Microwaves & RF articles from September 2008

Microwaves & RF archives from September 2008

Moving at light speed.(feedback)
September 1, 2008... Metamaterials and the possibility of negative refraction are interesting, but before industries based on classical and quantum electrodynamics can take them seriously, questions of faster-than-light propagation must be addressed. A...

Transistors depend on thermal flow.(from the editor)
September 1, 2008... Thermal management is a key phrase tossed about by solid-state amplifier designers. With the increasing power levels possible from solid-state RF devices, heat dissipation becomes a main limiting factor in the size of an amplifier, since too...

Report projects GaAs market to hit $5 billion by 2011.(thefrontend)
September 1, 2008... BosTon, Ma -- A five-year report prepared by market-research specialist Strategy Analytics (www.strategyanalytics.com), "GaAs Industry Forecast 2007-2012," predicts that the year-on-year growth of the gallium arsenide (GaAs) industry will slow...

WiMAX Forum applauds India's auction of frequencies for WiMAX technology.(thefrontend)
September 1, 2008... PORTLAND, OR -- The WiMAX Forum (www.wimaxforum.org) commended the Department of Telecommunications of India for the allocation and upcoming auction relating to the 2.3- and 2.5-GHz frequency bands. The availability of these key bands for WiMAX...

CSR awards BRTF status by Bluetooth SIG.(thefrontend)
September 1, 2008... CAMBRIDGE, UK -- CSR (www.csr.com) has achieved recognition by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) as a Bluetooth Recognized Test Facility (BRTF). CSR's test facilities are now regarded as having developed to the point where it can...

Kudos.(thefrontend)
September 1, 2008... WOBURN, MA -- Skyworks Solutions, Inc. (www.skyworksinc.com) has shipped more than two billion power amplifier (PA) modules since product inception near the turn of the decade. In addition to the PAs, the firm also incorporates PA circuitry in...

The latest news, in e-mail form.
September 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.
September 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.
September 1, 2008... The Microwaves & RF web site 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...

News and products.(WEB-EXCLUSIVE)(Lisa Maliniak appointed as online editor for Microwaves and RF)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... Please join us in welcoming Lisa Maliniak, Online Managing Editor, to the staff of Microwaves & RF. Lisa, who received a BSEE from Rutgers University, has been working as an editor for 20 years. Aside from stints as a Technology Editor and...

Share your thoughts with quick polls.
September 1, 2008... Quick polls allow you to regularly share your opinion on a wide range of topics. LATEST POLL RESULTS: The average age in the industry is rising. Is there a need to attract new, younger engineering talent? 7% NO 93% YES ...

Converters carry VNA to 325 GHz.(Special Section)
September 1, 2008... Millimeter-wave components are used in numerous radar systems and even in some guidance and tracking applications, although test equipment choices at frequencies above 30 GHz are somewhat limited. A few additional options in testing...

Blurring the lines between video games and battle simulators.(From the Editor)
September 1, 2008... The "affordable Army" of the future--in contrast to the invested expense of the US Army's Future Combat Systems (FCS) program--will depend upon a greater use of technologies developed for commercial profit and adapted to military applications....

Tracking the technologies that are forging future systems: microelectromechanical-systems (MEMS) devices are among the emerging technologies that government and military researchers and engineers are considering to enhance the performance of major systems for communications, detection, and countermeasures.(Special Report)
September 1, 2008... Electronic technologies can provide a tactical edge in critical military systems, such as communications, electronic countermeasures, electronic-warfare (EW), and radar systems. The fundamental techniques used in some platforms, such as...

Fitting commercial goods to military requirements: an "affordable Army" is part of the strategy behind adopting commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) products for military electronic systems. Although not all products are suitable for use in COTS applications, here is a sampling of proven performers along with some emerging trends.(DefenseElectronics)
September 1, 2008... Almost a decade ago, the United States Department of Defense (DoD) came to the conclusion that investing in electronic technologies for military applications alone was an expensive proposition. At the same time, healthy investments by...

