Wireless Design & Development articles from June 2004

Wireless Design & Development archives from June 2004

HSIA hotspots and the business traveler.(Up Front with ERN)(High Speed Internet Access)
June 1, 2004... HSIA--stands for high-speed Internet access... well, at least for today. For the purpose of this discussion, let's go with it. While one can endlessly discuss, philosophize, and argue the various aspects of HSIA, one good topic of...

Capacitor technology.(What's Hot)(AVX announces the new capacitor technology )(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... A new capacitor technology, OxiCap[TM] from AVX, offers a host of environmental advantages while delivering high performance. These devices use Niobium Oxide which, unlike Tantalum, is cheap and readily available--yet they can be manufactured...

GSM power amplifier module.(What's Hot)(Triquit Semiconductor speaks about Global System for Mobile Communications amplifier)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... TriQuint's quad-band GSM power amplifier module (PAM) with built-in power, measures 5 x 5 [mm.sup.2]. Flip-chip mounting techniques achieve a 50% size reduction compared to standard industry solutions. The TQM7M4006 provides 55 dB of dynamic...

FBGA-based digital receiver.(What's Hot)(Echotek introduces Fine-Pitch Ball Grid Array digital receiver)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Echotek announces the release of the ECDR-4-14105, which will provide the SigInt, Elint, and Radar systems designer with a powerful new tool designed to solve the demanding signal processing and data movement tasks associated with these complex...

GaAs MMIC receiver.(What's Hot)(Minix Broadband introduces gallium aresenide monolithic microwave integrated circuit)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Mimix Broadband announces the introduction of a gallium arsenide (GaAs) monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) receiver that includes a three stage LNA followed by an image reject fundamental resistive pHEMT mixer, LO doubler, and LO...

SPDT GaAs switch.(What's Hot)(M/A-Com introduces lead-free low-loss Single Point Diamond Turning Gallium Arsenide switch)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... M/A-COM announces a lead-free low-loss SPDT GaAs switch. The MASWSS0115 provides low-loss switching for the transmit/receive function in 802.11b WLAN applications and for low power general-purpose RF applications. The switch may be used for...

450 MHz components.(What's Hot)(Microlabs introduces the family of 450 MHz components)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Microlab/FXR announces a complete family of 450 MHz components to meet the demands of TETRA, homeland security, and the new CDMA-450 applications. These products include the two- and three-way air-line splitters, Dx-51FN series, which cover 380...

Dual mixer.(What's Hot)(Hittite Microwave announces dual balanced mixer )(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Hittite announces the release of a double balanced dual mixer that can be configured as an I/Q modulator or an image reject mixer in wireless infrastructure, fixed wireless, and wireless local loop applications. The HMC340LP5 has an RF/LO...

Lightning arrester.(What's Hot)(Citel introduces new 5.8 GHz coaxial lightning arrester)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Citel announces a new 5.8 GHz coaxial surge lightning arrester. Its 50KA power capability makes it suitable to protect tower amplifiers, tower top electronics (TTE), and GPS systems against the worst lightning surges. Due to its low insertion...

Anritsu establishes program for wireless network professionals.(News)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Anritsu Company announces the establishment of a Handheld Solutions Partners Program to better address the test needs of wireless network professionals. The creation of the program allows Anritsu to more closely work with industry-leading...

Rohde & Schwarz and Advantest discontinue agreement.(News)
June 1, 2004... Rohde & Schwarz and Advantest are discontinuing their test and measurement distribution agreement for the Japanese market. As of May 1, 2004, Rohde & Schwarz will handle marketing, sales and support activities for all of its products in this...

Emblaze joins MIPI.(News)(Mobile Industry Processor Interface)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Emblaze Semiconductor, a provider of mobile multimedia-centric application processors, has joined the Mobile Industry Processor Interface (MIPI) Alliance, a collaboration of mobile industry leaders formed to establish and promote standards for...

