Microwaves & RF articles from May 2008

Microwaves & RF archives from May 2008

A job well-done.(feedback)
May 1, 2008... Congratulations on your article dealing with microwave materials ("Microwave Materials Help Build An Industry," March 2008, p. 98). It has come to my mind those past times, trying myself to go beyond gigahertz with FR-4 materials. I really...

Clarification on equation.(feedback)(Correction notice)
May 1, 2008... In the March 2008 issue, equation 1 in "Design An Integrated Oscillator/Antenna" on p. 66 was incorrect. We apologize for any confusion this may have caused. The correct version of equation 1 appears below: [S'.sub.21] = [square root of...

Wrong web address listed.(feedback)
May 1, 2008... I am writing on behalf of Tyco Telecommunications to thank you for including the Unity project in your article titled, "Rugged Cables And Connectors Can Take Abuse" (April 2008, p. 33). I also wanted to let you know that the website address...

Making a mid-year assessment at IMS.(from the editor)(Letter to the editor)
May 1, 2008... Atlanta, GA is home to this year's Microwave Theory & Techniques Society (MTT-S) symposium and exhibition, popularly known as the International Microwave Symposium (IMS) or Microwave Week. In many ways, it is a "microwave week," since the event...

IDS Microchip revolutionizes RFID labeling/tracking.(thefrontend)
May 1, 2008... WOLLERAU, SWITZERLAND -- A radio-frequency-identification (RFID) chip is promising to make it practical for companies to automatically track, monitor, time-stamp, and record information about goods in any supply-chain or cold-chain transport on...

American Radio Relay League petitions Federal Communications Commission.(thefrontend)
May 1, 2008... The American Radio Relay League, Inc., has petitioned on behalf of licensed amateur radio operators for the review of two orders of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) promulgating a rule to regulate the use of the radio spectrum by...

Mobile-device market exceeds expectations in first quarter.(thefrontend)
May 1, 2008... LONDON, ENGLAND -- According to ABI Research, operators and distributors continued to top up their inventories in the first quarter of this year after a strong fourth quarter of 2007. "Year on year, 1Q 2008 was up 13.7 percent. But 2Q 2008 is...

Kudos.(thefrontend)
May 1, 2008... WOBURN, MA -- Skyworks Solutions, Inc. congratulated Samsung on winning two FEMTO cell awards. Jang Young Shil, which is presented by the Maeil Business Newspaper--an economic daily in Korea--and the Korea Industrial Technology Association...

RF Blog.
May 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...

Find out more about: designing and testing wireless products.
May 1, 2008... Over the course of the past 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.
May 1, 2008... Quick polls allow you to regularly share your opinion on a wide range of topics. Will WiMAX Survive As A Viable Worldwide Wireless Standard? LATEST POLL RESULTS: 54% YES 46% NO NEW POLL: Are you planning on...

IMS displays microwave advances in Atlanta: thousands of members of the high-frequency industry will gather in Atlanta, GA this June to catch up on the latest technology, product developments, and tall tales.(NewsReport)
May 1, 2008... MICROWAVE WEEK has become a true meeting place for members of the high-frequency industry. Part continuing education, part product showcase, and part social networking, this week-long series of events is scheduled for the Georgia World Congress...

Novel approaches vow to upset the status quo: a new power-transistor technology, advances in RF MEMS, and oscillator innovations are among the technologies that could disrupt current design approaches.(NewsReport)
May 1, 2008... Despite the constant innovation in the microwave industry, many products are rooted in the same technologies. Gallium arsenide (GaAs), for example, is at the heart of many of today's advanced amplifiers and other active components. Amidst this...

Chip-scale packaging approach cuts losses: this innovative, semiconductor-based chip-scale-packaging technology promises extreme miniaturization while minimizing signal losses for a wide range of RF/microwave components.(NewsReport)
May 1, 2008... Chip-scale packaging (CSP) offers great promise for shrinking the size and cost of certain semiconductor devices. With customer pressures to reduce the size, weight, and cost of commercial semiconductors for wireless handsets, infrastructure...

STMicroelectronics and NXP merge businesses.(financialnews)
May 1, 2008... NXP (GENEVA, SWITZERLAND) and STMicroelectronics have agreed to combine key wireless operations to form a joint-venture company with strong relationships with all major handset manufacturers. The new company will have the scale to better meet...

