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ISSUE DATE: MARCH 2007 | |
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March 2007 - In This Issue [Cover Story] Multilayer Baluns Break Size Barrier Impedance transformers are one of the necessities of high-frequency design. Unfortunately, when miniaturization is an issue, the wire-wound ferrite components that represent traditional impedance transformers pose three major design challenges. For one thing, the dome-shaped ferrite core is not well suited for high-volume pick-and-place manufacturing equipment and must be used with a plastic cap. For another, the height constraints of modern commercial designs, such as... — Niels Kirkeby [News] Frequency Synthesizers Fit Many Modular Formats Frequency synthesizers are used throughout RF/microwave applications in measurement labs; in commercial communications systems; in military avionics, electronic-warfare (EW), satellites, and other systems; and throughout industrial, automotive, and medical systems at every level from integrated circuits (ICs) to rack-mount subsystems in machined housings. Because the field of RF/microwave frequency synthesizers is so broad, this report will focus on modular, system-level frequency... — Jack Browne [News] UWB Welcomes Flood Of Handset-Centric Applications Mobile handsets now provide Internet applications like e-mail, web browsing, and Instant Messaging. Going forward, even more performance, memory, and functionality will be integrated into handsets. Because so many consumers carry a mobile phone, it is clearly on the way to living up to one service provider's marketing slogan: "It's my life in there." To realize this potential, however, next-generation handsets will need to integrate short-range, high-speed wireless... — Nancy Friedrich [Design Features] Design Coupled Microstrip Resonators For MRI Magnetic-resonance-imaging (MRI) systems for medical and scientific applications require a high-performance, high-power inductor capable of establishing a uniformly strong magnetic field. The transverse-electromagnetic (TEM) resonator1 has received a great deal of attention recently as a superior replacement for standard birdcage coils2 in MRI applications requiring magnetic field levels of 4.7 to 9.4 T. For example, at operating frequencies of 200... — Nasreddine Ben Ahmed , et al. [Design Features] PCTF Approach Saves MW/RF Component/Module Costs Packaging is a critical part of RF/microwave component and module design. The package provides protection but, at higher frequencies, is also part of the circuitry. For that reason, the package must provide excellent electrical performance, environmental protection, shielding, and a host of other characteristics in support of a module or component. Ceramic materials are often the primary choice for these critical packaging applications. Ceramics feature stable... — Nahum Rapoport [Design Features] Designing Wideband RF Impedance Transformers Impedance matching devices are often used in high-frequency circuits, typically to match the impedance of a device or component to the characteristic impedance of a circuit or system. In some circuits, it is desirable for the impedance matching to achieve multiple-octave frequency coverage accompanied by low insertion loss. To help designers working with impedance transformations, this article explores the design of unbalanced-to-unbalanced (unun) wideband impedance... — Antonio Alves Ferreira, Jr. , et al. [Product Technology] Vermont Firm Forges Precision Wafer Probes Tucked away in the Northern reaches of Vermont lies one of the best-kept secrets in the RF/microwave industry: SemiProbe LLC. Not far from the University of Vermont, and a mere 100 miles from Montreal, Canada, SemiProbe, and their partner company MPI, can already boast more than 800 wafer- and die-level semiconductor probe systems installed worldwide. SemiProbe, founded in early 2006, offers a wide range of DC/RF/microwave probe systems and accessories, including the... — Jack Browne [Product Technology] GPAs Extend Linear Gain To 6 GHz General-purpose amplifiers (GPAs) are among the most versatile of active components. They can be used wherever gain is needed and signal losses must be overcome. These devices can be used as buffer amplifiers to create isolation between devices. Freescale Semiconductor (Tempe, AZ) has increased the usefulness of its own GPA line by adding four linear Class A devices with frequency coverage to 6 GHz to its GPA product lineup. The RF power devices are internally matched to 50 ohms... — Jack Browne [Product Technology] LNA And Distributed Filtering Maintain 1.5-dB GPS Noise Figure Cell phones must now integrate Global Positioning System (GPS) functionality to satisfy the E911 mandate. Although many GPS receiver/processor integrated circuits (ICs) incorporate on-board low-noise-amplifier (LNA) front ends, the noise performance and resultant system sensitivity of these integrated LNAs are not always adequate. To reduce trace losses, discrete LNAs can be located near the antenna. When coupled with tuning and filtering, this approach can improve... — John Allan [Product Technology] Generators Create Arbitrary Waveforms At 1.2 GSamples/s Electronic