Microwaves & RF articles from November 2005

Microwaves & RF archives from November 2005

"Disruptive" ceramic technology stabilizes spectrum management.(ceramic filters)
November 1, 2005... Advanced ceramic materials and a high-resolution circuit fabrication process can combine to provide excellent electrical performance in small sizes. As demonstrated in Part 1 of this white paper, the combination has been applied at Dielectric...

Looking back.
November 1, 2005... MORE THAN 24 YEARS AGO, Motorola Semiconductor introduced hybrid amplifier modules that brought 500-MHz bandwidth to cable-television (CATV)system architects.

FCBs Shrink Systems from 8 To 40 GHz: the unique concept of a ferrite circuit board (FCB) allows ferrite components from 8 through 40 GHz to be integrated with conventional thin-film microwave circuits.(company profile)(Company Profile)
November 1, 2005... Ferrite components, such as isolators and circulators, are essential to the operation of many microwave assemblies and systems, including power amplifiers. But these components tend to be bulky and have never lent themselves to integration on...

Baluns shrink to tiny 0404 footprint: these miniature baluns make the transition from balanced to unbalanced devices in a fraction of the real estate required by previously available surface-mount components.(telecommunications transmission technologies)
November 1, 2005... Consumer and commercial electronic designs call for the smallest possible components to save space and power. Balanced-unbalanced transformers or baluns have traditionally been based on transmission lines, such as coaxial wires, stripline, or...

Making WCDMA noise measurements.(Wideband Code-Division-Multiple-Access)(telecommunications transmission technologies)
November 1, 2005... WIDEBAND CODE-DIVISION-MULTIPLE-ACCESS (WCDMA) 3G cellular networks form the technology behind the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS). For digital communications systems that use modulation schemes like WCDMA, some important...

Detailing the board for A 1.575-GHz LNA.(semiconductor devices)
November 1, 2005... MONOLITHICS ICS ARE SPURNING the growth of 1.575-GHz Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) applications by simplifying and shrinking the circuit design. Higher expectations are thus being placed on the monolithic ICs in the low-noise amplifiers...

Gauging limitations on DFD performance: the critical choice of correlator delay lengths for a digital frequency discriminator can be aided by the use of an innovative computer program.(Digital frequency discriminators)
November 1, 2005... Digital frequency discriminators (DFDs) provide accurate frequency-measurement data on pulsed and CW signals received over wide instantaneous RF bandwidths. They typically cover wide bandwidths, such as 50 to 500 MHz, 0.5 to 2 GHz, 2 to 6 GHz,...

Cluster computers speed EM simulation: cluster computers can greatly reduce the processing time of an electromagnetic simulation by combining the processing power of multiple CPUs in a single computing platform.(semiconductor devices)
November 1, 2005... Electromagnetic (EM) simulation has become a powerful tool in modeling high-frequency and high-speed circuits and devices. As the software grows in sophistication, however, computer hardware strains to keep up, often requiring innovative...

Test system tackles UWB communication channel evaluation.(Ultra wideband technology)(telecommunications transmission technologies)
November 1, 2005... ULTRAWIDEBAND (UWB) TECHNOLOGY offers tremendous promise for those applications requiring high date rates and low-power transmissions over short distances. A number of commercial and consumer electronics firms, for example, are exploring the...

Microstrip-Fed slot antennas aggressively suppress harmonics.(wireless communications equipment)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... WIRELESS-COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS rely on highly efficient solid-state amplifiers to transmit complex digital modulation schemes with accuracy and fidelity. Unfortunately, the efficiency of these amplifiers is often degraded by having to deal...

Self-aligned SiGeC HBT scales cutoff frequency of 230 GHz.(semiconductor devices)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... MILLIMETER-WAVE FREQUENCIES offer the generous bandwidths that intrigue developers of high-data-rate links and automotive radar systems. But operation at those frequencies requires advanced devices and semiconductor processes, In support of...

Short courses.(education)(Calendar)
November 1, 2005... Besser Associates Short Courses RF/MW Circuit Design: Linear/Nonlinear Theory and Applications December 5-9 (San Jose, CA) RF Productivity Improvement December 7-9 (San Jose, CA) RF Wireless System Design Fundamentals ...