Understanding SAW technology for filters.(Application Notes)(Phonon Corp.)
September 1, 2008... Surface-acoustic-wave (SAW) filters are suitable for a wide range of commercial and military applications. Such filters can be made extremely small and durable, and they provide high rejection of unwanted signals. To learn more about them, a...

Managing heat generated by semiconductor devices.(Application Notes)
September 1, 2008... Semiconductor devices in military and commercial circuits are not highly efficient and generate heat as a by-product of the energy consumed. In RF power transistors, for example, where more than one-half of the bias supply can be converted to...

Gate-drive MOSFETs are rad-hardened.(New Products)
September 1, 2008... The RAD-Hard line of Logic Level gate drive power MOSFETs has been expanded with the addition of 60-, 100-, and 250-V MOSFETs that are suitable for switch-mode power supplies (SMPS), satellite power distribution systems, and resonant power...

Broadband amp powers 25 W from 20 to 1000 MHz.(New Products)
September 1, 2008... Model 1133-BBM2E4AEM is a compact, broadband power amplifier suitable for a variety of applications from 20 to 1000 MHz. It provides 25 W minimum output power over that range, with typical output power of 30 W. The power gain is at least 43 dB,...

GaAs SPDT switch controls DC To 7 GHz.(New Products)(Tyco Electronics Corp.)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... Model MASW-007921 is a high-power single-pole, double-throw (SPDT) GaAs switch for applications from DC to 7 GHz. It handles as much as +38 dBm input power on signals sent to the receive port and as much as +40 dBm input power for signals sent...

Downconverter tackles input signals from 0.5 to 20.0 GHz.(New Products)(MITEQ Inc.)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... Model DC-0.5/200 is a broadband and agile frequency downconverter that handles input signals over a wide frequency range from 0.5 to 20.0 GHz at input levels to -35 dBm and provides selectable intermediate-frequency (IF) signals of 70, 140, or...

Three-way splitters operate DC to 7 GHz.(New Products)(International Manufacturing Services Inc.)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... Planar three-power power divider models IPS2480 and IPS2481 are suitable for applications from DC to 7 GHz. The three-way resistive power splitters, which are fabricated with thick film on alumina, have evenly split attenuation of 9.5 dB among...

Technology critical to modern warfare: success in future warfare conflicts will depend largely on how quickly and how effectively different technologies can be implemented in the battleplace.(NewsReport)
September 1, 2008... Laser weapons are among the advanced technologies being incorporated into next-generation weapons systems. In addition, dynamically guided missile systems, unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs), and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) will take part in a...

RF transistors add power, subtract heat: as commercial and military solid-state amplifier designers strive for higher power levels from their assemblies, device developers are being asked for more power per RF/microwave transistor.(NewsReport)
September 1, 2008... High-power RF transistor developers face the constant challenge of dissipating massive amounts of heat from small devices in order to achieve higher output-power levels. Ideally, the energy put into an RF transistor would be converted directly...

Proxim wireless reports Q2 financial results.(financialnews)(Financial report)
September 1, 2008... PROXIM WIRELESS CORP., a provider of end-to-end broadband wireless systems, released its financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2008. GAAP revenues for the quarter ended June 30, 2008 were $15.1, an increase of approximately...

DataPath, Inc.(CONTRACTS)(United States military uses satellite communications systems )(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... DataPath, Inc. -- Has been awarded $1.9 million to continue providing field services for DataPath Deployable Ku Band Earth Terminals (DKETs) at a communications hub in Iraq. The DKET systems were built and installed by DataPath. The US military...

Telegesis UK Ltd.(CONTRACTS)(TBN Energoservice of Russia uses its networking software)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... Telegesis UK Ltd. -- Has won an order to supply its Zigbee module products to TBN Energoservice of Russia. TBN is implementing a wireless water automatic-meter-reading (AMR) system based on ZigBee radio technology. The system uses ZigBee mesh...