products are more becoming a mixture of digital and analog circuits than one or the other. For that reason, creating test waveforms requires a new level of complexity involving stable carriers, advanced modulation, and multiple signal streams. And with that in mind, Tektronix (Beaverton, OR) has introduced the AWG5000 Series of arbitrary waveform generators for generating the signals needed to evaluate mixed-signal devices. Not only can the generator... — Jack Browne [Editorial] Starting Smartly With Synthesizers Frequency synthesizers are among the most complex of function modules in an RF design. While they once conjured up images of mammoth proportions—machined boxes with mazes of semirigid coax to keep things connected—the RF/microwave frequency synthesizer has come a long way in terms of mechanical and electrical parameters. Certainly, the 19-in. rack-mount versions are still out there, largely because that form factor is convenient for legacy systems and... — Jack Browne [Feedback] Low-Cost UWB Source With much interest I read Yeap Yean Wei's article, "Design A Simple, Low-Cost UWB Source," in the December 2006 issue of Microwaves & RF (p. 68). It reminded me of my old work with frequency multipliers using step-recovery diodes. I am finding one problem in both types of devices: your UWB and my frequency multipliers. The problem is that the load must be the 50-ohm termination. In my frequency multipliers, this load had to be well matched at a... — Jiri Polivka , et al. [The Front End] Increased Integration Is Key To Development Of RF Components In Mobile Phones EL SEGUNDO, CA—Continued integration of RF components is essential if mobile phones are to evolve to support next-generation features like data-oriented technologies and multiple frequency bands, according to a report by Jagdish Rebello, Ph.D. of iSuppli Corp. RF components—including RF transceivers, power amplifiers (PAs), antenna switch modules (ASMs), front-end modules (FEMs), duplexers, RF SAW filters, and synthesizer... — Compiled by John Curley [The Front End] Laird Technologies Acquires Two Companies ST. LOUIS, MO—Laird Technologies, a designer and manufacturer of antenna solutions, electromagnetic-interference (EMI) shielding products, telematics, thermal management solutions, wireless systems, and signal-integrity products, has announced the acquisition of M2sys Co. Ltd., a privately held business, for $33.1 million. M2sys designs and manufactures custom products based on proprietary and patented technology, including pivot, slide,... — Compiled by John Curley [The Front End] Iridium Provided Satellite Tracking For Snowmobile Race BETHESDA, MD—Iridium provided real-time satellite data links to track the location and movement of teams participating in the 2007 Tesoro Iron Dog snowmobile race. Billed as the "World's Longest, Toughest Snowmobile Race," the Tesoro Iron Dog competition began on February 11, 2007. The six-day race covered a 1971-mile route extending from Wasilla on Alaska's south coast to Nome on the west coast and then to the finish line in Fairbanks. The... — Compiled by John Curley [The Front End] Kudos AUSTIN, TX—Dr. James Truchard, CEO, president, and cofounder of National Instruments was elected to membership in the National Academy of Engineering, widely considered the highest honor given in the engineering profession. Truchard was recognized for "creating ‘virtual instrumentation,' which enabled the rapid development of customized measurement systems in industry, academia, and classrooms." Dr. Truchard is one of only 156 Texans to be elected in the history... — Compiled by John Curley [Financial News] CSR Announces Strong FY2006 Results CSR plc has announced its 2006 financial with the company showing revenues for the year up 45 percent to $704.7M ($486.5M in 2005) and operating profits up 33 percent to $149.0M ($11.9M in 2005). CSR is already successfully executing on its strategy to diversify beyond supplying its Bluetooth technology to mobile-phone customers. More than 50 percent of the company's revenue in 2006 came from applications beyond handsets and prominent design wins included Sony's... — Compiled by John Curley [Company News] Company News CONTRACTS W.L. Gore & Associates—Has been awarded the contract to provide GORE™ Umbilical Assemblies for the A-10 Precision Engagement (PE) Kit by Lockheed Martin. This is the second contract awarded to Gore for the A-10 program following the initial award of PE kits to the A-10 Prime Team in March 2005. Herley Industries, Inc.—Announced that its Farmingdale, NY subsidiary has... — Compiled by John Curley [People] People IntelliCoat Technologies Names Lupone As President IntelliCoat Technologies has appointed JOSEPH ("JOE") LUPONE as president and CEO. Most recently, Lupone served as president of Reflexite Display Optics, a division of Reflexite Co., a maker of optical films for the LCD flat-panel-display industry. See Associated Figure Zebra Technologies Corp.