Meetings.(education)(Calendar)
November 1, 2005... Automatic RF Techniques Group (ARFTG) 66th Microwave Measurements Conference December 1-2 (Washington, DC) Marriot Hotel Internet: www.arftg.org WiFi/VoWiFi Planet Conference & Expo Fall 2005 December 6-8 (San Jose, CA)...

EMS Technologies names Reis as general counsel.(Timothy C. Reis appointed)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... EMS Technologies, Inc. has appointed TIMOTHY C. REIS as vice president and general counsel. Reis joined EMS in 2001 as assistant general counsel. Prior to joining EMS, Reis was counsel for four years at King & Spalding and Morris, Manning and...

360 Systems.(Phillip Cox appointed)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... 360 Systems--PHILLIP COX to executive vice president; formerly held senior management positions at CalAmp, Inc., Signal Technology Corp., and M/ACOM, Inc.

Raytheon JPS Communications.(Sandy Waters appointed)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... Raytheon JPS Communications--SANDY WATERS to vice president of sales and marketing; formerly a manager and senior contributor at Digital Equipment Corp., Nortel, Allied Bunker-Ramo, and Perkin-Elmer.

Silicon Laboratories, Inc.(Necip Sayiner appointed)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... Silicon Laboratories, Inc.--NECIP SAYINER to president and CEO; formerly vice president and general manager of the enterprise and networking division at Agere Systems.

FKI Logistex.(Ed Zahler appointed)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... FKI Logistex--ED ZAHLER to director of projects for the Atlanta regional office; formerly held engineering and project-management staff and management positions at the company. Also, ANDREW SMITH to managing director for the European Warehouse,...

IDI/Synergetix.(Bruce Valentine appointed)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... IDI/Synergetix--BRUCE VALENTINE to business development manager for connector products in Europe; formerly employed at Huber + Suhner.

STMicroelectronics.(Reza Kazerounian and Marco Cassis appointed)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... STMicroelectronics--REZA KAZEROUNIAN to corporate vice president for the North America region; formerly group vice president and general manager of the Smart Card division. Also, MARCO CASSIS to corporate vice president of STMicroelectronics...

PCTEL, Inc.(Jim Giacobazzi appointed)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... PCTEL, Inc.--JIM GIACOBAZZI to vice president for business development and strategy; formerly held senior positions at Andrew Corp., Motorola, and Comsat RSI.

Sirenza Microdevices, Inc.(Kin Tan appointed)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... Sirenza Microdevices, Inc.--KIN TAN to vice president for manufacturing and operations; formerly senior technical director for the Amplifier division.

Park Electrochemical Corp.(Ronald Brett appointed)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... Park Electrochemical Corp.--RONALD BRETT to president of Neltec Europe SAS; formerly managing director of Dielektra GmbH.

Trilogy Communications, Inc.(Terry Stanford and Newell Simall appointed)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... Trilogy Communications, Inc.--TERRY STANFORD to regional sales manager for the Midwest region; formerly director of system integrator sales with Radio Frequency Systems. Also, NEWELL SIMRALL to director of sales support and national sales...

Flowserve Corp.(Lewis M. Kling appointed)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... Flowserve Corp.--LEWIS M. KLING to president, CEO, and membership on the board of directors; formerly COO.

Jacket Micro Devices (JMD).(Bob Bayruns appointed)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... Jacket Micro Devices (JMD)--BOB BAYRUNS to vice president of engineering; formerly vice president of engineering and product development at WJ Communications.

Indium Corp.(Greg Phipps appointed)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... Indium Corp.--GREG PHIPPS to vice president of marketing; formerly employed with the Boston Consulting Group.

Silterra Malaysia Sdn. Bhd.(Bruce Gray appointed)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... Silterra Malaysia Sdn. Bhd.--BRUCE GRAY to CEO; formerly president, COO, and acting CEO.

ViaSat, Inc.(contract by United States Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... ViaSat, Inc.--Has been awarded an add-on order valued at more than $5.2 million for Multifunctional Information Distribution System terminals from The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR), San Diego. The order augments the $60...