Euclid TechLabs, LLC.(CONTRACTS)(research funded by Department of Energy )(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... Euclid TechLabs, LLC -- Has been awarded three Phase II Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) grants by the Department of Energy for fiscal year 2009 to 2010. The first of these is for development of a high-power, 26-GHz RF source based on...

Broadcom Corp.(FRESH STARTS)
September 1, 2008... Broadcom Corp. -- Has joined the WirelessHD consortium as a promoter company with a mutual goal of helping to enable wireless connectivity for streaming high-definition (HD) content between consumer-electronics devices and displays. WirelessHD...

The Alberta Centre for Advanced Microsystems and Nanotechnology Products (ACAMP).(FRESH STARTS)
September 1, 2008... The Alberta Centre for Advanced Microsystems and Nanotechnology Products (ACAMP) -- Small or large companies and entrepreneurs who want to bring nanotechnology products to world markets can access technical and business services thanks to ACAMP...

Telit Wireless Solutions.(FRESH STARTS)
September 1, 2008... Telit Wireless Solutions -- The M2M mobile technology division has been awarded PTCRB certification for its UC64-G module. PTCRB certification is an industry operator requirement to sell GSM cellular communication products in selected European...

TriQuint Semiconductor.(FRESH STARTS)
September 1, 2008... TriQuint Semiconductor -- Has been recognized by Northrop Grumman Corp. Electronic Systems (NGES) with an award for bulk-acoustic-wave (BAW) innovation. TriQuint also received a Strategic Supplier Award for its dedication to the success of NGES...

MITEQ, Inc.(FRESH STARTS)(TriTex Technical Sales, Inc. selected as sales representative )(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... MITEQ, Inc. -- Has announced the appointment of TriTex Technical Sales, Inc. as the company's exclusive sales representative in Texas. TriTex Technical Sales will represent MITEQ's component division of products, which include amplifiers,...

Standex.(FRESH STARTS)(BG Laboratories acquired)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... Standex -- Has acquired privately owned BG Laboratories, a manufacturer of custom-designed magnetic inductors and various types of transformers including Modem and Scott-T transformers for the aviation, aerospace, and military end markets. The...

BitWave Semiconductor.(FRESH STARTS)
September 1, 2008... BitWave Semiconductor -- Closed $10 million of additional financing in an initial Series B funding round. The financing was provided by BitWave's existing investors: Apex Venture Partners, TVM Capital, and ECentury Capital Partners. The funding...

Industry veteran Shpock becomes Vitec president.(people)
September 1, 2008... STEPHEN W. SHPOCK, a twenty-four-year microwave industry veteran has joined The Vitec Group RF Systems (VGRFS) as president and managing director. VGRFS is a business unit of the Broadcast Systems Division of The Vitec Group, plc., comprised of...

Institut fur Hoechstfrequenztechnik und Elektronik at the University of Karlsruhe, Germany.(people)
September 1, 2008... Institut fur Hoechstfrequenztechnik und Elektronik at the University of Karlsruhe, Germany -- WERNER WIESBECK, director of the institute, received the 2008 IEEE Electromagnetics Award, which recognizes Wiesbeck for innovative electromagnetic...

Qualcomm Inc.(people)
September 1, 2008... Qualcomm Inc. -- STEPHEN M. BENNETT elected to Qualcomm's board of directors. He is president and CEO of GE Capital e-Business, and serves on the board of directors of Intuit, Inc. and Sun Microsystems, Inc.

Bliley Technologies.(people)
September 1, 2008... Bliley Technologies -- DENNIS BARRICK hired as global vice president of marketing and business development; formerly the business manager of Integrated RF Solutions for Spectrum Microwave, Inc.

ABI Research.(people)
September 1, 2008... ABI Research -- ROBERT CLARK appointed principal analyst, multi-channel video; formerly a senior consulting analyst with Stratecast, a division of Frost & Sullivan.