—JULIANN LARIMER to vice... — Compiled by John Curley [Educational Meetings] Educational Meetings SHORT COURSES R.A. Wood Associates Short Courses Introductory RF and Microwaves April 16-17 (El Segundo, CA) June 4-5 (Boston, MA) RF and Microwave Receiver Design April 18-20 (El Segundo, CA) June 6-8 (Boston, MA) RF Power Amplifiers, Classes A-S: How the Circuits Operate, How to Design Them, and When to Use Each April 23-24 (El Segundo, CA) June... — Compiled by John Curley [R&D Roundup] Noise-Canceling LNA Delivers 4.5-To-5.1-dB Noise Figure Over UWB Band Ultra-Wideband (UWB Technology promises to transmit data at a high data rate while keeping power low. The industry is therefore counting on it to provide seamless connectivity between consumer-electronics devices for the transmission of high-bandwidth data like video. The front-end, wideband low-noise amplifier (LNA) will be critical to such capabilities. ChihFan Liao and Shen-Iuan Liu of Taipei's National Taiwan University developed a UWB 3.1to-10.6-GHz LNA that ... — Nancy Friedrich [R&D Roundup] Radio-Wave Propagation Measurement System Targets MIMO At 5.3 GHz Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) technology is expected to form the root of many wireless networks. MIMO measurement systems will therefore be needed to provide knowledge about MIMO channels. A radio-wave propagation measurement system for wideband, multichannel MIMO measurements at 5.3 GHz has been developed by Veli-Matti Kolmonen, Jarmo Kivinen, Lasse Vuokko, and Pertti Vainikainen at Helsinki University of Technology (TKK) in Espoo, Finland. The wideband... — Nancy Friedrich [R&D Roundup] Adaptive Down-Converter Swaps RF Performance For Current Consumption In order to meet increasing functional and operational requirements, the current consumption of circuitry in multi-standard and multifunctional handhelds must be reduced. This goal can be achieved by using adaptive circuits, which trade RF performance for power consumption on the fly. The design of an adaptive multimode image-reject downconverter (an oscillator and two mixers) was completed by Aleksandar Tasić, Su-Tarn Lim, Wouter A. Serdijn, and John R. Long... — Nancy Friedrich [Application Notes] Arbitrary/Function Generator Simplifies FM Radio Test Testing, aligning, and troubleshooting a conventional amplitude-modulation (AM)/frequency-modulation (FM) radio requires a good grasp of DC and AC electronic basics and RF behavior. A thorough knowledge of signal generators and oscilloscopes also is needed. In "Arbitrary/Function Generator Offers Versatile and Convenient Solutions for AM/FM Radio Test and Alignment," Tektronix (Beaverton, OR) shows how these tools support FM radio measurements spanning 88 to 108 MHz.... — Nancy Friedrich [Application Notes] Test Procedure Tackles HSDPA User-Equipment Rx Diversity Receive (RX) diversity and advanced receiver technologies are used in mobile radios in both 3GPPUMTS and GERAN. Their job is to increase downlink performance in terms of capacity and coverage. In "Testing HSDPA UE Receiver Diversity," Rohde & Schwarz (Munich, Germany) demonstrates how such receivers can be easily tested. At the heart of this 26-page document are the Universal Radio Communication Tester, R&S CMU200, and the R&S SMU200A vector signal ... — Nancy Friedrich [Editor's Choice] I/Q Demodulator Spans 800 MHz To 2.7 GHz A high-linearity direct-conversion in-phase/quadrature (I/Q) demodulator is striving to reduce the cost of third-generation (3G) and WiMAX base-station receivers. Dubbed the LT5575, it boasts an operating-frequency range from 800 MHz to 2.7 GHz. This frequency range covers all of the cellular and 3G infrastructure, WiMAX, and RF-identification (RFID) bands. The LT5575 offers an input-third-order-intercept point (IIP3) of +28 dBm and an input-second-order-intercept point... — Nancy Friedrich [Editor's Choice] VCO Modules Exhibit –95-dBc/Hz Phase Noise To satisfy test and measurement, military, microwave-radio, and other applications from 4 to 12.5 GHz, three wideband voltage-controlled-oscillator (VCO) modules have been spawned. The HMCC028, HMC-C029, and HMCC030 modules offer output frequency coverage from 4 to 8 GHz, 5 to 10 GHz, and 8 to 12.5 GHz, respectively. The devices exhibit SSB phase-noise performance as low as –95 dBc/Hz at 100-kHz offset. Output power is as high as +21 dBm. Thanks to internal... — Nancy Friedrich [Editor's Choice] PIN Diodes Handle 100 W CW RF Power A new family of non-magnetic, metal-electrode-leadless-faced (MELF) -packaged PIN diodes features high power handling and low distortion. At 100 mA, the product family has a resistance specification at 100 MHz from 0.3 to 1.0 Ω. Its capacitance specifications are 1 MHz of 0.5 pF to 2.0 pF at 100 V. The MELF PIN diodes boast lifetime specifications from 1.0 to 8.00 µs. The PIN diodes are manufactured using a proprietary glassing process, which features... — Nancy Friedrich [Editor's Choice] Handheld Spectrum Analyzer Hits 7.5 GHz Aside from offering convenience, hand-portable spectrum analyzers are increasingly providing higher performance and an impressive feature set. The 9102 handheld spectrum analyzer, for example, can now operate at frequencies up to 7.5 GHz. The 9102 flaunts a minimum resolution bandwidth of 1 kHz. It has a dynamic range of 70 dB. The analyzer features a displayed average noise level (DANL) of –117 dBm. Among the instrument's many options,... — Nancy Friedrich |
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