Harris Corp.(contract by United States Army Communications-Electronics Command )(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... Harris Corp.--Announced that it was awarded a $16 million contract by the US Army Communications-Electronics Command (CECOM), Ft. Monmouth, NJ, for the first production lot of Large Aperture Multiband Deployable Antennas (LAMDAs) for use by the...

EMS Technologies, Inc.(Defense & Space Systems signed Norden Systems)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... EMS Technologies, Inc.--Announced that its Defense & Space Systems division is performing on a contract from Northrop Grumman Corp.'s Norden Systems business unit to provide maintenance support and upgrades for the US Air Force's E-8C Joint...

picoChip.(Picochip Designs Ltd. signed development partnership agreement with Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute )(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... picoChip--Announced that it has signed a development partnership agreement with the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) of Korea in the area of Software Defined Radio for WCDMA/HSDPA and WiMAX. The arrangement takes the...

Corning Gilbert.(new microwave customer-service center in Vordingborg)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... Corning Gilbert--Opened a new microwave customer-service center in Vordingborg, Denmark on October 17. The customer-service center will be operated out of Corning Gilbert's subsidiary, Corning Cabelcon.

Powerwave Technologies, Inc.(REMEC, Inc.'s Wireless Systems Business purchased)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... Powerwave Technologies, Inc.--Announced that it has completed the purchase of selected assets and liabilities of REMEC, Inc.'s Wireless Systems Business, including its RF conditioning, filter, tower-mounted amplifier, and RF power-amplifier...

Anritsu Corp.(new sales and marketing office in Bangalore)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... Anritsu Corp.--Opened a sales and marketing office in Bangalore, India. With the opening, Anritsu now has offices in 17 countries, including the US and Japan.

ABI Research.(new offices in New York City and Scottsdale)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... ABI Research--Opened an office in New York City. The office is located on Seventh Avenue in midtown Manhattan, and it will provide greater convenience for meetings with clients. ABI has also opened an office in Scottsdale, AZ.

American Technical Ceramics Corp.(equipment and inventory purchased from CTS Corp.)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... American Technical Ceramics Corp.--Announced that it has entered into an agreement to purchase from CTS Corp. certain equipment and inventory used by CTS in the manufacture of low-temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC) products. It is anticipated...

Kulicke & Soffa Industries, Inc.(capacity)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... Kulicke & Soffa Industries, Inc.--Announced that its facility in Suzhou, China has expanded to become fully operational in its manufacturing capabilities to produce both dicing hub blades and test sockets. In addition to its existing capillary...

Modelithics, Inc.(www.modelithics.com introduced)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... Modelithics, Inc.--Has introduced a new website created specifically to serve the simulation needs of RF and microwave engineers. The site, www.modelithics.com, centralizes access to information on models for thousands of individual components....

Keithley Instruments, Inc.(international markets)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... Keithley Instruments, Inc.--Announced an office expansion in Singapore and the opening of two new offices in Malaysia for direct sales and support of its electrical test and measurement solutions. Keithley maintains branch sales offices in...

RFMD's Q3 revenue shows growth.(RF Micro Devices Inc.)
November 1, 2005... RF MICRO DEVICES, INC. (RFMD), a provider of proprietary RF integrated circuits (RF ICs) for wireless communications applications, has announced that its September 2005 quarterly revenue will exceed its original guidance, which was provided on...

80-MSample/s ADC boasts -82-dBFS noise floor.
November 1, 2005... DEMANDS FOR faster sampling rates and higher dynamic performance spurned the development of an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) that promises an 80-dB or greater signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). At an input frequency of 10 MHz (-2-dB input...

Signal generator brings high performance to PXI.
November 1, 2005... DESIGNERS SEEKING a signal-generator module have a new choice in the 3020A. This PXI RF signal generator's frequency range has been extended to 250 MHz to 2.7 GHz. It flaunts level accuracy of [+ or -] 0.3 dB typical (CW). The signal generator...

ICs aid crystal oscillator stability.
November 1, 2005... BY COMBINING traditional quartz-crystal-oscillator design techniques with advanced integrated circuits (ICs) and modern manufacturing techniques, a line of overtone oscillators has been developed with high stability and reliability. The S1614XP...

