-communications technologies have exploded in the last 15 years, from comparatively simple systems using FDMA to the higher-order modulation schemes employed in GSM and CDMA and new standards and...

WiMAX: A Ripple Or The Next Big Wave?(MICROWAVE DESIGN WHITE paper: WIRELESS DEVICE SOLUTIONS)
July 1, 2006... While advancements in cellular and WiFi technologies are essentially evolutionary and their missions clearcut, WiMAX has the potential to be truly revolutionary, streaking across the boundaries of specific applications to complement (or compete...

Freescale applies cellular know-how to refine performance in industrial applications.(MICROWAVE DESIGN WHITE paper: WIRELESS DEVICE SOLUTIONS)
July 1, 2006... The importance of RF power in wireless applications is easy to see, even for those without a technical background. However, powering systems in hundreds of Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) applications are millions of RF power...

Removing the burden of RF integration from cellular system builders.(MICROWAVE DESIGN WHITE paper: WIRELESS DEVICE SOLUTIONS)
July 1, 2006... Over the years, design-engineering teams tasked with creating cellular phones have warily regarded the transceiver portion as unfamiliar territory, an island unto itself. While of necessity, the RF and digital designers at phone manufacturers...

Freescale puts ZigBee[TM] specification together.(MICROWAVE DESIGN WHITE paper: WIRELESS DEVICE SOLUTIONS)
July 1, 2006... The buzz about the ZigBee[TM] specification is getting louder and louder as the technology, introduced in 1998, gains the momentum it needs to permeate home, business, and industrial applications. While there have been attempts to develop a...