Qualcomm CDMA Technologies (QCT).(people)
September 1, 2008... Qualcomm CDMA Technologies (QCT) -- LEN LAUER promoted to COO; formerly executive vice president of Qualcomm and group president. STEVE MOLLENKOPF promoted to president of QCT; formerly executive vice president of QCT. JIM LEDERER promoted to...

OSRAM Opto Semiconductors GmbH.(people)
September 1, 2008... OSRAM Opto Semiconductors GmbH -- ELKE ECKSTEIN is chief operating officer in Regensburg, Germany; formerly vice president, manufacturing at AMD. JORG THALE, who held the chief operating officer post from 2006 to April 2008, moved to the parent...

Mimix Broadband, Inc.(people)
September 1, 2008... Mimix Broadband, Inc. -- GREG BAKER appointed senior vice president sales and marketing; formerly vice president international sales with Sirenza Microdevices.

Sandvik Coromant.(people)
September 1, 2008... Sandvik Coromant -- ROBERT CASSANELLI appointed aerospace process engineer.

Lazer-Tech.(people)
September 1, 2008... Lazer-Tech -- PING LI appointed to inside sales position; formerly Dynamic Details Canada and Data Circuits.

Short courses.(education)
September 1, 2008... Besser Associates Short Courses RF Transceiver Architecture, Design and Evaluation Nov.17-21, 2008 (Dallas, TX) Applied RF Techniques for Modern Radio Design Nov. 17-21, 2008 (Dallas, TX) Wireless System Design and...

Meetings.(education)(Calendar)
September 1, 2008... IEEE North Jersey Section MTT/AP Society Joint Chapter 23rd Annual Symposium and Mini-Show Oct 2, 2008, 9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. E. Hanover, NJ 07936 Phone: (973) 992-7425 Theme: Selected Topics in Commercial and Military...

Filter covers 87.9 percent bandwidth over 430 to 1105 MHz.(R & Droundup)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... MOBILE-COMMUNICATIONS SERVICES require a filter's tuning range to be extended by at least 2:1. Yet such a wide tuning range often yields increased insertion loss at the lowest resonant frequency. To compensate for this insertion loss, designers...

FETD simulation depicts in-building radar.(R & Droundup)
September 1, 2008... BY SIMULATING THE RADAR PULSES directed at buildings, engineers can better understand complex scattering mechanisms. They also can provide benchmark data for evaluating imaging algorithms. Previous work on wall-imaging algorithms has been...

Filter enables control of resonant frequency.(R & Droundup)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... MOBILE-COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS have inspired the increasing development of high-dielectric-constant (K) microwave substrates. With a bandpass filter fabricated on a high-K piezoelectric substrate using an interdigital capacitor and bond-wire...

Design a scanning RSSI receiver for WiMAX measurements: this scanning RSSI receiver provides many advantages over a spectrum analyzer for evaluating the performance of WiMAX wireless networks at both 2.5 and 3.5 GHz.(DesignFeature)
September 1, 2008... WiMAX broadband wireless technology offers the promise of untethered, high-speed Internet access in supported service areas. Based on the IEEE 802.16 standard, WiMAX is specified for use in a wide range of frequencies through 66 GHz, with a...

Achieving amplitude accuracy in modern spectrum analyzers: careful observations and measurement practices can help to understand the many error contributors that affect the absolute amplitude accuracy of an RF/microwave spectrum analyzer.(DesignFeature)
September 1, 2008... Spectrum analyzers are among the most versatile of RF/microwave measurement tools, with signal power among the most common measurement made with the instruments. Traditionally, the combination of a power meter and power sensor has been the...

Setting strategies for transmission lines: in building a strategy for effective integrated-circuit design, it is important to understand the characteristics of different printed transmission lines.(DesignFeature)
September 1, 2008... Transmission lines are often taken for granted in the design of high-frequency circuits and integrated circuits (ICs), since the focus is often on getting signals into and from an active device. But by understanding the capabilities of...

