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ISSUE DATE: SEPTEMBER 2009 | |
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September 2009 - In This Issue [Cover Story] Integrated Devices Arm Infrastructure Radios Integration has been critical to RF electronics in mobile handsets, although elusive to achieve in infrastructure equipment. The classic tradeoff in achieving integration has been the choice between using discrete components, with their superior performance, or integrated circuits (ICs), with their small size. Recently, Analog Devices has developed a series of highly integrated phase-lock-loop (PLL) circuits that also... — Ed Balboni , et al. [News] Component Refinements Advance Defense Systems Microwave companies have struggled with the economy in 2009 as have most firms involved in designing and selling electronic products. But those involved with military markets have enjoyed far greater success this past year than their counterparts selling to commercial customers, due to the steady flow of business opportunities in the military electronics sector. For RF/microwave companies, opportunities with military customers begin at the system ... — Jack Browne [News] Evaluating 4G Testing Needs Fourth-generation (4G) wireless communications systems are under development to meet the ever-insatiable appetites of consumers for more voice, video, and data services over their portable handsets. These emerging systems include fixed and mobile WiMAX as well as the 4GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) system. As with any new system, testing is a critical issue because of the use of advanced technologies in 4G wireless networks, including multipleinput, ... — Jack Browne [News] An Interview With Eric Strid MRF: What is the current management structure at Cascade, with you stepping out of the CEO position? Strid: For a long time, I’ve wanted to switch back to a more technical role. We performed a classic and successful search for the right person to head up the company as CEO. Geoff Wild represents a wonderful combination of experience and complementary skill sets. I am just as busy as ever, but I sleep... — Jack Browne [News] Cutting-Edge Developments Shine At EuMW And AOC Product and technology innovations are released at a constant pace in the microwave market. In the fall, many of these announcements are heralded at two significant industry events: European Microwave Week (EuMW) and the Association of Old Crows (AOC). The site for this year’s EuMW is Rome, Italy from September 28 to October 2 while the AOC International... — Nancy Friedrich [Design Features] Modify MOSFET Models For Nonlinear Quantification Scaling silicon CMOS transistors to smaller and smaller dimensions has made them serious competitors to traditional high-frequency transistors in many RF and microwave applications.1 Of course, creating accurate models of these shrinking devices is an important part of modern computer-aided-engineering (CAE) design practices, and linearity is a key issue in these models especially for RF/microwave circuits, not only in high-power... — Muhammad Taher Abuelma’atti , et al. [Design Features] DGS-Based Resonators Form Lowpass Filters Microstrip filters formed with defected ground structures (DGSs) offer high performance levels at microwave and millimeter-wave frequencies. By building upon that technology, it has been possible to develop a novel symmetrical split ring resonator (SSRR) DGS that has been used to fabricate lowpass microwave filters with wide rejection bands. Several filters were simulated and fabricated based on SSRR DGS units, with good agreement between... — Xiao Qun Chen , et al. [Design Features] Spherical Phased Array Links Remote Sensors Remote sensing satellites must handle large amounts of data and thus transmit at high data rates. Because of this, the antenna design is critical for these satellites. Spherical phasedarray antennas can provide a workable solution for this application, with consistently high data-rate performance across the full distance of the satelliteâ??s coverage area. The effectiveness of the approach will be shown with an X-band design. ... — S. Pal , et al. [Design Features] Gauge The Effects Of Coplanar Ground Planes Controlling the impedance (Z) of transmission-line signal traces is an important step in designing printed-wire boards for RF and high-speed digital circuits. Proper impedance matching minimizes unwanted reflections and maintains signal integrity. There are many tools available to the PWB designer to analyze the impedance of the standard PWB geometries. Unfortunately, most of these tools do not address the use of coplanar grounds when calculating... — Mark Kolber [Product Technology] Dividers/Combiners Continue To Shrink Technology for RF/microwave power dividers/ combiners has not changed much in recent years, although customer requirements have forced the manufacturers of these passive components to seek smaller package outlines while still handling respectable power levels. That classic tradeoff of size versus power- handling capabilities impacts most passive components and has guided the design of many recent high-frequency power... — Jack