Elcom Technologies.(CONTRACTS)
May 1, 2008... Elcom Technologies--Received a contract for $1 million from a major US aerospace-defense military contractor for a VME-based synthesized RF source and synthesized broadband downconverter. Elcom was selected due to its ability to integrate a...

Etihad Atheeb telecommunication company (Atheeb) and Motorola.(CONTRACTS)
May 1, 2008... Etihad Atheeb Telecommunication Company (Atheeb) and Motorola--Motorola, Inc. announced a $165 million WiMAX IEEE 802.16e infrastructure contract with Atheeb that will enable the new service provider to offer compelling and unique broadband...

Agilent Technologies.(CONTRACTS)
May 1, 2008... Agilent Technologies--Announced that Bureau Veritas ADT, Taiwan's WiMAX testing and certification company, awarded it a contract for Mobile WiMAX Protocol Conformance Test (PCT). Bureau Veritas ADT provides Mobile WiMAX testing and...

Entel and Alcatel-Lucent.(CONTRACTS)
May 1, 2008... Entel and Alcatel-Lucent--Alcatel-Lucent has been awarded a contract by Entel S.A., a telecommunications operator, to deploy the first commercial WiMAX Rev-e (IEEE 802.16e-2005 standard) network in Bolivia. This network will support voice over...

Alcatel-Lucent, Ericsson, NEC, NextWave Wireless, Nokia, Nokia Siemens Networks, and Sony Ericsson.(FRESH STARTS)
May 1, 2008... Alcatel-Lucent, Ericsson, NEC, NextWave Wireless, Nokia, Nokia Siemens Networks, and Sony Ericsson--Announced a mutual commitment to a framework for establishing predictable and more transparent maximum aggregate costs for licensing...

Anritsu Co. and RFMW.(FRESH STARTS)
May 1, 2008... Anritsu Co. and RFMW--Announced Americas distribution agreement. RFMW will now market and sell Anritsu's high-performance, high-frequency coaxial connectors and components used in communications and test instrument applications.

TriQuint and AWR.(FRESH STARTS)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... TriQuint and AWR--Launched a new program called Project Jumpstart. This program is designed to give start-ups and new customers of TriQuint and AWR a low-cost introduction to the benefits of designing wireless applications with gallium-arsenide...

Tensolite, a Carlisle company.(FRESH STARTS)(Tensolite Co. contract with Carlyle, Inc.)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... Tensolite, a Carlisle Company--Has signed a definitive agreement to acquire privately owned Carlyle, Inc., a provider of aerospace and network interconnection solutions. With annual sales of approximately $125 million, Carlyle is focused on...

Anaren, Inc.(FRESH STARTS)
May 1, 2008... Anaren, Inc.--Has signed a non-binding letter of intent to acquire M.S. Kennedy Corp. (MSK), a Syracuse, NY-based manufacturer of analog and mixed-signal hybrids used in various military and aerospace applications. MSK had net sales of...

Plexus Corp.(FRESH STARTS)
May 1, 2008... Plexus Corp.--Has committed to two facility leases that will modestly expand its North American manufacturing footprint. Plexus' San Jose-area facility will relocate from the existing 36,000-sq.-ft. site to a larger facility with 46,000 sq. ft....

OSRAM Opto Semiconductors.(FRESH STARTS)
May 1, 2008... OSRAM Opto Semiconductors--Opened new Asia regional headquarters in Hong Kong. The office will house staff to coordinate sales and marketing activities in Asia.

Merrimac Industries and Nitronex Corp.(FRESH STARTS)
May 1, 2008... Merrimac Industries and Nitronex Corp.--Merrimac Industries, Inc. has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Nitronex to develop highly integrated power amplifiers using Merrimac's proprietary Multi-Mix multilayer circuit...

Qualcomm, Inc.(FRESH STARTS)
May 1, 2008... QUALCOMM, Inc.--Has acquired eight licenses in the Federal Communications Commission's 700-MHz spectrum auction at a total cost of $558.1 million. QUALCOMM purchased licenses in the E block covering the Boston, Los Angeles, New York City,...

Raytheon.(FRESH STARTS)(Raytheon Co. Has developed System Requirements Review )
May 1, 2008... Raytheon--Has completed the System Requirements Review (SRR) for the US Air Force on the next-generation Global Positioning System (GPS) Control Segment (OCX). This is the first milestone for the OCX program, satisfying the Air Force's system...