1600-W NPN transistor targets high-power avionics.
November 1, 2005... THE STIFF requirements of avionics applications have spawned an internally matched device that is optimized for operation within the 1030-to-1090-MHz frequency range. The MS1011-1600 is a 1600-W, Class C, silicon NPN transistor. It delivers 7...

MEMS and models move forward at 2005 IEDM: for RF/microwave designers, the main news at this year's IEDM concerns advances in MEMS technology, computer models, and the power levels from discrete RF transistors.(microelectromechanical-systems)(International Electron Devices Meeting)
November 1, 2005... Transistor trackers have found a wealth of information for more than 50 years at the IEEE's International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM). Scheduled this year (December 5-7, 2005) at the Hilton Washington Hotel (Washington, DC), this premier...

Broadband served by multiple technologies: fiber-optic and wireless technologies appear to be heading for larger shares of broadband residential and business communications access as they displace cable and DSL.(wireless communications services)
November 1, 2005... Broadband access is the fastest-growing segment of the huge global-communications market, but no single technology appears to have cornered the market. Although most current customers receive broadband access by means of digital-subscriber-line...

Huge increase is forecast for the number of VoIP subscribers.(Voice over Internet Protocol)(communications protocols)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... EL SEGUNDO, CA -- The ranks of residential Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) users are expected to explode during the next few years, causing market revenue to more than triple between 2004 and 2010 (see figure), iSuppli Corp. predicts. ...

RFMD enters market for DC-to-DC converter power management.(RF Micro Devices Inc)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... GREENSBORO, NC -- RF Micro Devices, Inc., a provider of proprietary RF integrated circuits (RF ICs) for wireless-communications applications, announced that it has entered the market for DC-to-DC converter power-management components....

Aeroflex/Metelics delivers diode catalog.(microwave devices)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... SUNNYVALE, CA -- Designers in need of a high-frequency diode will more than likely find it in the new 48-page catalog from Aeroflex/Metelics. The firm is a long-time supplier of microwave diodes for the aerospace, defense and wireless...

Fixed-Mobile Technologies level the telecom-services marketplace.(telecommunications equipment)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... OYSTER BAY, NY -- The dream of using one telephone with one number whether at home, at work, or on the street--and of networks smart enough to hand over a call in progress--is approaching reality. "Fixed-mobile convergence" is the...

AWR partners with Flomerics to link circuit simulation with 3D electromagnetic analysis.(Applied Wave Research Inc.)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... EL SEGUNDO, CA AND LONDON, ENGLAND -- Applied Wave Research, Inc., a provider of high-frequency electronic-design-automation (EDA) tools, and Flomerics, a provider of 3D electromagnetic-analysis software, announced a partnership that will...

Kudos.(RF Micro Devices Inc. shiped 10 million cellular transceiver)(National Technical Systems Inc.'s defense contract finance)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... CAMDEN, AR -- National Technical Systems, Inc. announced that defense contract awards for NTS Camden totaled more than $6.5 million for the first half of the NTS fiscal year 2006. The contracts cover weapons performance, hazardous-materials...

Remembering one of the good guys.(obituary)(Obituary)
November 1, 2005... BILL REICH passed away late last month. He was not the CEO of his company, or the founder. He didn't hold any patents, and his name was not synonymous with a mixer, or decoder, or modulation format. But he was one of the truly decent people in...

Front end correction.(feedback)(Teridian Semiconductor Corp. October 2005 issue)(Correction Notice)
November 1, 2005... * DUE TO AN editorial error, the name of Teridian Semiconductor Corp. was misspelled in the story "TDK Semiconductor Corp. Announces Name Change," which was featured in The Front End section of the October 2005 issue (p. 26). We apologize to...

Caption correction.(feedback)(Correction Notice)
November 1, 2005... * THERE IS AN error in the caption for Fig. 8 in the article "Design And Verify A 50-W Power Amp" by Wilfredo Rivas-Torres (October 2005, p. 76). The caption reads: "EDGE simulated results using 89600 software to analyze the real time 16QAM...