Agilent adds resellers, establishes design center.(News)(Aglient announces Dovebit , Meaurement Group , metrictest and TestEquity as authorized sellers)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Agilent Technologies Inc. announces that DoveBid Test and Measurement Group, MetricTest and TestEquity have been added as authorized resellers to the Agilent Advantage Assurance program. On a separate note, Agilent has established a...

eASIC to offer structured ASIC chips while providing structured ASIC technology.(News)(Application Specific Integrated Circuits)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... eASIC Corporation, a provider of structured ASIC technology and products, has announced it will offer structured ASIC chips, while continuing to provide structured ASIC technology as licensable IP core for embedding in system-on-chip. This...

SK-Telecom invests in SkyCross.(News)
June 1, 2004... Wireless antenna manufacturer SkyCross today announced it has received a $1 million investment from Korea's telecommunications giant SK-Telecom. The arrangement will involve sharing the companies' innovative core technologies for internal...

REMEC reorganizes company, sells FWA assets to Axxcelera.(News)
June 1, 2004... REMEC, Inc. announces a reorganization of the company that simplifies the operational structure to ensure direct line-of-sight and accountability from product development through customer deliverables. The new organization is comprised of two...

Connor announces ISO 9001 2000 certification.(News)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Connor-Winfield announces its transition and certification to the new quality standard of ISO 9001:2000. Through a successful assessment process by Lloyd's Register Quality Assurance, Connor-Winfield, along with its Custom Manufacturing...

Freescale has licensed IP cores from GDA.(News)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... GDA Technologies, Inc., announces Freescale Semiconductor, a wholly owned subsidiary of Motorola Inc., has licensed IP cores from GDA. The licensed IP cores are part of GDA's interconnect IP portfolio and are planned to be integrated into...

ANADIGICS adds WPG as distributor.(Business)(World Peace Group)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... ANADIGICS, Inc. has added World Peace Group (WPG) as a distributor of RFIC solutions for the Asia Pacific territories including Taiwan, India and China. WPG is the largest distributor of semiconductor components in the Asia Pacific Region with...

Smiths acquires TRAK Communications.(Business)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Smiths Group announces the acquisition of TRAK Communications Inc., a design and manufacture of microwave sub-systems, antennas and related components, for $111.5 million (63m [pounds sterling]) from Veritas of New York. TRAK will form part of...

TECOM awarded contract from Boeing.(Business)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... TECOM announces that Boeing has awarded a contract for delivery of 15 INMARSAT T-4000 Aero-H High Gain Antennas (HGA) to meet FY'05 C-17 Secure Enroute Communications Program-Improved (SECOMP-I) program requirements. Boeing is the prime...

Broadcom signs agreement to acquire WIDCOMM.(Business)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Broadcom Corporation a provider of highly integrated semiconductor solutions enabling broadband communications, has announces it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire WIDCOMM, Inc., a privately-held, San Diego-based company and provider...

Fluke agrees to purchase California-based Harris operations.(Business)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Fluke Networks has entered into a definitive agreement to purchase Camarillo, CA-based operations of Harris Corporation for approximately $50 million in cash. The closing of the transaction is subject to certain customary conditions and is...

RIM licenses property from Certicom.(Business)(Research In Motion gets license Certicom Corp )(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Certicom Corp. announced that Research In Motion (RIM) has licensed the Security Builder Crypto toolkit and Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC)-based intellectual property from Certicom. This agreement allows RIM to extend its existing ECC-based...

MB-OFDM based UWB transceiver chip: the 115 member MBOA membership is moving forward to complete the development of the UWB PHY specification.(Unlicensed Technology)
June 1, 2004... While the IEEE 802.15.3a committee continues its struggle in selecting the ultra-wideband (UWB)-based wireless personal area networks (WPAN) standard, the multiband orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) Alliance (MBOA) has...

GaAs switch ICs.(Unlicensed Technology)(California Eastern laboratories speaks about Gallium Arsenide switch integrated circuits)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Designers of Mobilecomm, Bluetooth, and Short Range Wireless products will be interested in NEC's low cost 1/2 watt UPG2214 SPDT (Single Pole Double Throw) GaAs switch ICs. In addition to performance at 3 V, the UPG2214 offers guaranteed...