Browne [Product Technology] Oscillator Cuts Phase Noise To -145 dBc/Hz At 10 kHz When evaluating choices for a microwave source with low phase noise, designers are generally limited to a phaselocked- loop (PLL) multipliedcrystal, yttrium-iron-garnet (YIG), dielectric-resonator (DRO), surface-acoustic-wave (SAW)-based, or sapphireloaded- cavity oscillator. To fulfill applications in which space savings and portability are required, however, a new option emerged in the form of an opto-electronic oscillator (OEO) from... — Louis E. Frenzel [Editorial] Military Vital To RF Industry Commercial business has accounted for some boom years in this industry. But financial stability tends to come from military markets. A sampling of companies at the recent MTT-S exhibition in Boston revealed the importance of military customers to the RF/microwave industry, since most of the companies enjoying any kind of success this year can thank military electronic markets for their good fortunes. On the other hand, those depending on commercial applications have ... — Jack Browne [Feedback] Feedback VVAs Actually Operate To 7 GHz Dear Editor, Thank you for your coverage on the new voltage-variable attenuators (VVAs) from Mini-Circuits in the July issue of Microwaves & RF. Unfortunately, on the front cover of the magazine, as well as in the title of the article and in references throughout the article, it refers to controlling amplitude at RF/microwave frequencies to 6 GHz. In fact, as listed within... — Various Readers [The Front End] WiMAX And Broadband-Wireless-Access Equipment Enjoy Strong Sales In 2008 The WiMAX ecosystem experienced a surprisingly healthy year in 2008, despite the global financial crisis, the ensuing recession, and the buzz around the 3GPP-backed Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard. Mobile WiMAX also made significant inroads, although shipments did not reach the predicted levels. A report from Maravedis titled, “WiMAX and Broadband Wireless Access Equipment Market Analysis, Trends and Forecasts,” offers detailed data and analysis of WiMAX equipment... — Dawn Hightower [The Front End] Verizon Wireless And QUALCOMM Will Provide Advanced M2M Solutions SAN DIEGO, CA AND BASKINGRIDGE, NJ QUALCOMM, Inc. and Verizon Wireless have agreed to form a joint venture to provide machineto- machine (M2M) wireless communications and smart-services offerings across a variety of market segments. Those segments include healthcare, manufacturing, utilities, distribution, and consumer products. Capitalizing on the growth of M2M and smart services, the joint venture—yet unnamed—will be equally owned by QUALCOMM and Verizon... — Dawn Hightower [The Front End] National Instruments And Tektronix Develop PXI Digitizer AUSTIN, TX—National Instruments has announced the joint development of a high-speed digitizer with Tektronix. The PXI Express digitizer sets a new milestone for PXI modular instrumentation performance with greater than 3 GHz bandwidth, sample rates beyond 10 GSamples/s, data throughput of more than 600 MB/s and multi-module synchronization capabilities. Because of this collaborative development effort, engineers and scientists should experience improved... — Dawn Hightower [Financial News] EI Secures Financing For Security Chip Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) has secured a $6-million federal investment for Endicott Interconnect Technologies (EI) to develop microelectronic chips that safeguard against the foreign tampering of weapons. With this chip, the military will be able to ensure that no foreign government or hostile organization has tampered with US weapons. The microchips are expected to be used for unmanned ground and aerial vehicles, artillery shells, robots, satellites,... — Dawn Hightower [Company News] Company News Alcatel-Lucent—KEN WIRTH has been appointed President of Alcatel-Lucent’s 4G/LTE Wireless Networks. He will be responsible for the development, marketing, and delivery of the company’s LTE solutions. He replaces Mary Chan, who has decided to leave the company to pursue opportunities outside of the telecommunications-network-infrastructure segment. V alpey Fisher Corp.—GARY AMBROSINO and STEVEN SCHAEFER have been appointed to the board of... — Dawn Hightower [People] People MEETINGS Aero & Defense Test 09/ITEA Annual Symposium For aerospace and defense research & development and operational test and evaluation professionals Sept. 1- October 2009 (Baltimore, MD) For more information, visitwww.aerodefensetest.comsheraton puerto rico Contact: Ian... — Dawn Hightower [Educational Meetings] Educational Meetings MEETINGS Aero & Defense Test 09/ITEA Annual Symposium For aerospace and defense research& development and operational test and evaluation professionals Sept. 1- October 2009 (Baltimore, MD) For more information, visit www.aerodefensetest.com Contact: Ian Stone, Event Director Editorial enquiries: ... — Dawn Hightower [R&D Roundup] CMOS Receiver Eliminates SAW Filter Full-duplex communication systems like code division multiple access (CDMA) and wideband CDMA (WCDMA) have both triple-beat (TB) and input second-order-intercept (IIP2) performance requirements at the