Iridium Satellite.(FRESH STARTS)
May 1, 2008... IRIDIUM Satellite--Announced impressive financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2008. Revenue in the first quarter was $74.3 million versus $52.7 million in the same quarter last year--a 41-percent increase.

Short courses.(education)(Calendar)
May 1, 2008... Besser Associates Short Courses Advanced RF Power Amplifier Techniques May 12-15 (Burlington, MA) RF Transceiver Architecture, Design, and Evaluation May 12-16 (Burlington, MA) RF and High Speed PC Board Design...

Meetings.(education)(Calendar)
May 1, 2008... ICCE-Integration and Commercialization of Micro and Nanosystems International Conferences & Exhibitions June 3-5 (Hong Kong, China) Internet: www.asmeconferences.org/MicroNano08 Emerging Telecom Market Forums: BRIC Opportunities...

Electrically tune a planar inverted-F antenna.(R & Droundup)
May 1, 2008... WITH THE PLETHORA of wireless standards being applied to today's handheld devices, the antennas integrated in those products must often operate in 10 or more frequency bands. For the antenna designer, this translates into the challenge of...

Dielectric blood measurement detects HIV/AIDS.(R & Droundup)
May 1, 2008... DESPITE THE FACT THAT HIV/AIDS has grown into a worldwide pandemic, Elisa and Western Blot tests are still the only tests available for detecting it. Yet a new testing method could be based on the measurement of the dielectric properties of...

Eliminate fixture effects on device measurements: when performing measurements on high-frequency devices that require a test fixture, some useful techniques such as de-embedding and port extensions can improve overall VNA test accuracy.(DesignFeature)
May 1, 2008... Increased accuracy has been an objective of the earliest vector network analyzer (VNA) measurements. By means of calibration and vector-error-correction techniques, the accuracy of a VNA can be extended from the instrument ports to the ends of...

Large-signal approach yields low-noise VHF/UHF oscillators: in contrast to traditional small-signal approaches, the use of large-signal, time-domain design techniques helps deliver low-noise grounded-base oscillators for VHF/UHF applications.(DesignFeature)
May 1, 2008... Last month, the first half of this article introduced the large-signal approach to oscillator design. This concluding section will offer some VHF/UHF design examples, including the 144-MHz oscillator first presented last month in Part 1. ...

Multilayer microstrip forms tunable bandstop filters: these straightforward guidelines show how to design and analyze a new structure for tunable bandstop filters using multilayer microstrip with a metallic diaphragm.(DesignFeature)
May 1, 2008... Tunable bandstop filters are useful for a wide range of applications in eliminating unwanted signals and interference. Designing such filters can be greatly simplified with a new structure fabricated on multilayer microstrip substrates with a...

Reviewing GNSS basics for software engineers: incorporating Global Navigation Satellite System capability into consumer electronics devices can be performed simply and cost-effectively by the use of a software approach.(DesignFeature)
May 1, 2008... Position tracking, using the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), including Global Positioning System (GPS) and/or Galileo, is driving many consumer electronics applications. GNSS is no longer limited to automotive applications, surveying...

Modular approach provides fast and easy prototyping: while not quite as simple as an erector set, this new approach to RF/microwave prototyping can greatly speed and simplify the process while cutting development costs.(DesignFeature)
May 1, 2008... Prototype development of RF and microwave designs can be tedious, requiring weeks or even months of engineering and construction time. For those who seek a faster, easier approach to the prototyping of new RF and microwave designs, however,...

Discrete LNAs improve performance of GPS-enabled cell phones.(application notes)
May 1, 2008... Global PositioninG system (GPS) functionality is being widely added to cellular phones and other handheld devices. Yet cell-phone manufacturers are still placing restrictive requirements on device size and power consumption. To meet these...

Mobile WiMAX multi-antenna techniques offer carriers new option.(application notes)
May 1, 2008... FOR WIRELESS OPERATORS, the introduction of bandwidth-intensive, rich media applications means that more subscribers will begin to consume increasing amounts of data packets. To conquer the resulting capacity issues, operators can acquire more...