Bluetooth transmitter.(Unlicensed Technology)(Polymap Wirless introduces Polytel system a bluetooth technology transmitter)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Polymap introduces the Polytel[TM] System. The Polytel System is an off-the-shelf, Bluetooth product, which transmits from a wireless device to the Internet. The system provides a method for transmitting medical data, securely and accurately,...

Software tools.(Unlicensed Technology)(Broadcom announces software tool for improvment in Wi-fi network)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Broadcom announces two solutions that will improve wireless connectivity for consumers who use 54g[TM]-based equipment in their Wi-Fi networks. The SecureEZSetup[TM] software, a two-step setup wizard, simplifies network installation and...

USB chipsets.(Unlicensed Technology)(Atheros Communications introduces AR5005UG and Ar5005UX Universal Serial Bus Chipset)
June 1, 2004... Atheros introduces the Atheros AR5005UG and AR5005UX, featuring an integrated universal serial bus (USB) 2.0 interface. Using these chipsets, WLAN equipment manufacturers can deliver high-performance 802.11g and 802.11 a/g wireless connectivity...

The next generation of wireless interconnect: the homes of tomorrow will be digital, wireless, and wideband. And both wireless USB and Ultra Wideband technologies will have a large role.(UWB meet W-USB)(Cover Story)
June 1, 2004... In the digital home of the not-too-distant future, it is expected that people will be sharing photos, music, video, data, and voice among networked consumer electronics, PCs, and mobile devices throughout the home and even remotely. For...

Model generation for mobile phone system analysis: the difficulty in analyzing a full RF LSI circuit's functionality is solved by the development of an automatic model generation process that analyzes the full system functionality.(Special section: software)
June 1, 2004... Current wireless RF LSI circuit designs continue to become larger, more complex, and encompass more functionality. Therefore, it becomes difficult to analyze a full RF LSI circuit's functionality using a transistor-level representation with the...

Compact LTCC package modeling techniques: LTCC design poses challenges because it requires flexibility in simulation, three dimensional layout, and integration. A highly integrated EDA solution with openness to customization for LTCC components design methology, addresses this issue.(Special section: software)(Low Temperature Cofired Ceramic requirements, design and techniques)
June 1, 2004... LTCC modules are emerging as an important solution for wireless applications based on competitive advantages in size, cost, and time-to-market (1). Despite the many advantages, LTCC development is undermined by a variety of unique technical...

Applying digital predistortion to RF/microwave PAs: PA linearity can be met at the cost of efficiency, or with linearization techniques. But this linearity comes at a price in power demands. Digital predistortion techniques can offer linearity without sacrificing power efficiency.(Featured Technology)
June 1, 2004... Signals in modern telecommunication systems, W-CDMA for example, are wideband and have high peak-to-average ratios. This places a significant demand on the system's PAs and PA peripherals. Linearity can be met at the cost of efficiency (as with...

LED's.(Hardware)(Vishay Intertechnology introduces family of Standard microcircuit drawing Light emitting diodes )
June 1, 2004... Vishay announces a family of power SMD LEDs, offered in a PLCC-3 package with a 270 k/W thermal resistance rating, and designed with a non-diffused lens. Six colors are available for the TLMx320x series with typical luminous intensity from 50...

Switch matrix.(Hardware)(Dow-Key Microwave introduces Canbus based integrated switch matrix)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Dow-Key Microwave introduces a CANBus-based integrated switch matrix equipped with a built-in Ethernet port. The 13D12-480822T performs up to 18 GHz and can be accessed from anywhere in the world via TCP/IP protocols. It can also be controlled...

Design software.(Software)(APLAC Solutions enhances design and analysis tool APLAC 7.92)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... The APLAC circuit design and analysis tool is now available as the version 7.92. APLAC 7.92 introduces enhanced measurement support for mixers, amplifiers and oscillators. Measurement support can be ordered to handle repetitive simulation...