Uneven DGS cells construct compact LPF: this use of DGS cells results in a low-pass filter that minimizes passband insertion loss and is more compact than conventional DGS-based lowpass filters.(DesignFeature)
September 1, 2008... Defected-ground-structure (DGS) cells can serve as effective building blocks for high-performance, high-frequency filters. Microstrip filters are widely used in microwave and millimeter-wave systems and, in particular, low-pass filters (LPFs)...

Forming a voltage-tuned microwave phase shifter.(applicationnotes)
September 1, 2008... Phase shifters are critical components in scanned phased-array antenna systems for both commercial and military applications. Phase shifters can also be combined with transmitter power amplifiers to improve system linearity in cellular...

Determine MMIC device reliability.(applicationnotes)
September 1, 2008... Reliability of solid-state devices, such as monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs), is a concern for any high-frequency-electronics designer. But determining the reliability of devices based on data sheets can be challenging....

Tiny SDLVAs tackle 20-GHz bandwidth: these high-performance successive-detection log-video amplifiers (SDLVAs) offer outstanding wide frequency ranges and dynamic ranges with low power consumption in compact housings.(Cover Story)
September 1, 2008... Military system designers are often faced with processing input signals over a wide dynamic range. Many systems, such as direct-finding (DF) receivers, electronic-intelligence (ELINT) receivers, electronic-countermeasures (ECM) systems, radar...

LDMOS FETs serve 330 W for L-band radar systems: this robust LDMOS FET is part of the company's expanding portfolio of 50-W devices, designed to provide generous output power for pulsed radar and avionics systems operating in the range from 1200 to 1400 MHz.(ProductTechnology)
September 1, 2008... Solid-state power for commercial wireless base-station transceivers has been dominated by the laterally diffused metal-oxide-semiconductor (LDMOS) field-effect transistor (FET) since the device first became available in the 1980s. In spite of...

Multipurpose impedance tuner is portable solution: this compact and flexible tuner is ideal for a wide range of low-loss, highly repeatable impedance-based measurements at fundamental and harmonic frequencies through 12 GHz.(ProductTechnology)
September 1, 2008... Impedance tuners are unique but vital tools that can provide invaluable insight into the behavior of active component designs, such as amplifiers, as well as passive circuits, such as antennas. Precision impedance tuners are based on sliding...

Compact BAW filters help separate WiMAx and WLAN: these miniature high-performance BAW bandpass filters help WiMAx and WLAN signals to coexist within their closely located wireless band allocations.(ProductTechnology)
September 1, 2008... Wireless networks bring a great deal of convenience to the home, office, and factory, although available spectrum has always been a valuable commodity. In the case of wireless local area networks (WLANs) and high-speed WiMAx networks, for...

Transceiver-on-chip serves ZigBee systems.(editor's choice)
September 1, 2008... THE ZIC2410 SERIES of transceivers on a chip are designed for IEEE 802.15.4 ZigBee applications. The 2.4-to-2.483-GHz RF transceiver, which includes an 8051-based 8-b microprocessor, combines robust +8-dBm transmit output power with receiver...

Field-replaceable SMAs cut loss from DC to 26.5 GHz.(editor's choice)
September 1, 2008... A LINE OF RUGGED, field-replaceable 50-ohm SMA connectors features low insertion loss through DC to 26.5 GHz, with usable performance through 31 GHz. The connectors feature passivated 303 stainless-steel bodies with gold-plated center contacts...

Oscillator tunes from 1000 to 1500 MHz.(editor's choice)(Crystek Crystals Corp.)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... MODEL CVCO55CW-1000-1500 is a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) that operates from 1000 to 1500 MHz with a control voltage range of 0.5 to 4.5 V. The low-noise VCO achieves typical phase noise of -95 dBc/Hz offset 10 kHz from the carrier,...

Double-balanced mixer converts 11 To 20 GHz.(editor's choice)(Hittite Microwave Corp.)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... MODEL HMC-C051 is a passive double-balanced mixer that is ideal for point-to-point & point-to-multipoint radio, test equipment, laboratory and military applications from 11 to 20 GHz. The HMC-C051, which can be used as an upconverter or a...