LTCC arms mixer For 7.3-to-20.0-GHz systems: this mixer makes the most of LTCC, semiconductor, and patented high-frequency circuit technologies to achieve low-loss frequency downconversion for millimeter-wave systems.(LTCC MIXER)
May 1, 2008... FREQUENCY CONVERSION is one of the more critical functions within the RF/microwave portion of a high-frequency system. In spite of continuing advances in the speed and bit resolution of analog-to-digital converters (ADCs), they rely on a...

Synthesized LO spans 0.05 to 20.48 GHz: DDS technology at the heart of this frequency synthesizer delivers the performance and spectral purity essential for applications in military ATE, radar, electronic warfare, and SIGINT systems.(ProductTechnology)
May 1, 2008... Direct-digital synthesis (DDS) is capable of impressive frequency and amplitude switching speeds and, depending upon the bit resolution of the DDS architecture, extremely fine frequency and phase control. DDS technology is the basis for the...

LDMOS FET drives UHF TV transmitters: with 450-W output power, this robust device helps simplify the design and reduce the cost of power amplifiers for UHF broadcast television transmitters.(ProductTechnology)
May 1, 2008... Television broadcast systems in the ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) region from 470 to 860 MHz will make the transition from analog to digital technology next year, and broadcasters are taking advantage of digital performance while attempting to keep...

High-dynamic-range mixer upconverts 1.5 To 3.8 GHz: this broadband active mixer provides the bandwidth and performance to serve both cellular applications at 1.9 GHz and WiMAX applications through 3.5 GHz.(ProductTechnology)
May 1, 2008... Active frequency mixers provide the frequency-translation function required in modern communications systems, with the added benefit of conversion gain in contrast to the conversion loss of passive mixers. Model LT5579 from Linear Technology...

Advanced Phase-Lock Techniques.
May 1, 2008... Phase-locked loops (PLLs) are an integral part of many communications systems. Essential for their capability of synthesizing stable output signals from tunable oscillators, such as voltage-controlled oscillators (VCOs), the PLL has grown in...

VCOs offer linear tuning through 10.9 GHz: these high-performance microwave oscillators offer precision tuning over their bandwidths with low phase noise and excellent second-harmonic suppression.(ProductTechnology)
May 1, 2008... Linear tuning is essential for a wide range of applications requiring frequency precision over time and temperature. The latest series of voltage-tuned oscillators from Synergy Microwave (www.synergymwave.com) provide outstanding tuning...

Custom synthesizers range 144 to 4500 MHz: this long-time supplier of active and passive components is also one of the industry's best-kept secrets for high-performance frequency synthesizers.(ProductTechnology)
May 1, 2008... Frequency synthesizers provide the fixed and tunable signals for local oscillators (LOs) in a wide range of commercial and military communications systems, including in wireless base stations. Technologies for creating frequency synthesizers...

Modular GPIB switches connect test applications: these microwave switch assemblies route signals under GPIB control to simplify the installation and operation of testing high-frequency components from DC to 18 GHz.(ProductTechnology)
May 1, 2008... Switching signals among test sources and devices under test (DUT) in a measurement setup can be cumbersome and time-consuming. Fortunately, the GPIB series 8000 modular switch assemblies help simplify complex test assemblies with reliable...

FETs target WiMAX PAs from 2500 to 2700 MHz.(editor's choice)
May 1, 2008... Two LDMOS RF power transistors have debuted for wireless-infrastructure applications in the 2.5-GHz-to-2.7-GHz frequency band. By providing peak output power of up to 170 W, these transistors should help designers simplify their RF...

7/16 panel receptacle exhibits -175 dBc IMD performance.(editor's choice)
May 1, 2008... LOW INTERMODULATION distortion (IMD) is key to newer wireless systems like WiMAX. Such systems rely on outstanding linearity in both amplifiers and passive components to process the complex modulation schemes needed to support high data rates....

2.5-GHz, 90-deg. antenna serves WiMAX base stations.(editor's choice)
May 1, 2008... TO TARGET both fixed and mobile WiMAX applications, a new antenna is promising to provide a very predictable pattern and consistent performance. The antenna specifically targets maximal-ratio-combining (MRC), multiple-input-multiple-output...

Software speeds development of mixed-technology PCBs.(editor's choice)
May 1, 2008... A JOINTLY DEVELOPED solution is promising to significantly improve productivity for the design of RF circuits on printed circuit boards (PCBs). This integrated solution enables PCB mixed-signal designers (RF, analog, and digital) to...