System level design.(Software)(Ansoft Announces DesignerSi a system level design)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Ansoft announces DesignerSI[TM], a design environment that combines with Nexxim[TM], HFSS[TM] and Q3D Extractor'[TM], to deliver system-level signal-integrity (SI) solutions for IC/package/board co-design and verification. The software predicts...

Analysis software.(Software)(Daat Research announces Optimizelt a optimation software)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Daat Research Corp. announces Optimizelt, a tool that transforms design optimization into a faster, more effective, and efficient process. An integral part of Coolit v5.55 thermal and flow simulation software, Optimizelt can be used for...

IC design software.(Software)(Arithmatica introduces Cellmath prodtc lines with standard cell and custom Integrated circuits)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Arithmatica announces its CellMath product line for standard cell and custom IC design flows. This silicon intellectual property (IP) helps companies improve silicon efficiency, without changing current design practices. Applying it to...

Frequency standard.(Test & Measurement)(Novatech Instruments introduces 2965AR rubidium frequency standards)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Novatech introduces the 2965AR Rubidium frequency standard. Housed in a small bench-top case, the 2965AR contains an atomic time-base with a stability of 5 x [10.sup.-11] per month. The standard combines a 50 MHz direct digital synthesizer...

Digital oscilloscopes.(Test & Measurement)(Lecory launches Wavesurfer digital Oscilloscopes)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... LeCroy launches a line of WaveSurfer digital oscilloscopes. The series contains a bright 10.4" SVGA touch screen display, and is 6" deep. These oscilloscopes offer both two and four channel instruments with bandwidths of 200 MHz, 350 MHz, and...

Contactless memory.(RFID)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... STMicroelectronics introduces a contactless memory intended for high volume applications in supply chain management, e-commerce, and access control. The LR164 is a 64-bit, One Time Programmable (OTP) user memory with an additional 64-bit...

RFID device.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... EM Microelectronic announces that it has developed an UHF RFID integrated circuit, EM4223, which is compliant with the international standard ISO 18000-6A and EPC 64-bit and 96-bit code structure. The device is a 128-bit read-only UHF circuit...

RFID module.(RFID)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... TI introduces its $4100 Multi-Function Reader (MFR) module. The module accepts all ISO/IEC 14443 and ISO/IEC 15693 standards-compliant 13.56 MHz RFID transponders, while providing a migration path to support current tags not fully compliant to...

Coaxial attenuators.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Elcom announces a series of 50W coaxial attenuators for use from DC to 1.5 GHz. They are available with BNC, TNC, N, or SMA connectors, in 1 dB steps from 1 to 10 dB, and 2 dB steps to 20 dB. They have 0.5 dB accuracy to 1.0 GHz, and 1 dB to...

Coupler series.(TXRX)(Mini-Circuits Labortory introduces MHz DBTC couplers series)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... With Mini-Circuits 5 to 2000 MHz DBTC directional coupler series, customers can choose from nine different coupling values ranging from 9 to 20 dB that deliver flat coupling over broad multi-octave bandwidths. Standing 0.15" square, these 50W...

Attenuator pads.(TXRX)(Micrometrics introduces ficed attenuator)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Micrometrics introduces a line of fixed attenuator pads. These chips feature a GroundWrap design that eliminates the need for separate ground bonding. Power handling is 2 W CW. The devices are stable over temperature ( 18 dB and from 13 GHz to...

Hybrid couplers.(TXRX)(AVX intoduces Hybrid Couplers DBO805)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... AVX announces a family of hybrid couplers. Designated the DB0805 90[degrees] 3dB couplers, this family is offered in a range of frequencies, compatible with various high frequency wireless systems (800 [+ or -] 30 MHz to 2325 [+ or -] 50 MHz...

Fully integrated front-end GPS receiver chip.(Technology Award)(California Eastern Laboratories introduces front-end integrated Global Positioning System receiver chip)
June 1, 2004... California Eastern Laboratories is debuting the newest NEC highly integrated front-end receiver chip for global positioning system (GPS) applications. The UPB1009K is a single-chip double-conversion RF-to-IF I/Q frequency translator designed to...