transmit offset frequency. As a result, an external surfaceacoustic- wave (SAW) filter is typically employed after the low-noise-amplifier (LNA) stage. Yet a SAW-less receiver system would eliminate the costly filter as well as the external matching components... — Nancy Friedrich [R&D Roundup] 1.8-GHz Synthesizer Uses MEMS Resonator As Reference Passive devices oFten prohibit higher-performance systems from meeting the more stringent technical requirements of modern applications. At the heart of existing systems are fully integrated passive devices with relatively limited performance (e.g., on-chip inductors). They are often combined with higher-quality offchip devices like surface-acoustic-wave (SAW) filters, which are used to implement critical functions. Yet those off-chip devices also raise power... — Nancy Friedrich [Application Notes] Flow Integrates EM Analysis And Circuit Extraction Today’s microwave designers are increasingly dependent on electromagnetic (EM) solvers and circuit extractors. More synergy is now needed between circuit simulation and layout analysis, thanks to frequency requirements, circuit complexity, and size constraints. Yet such synergy is challenged by the fact that simulation is driven by the schematic while EM is represented by the layout. In a six-page white paper, AWR Corp. asserts that its EXTRACT Flow eliminates... — Nancy Friedrich [Application Notes] Simplify LNA Design With Available Gain And Software Tools Designers Typically use an available gain design to enable a gain-versus-noise tradeoff for lownoise- amplifier (LNA) designs. To make the correct tradeoff, however, they need to know about the system in which the amplifier will be used. A white paper by Agilent’s Ken Payne details a method of designing an LNA for an IEEE 802.11b receiver application that uses the firm’s Advanced Design System (ADS) computer-aided-engineering (CAE) software tools to remove much of... — Nancy Friedrich [Editor's Choice] Wireless Field Testers Cover 100 kHz To 6 GHz A New platform promises to raise performance for the compact analyzers used to test second-generation (2G), third-generation (3G), and WiMaX networks. The site Master, spectrum Master, and Cell Master models now feature integrated functionality in a robust, lightweight design aimed at deploying and maintaining wireless equipment and networks. With frequency coverage from 100 kHz to 6 GHz, the new site Master s331e/ s332e/s361e/s362e handheld-analyzer... — Nancy Friedrich [Editor's Choice] Switches Target Applications From 10 MHz To 4 GHz CoMpaReD To monolithic-microwaveintegrated- circuit (MMiC) devices in QfN packages, the MsW2000 series of surfacemount, piN-diode single-pole, double-throw (sp2T) switches claim to provide superior low- and high-signal performance. The 8-x- 5-x-2.5-mm sp2T switches are designed in both asymmetrical and symmetrical topologies. The asymmetrical sp2T design comprises a unique geometry transmit (Tx) series piN diode that provides series resistance (Rs) below 0.7 O... — Nancy Friedrich [Editor's Choice] Hybrid Coupler Spans 800 To 2400 MHz To saTisfy high-power telecommunications distribution applications, an application-specific 3-dB, 90-deg. quadrature hybrid operates from 800 to 2400 MHz. it exhibits typical insertion loss of 0.3 dB with port-to-port isolation of at least 23 dB. The unit provides a VsWR to 1.22:1. Coupling for the hybrid is 3 ±0.5 dB. it handles 200 W average power. The 5.6-x-1.54-x-1.02- in. unit is available with type-N female connectors. standard and alternate... — Nancy Friedrich [Focus] Low-Profile QSFP Cables Handle Faster Data Rates Over Longer Distances — Ashok Bindra [Focus] Cable Assemblies Achieve 1.15:1 VSWR Through 6 GHz — The Editors of Microwaves & RF [Focus] RF Coaxial WQMA Connectors Protect Outdoor Telecom Equipment — The Editors of Microwaves & RF [Focus] Custom Blind-Mate Connector Mitigates Mechanical Misalignment — The Editors of Microwaves & RF [Focus] VCOs Deliver Expanded Coverage In Smaller Packages — Ashok Bindra [Focus] Solid-State Amplifiers Deliver As Much As 120 W — The Editors of Microwaves & RF [Focus] Broadband Amplifier Spans 18 To 26.5 GHz — The Editors of Microwaves & RF [Focus] Tiny Crystal Oscillator Sports Frequencies To 50 MHz — The Editors of Microwaves & RF [Focus] Miniature Oscillators Span 50 MHz To 6 GHz — The Editors of Microwaves & RF [Focus] Miniature Wideband Antennas Cover 900 And 1800 MHz — [Focus] Power Combiner/Divider Handles 300 W — The Editors of Microwaves & RF [Focus] System Combiners Simplify Installation From 380 To 2700 MHz — The Editors of Microwaves & RF [Focus] Lowpass Filters Provide Cutoffs From 1 To 22 GHz — The Editors of Microwaves & RF [Focus] Lowpass Filter Offers 50-dB Stop-Band Rejection — The Editors of Microwaves & RF [Focus] Low-Pass EMI/RFI Filters Accommodate Tight Spacing — The Editors of Microwaves & RF [Focus] Metamaterial-Based Approach Targets Antennas — The Editors of Microwaves & RF [Focus] Antenna-Grade Laminates Boast Low Dielectric Losses — The Editors of Microwaves & RF [Focus] Low-Profile PIFA Serves Mobile Applications — The Editors of Microwaves & RF |
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