CONNECT WITH MWRF
 |
|
ISSUE DATE: JUNE 2010 | |
|
OPTIONS | |
||
|
|
|
|
• Get a FREE Subscription • Renew Subscription • Reprints/Licensing • Submit Article Ideas |
|
|||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
June 2010 - In This Issue [Cover Story] TO-8 YIG Oscillators Tune From 2 To 8 GHz For years, tunable oscillators based on yttrium- iron-garnet (YIG) resonators have been the first choice for many broadband systems and test instruments, valued for their low phase noise and excellent tuning linearity. The one drawback of the technology has been the size, since the oscillators have traditionally been housed in large cube-shaped or cylindrical packages with SMA connectors. But with refinements to YIG oscillator designs over the... — Jack Browne [News] RF Signals Serve Homeland Security National defense has taken on new meaning in a terrorist- filled world. The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), tasked with that defense, must be alert to a wide range of threats, from biological to vehicular. RF and microwave technologies play a major part in their efforts, representing tools as well as threats. In the hands of terrorists, even the most seemingly benign RF device, such... — Jack Browne [News] Amplifiers Cultivate Greener Base Stations "GREEN"basestationswould have been considered a camouflage technique a decade ago. With the “greening” of engineering and the desire to conserve energy to lower costs, however, base-station designers are seeking more integrated, power-efficient, and smaller components. At the same time, mobile data traffic is predicted to double every year for the next few years. Capacity must therefore rise as power consumption decreases. Amplifiers are being... — Nancy Friedrich [Design Features] Check Chirp Effects On FMCW GPRs Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) systems are powerful tools for nondestructive, noninvasive subsurface detection.1,2 These systems are suitable for measuring the geometric parameters of buried objects,3 locating bars of armor, detecting cavities or breaks inside structures,4 and groundwater detection.5 GPR has widespread application in civil engineering for such tasks as investigating reinforced concrete ... — Roslee Mardeni , et al. [Design Features] Reviewing Avionics Antenna Modules, Part 1 Avionics systems designers constantly seek savings in size and weight through integration. The approach also lowers the number of cables needed and the power requirements. The use of integrated antenna modules is one approach that helps to achieve reductions in size, weight, and power usage in modern integrated avionics systems.1 Part 1 of this two-part article will review active antenna modules for avionics systems; next month, Part 2... — Leo G. Maloratsky [Design Features] Modeling PA Behavior And Memory Effects, Part 1 Digital wireless communications systems offer numerous advantages over their analog predecessors, including improved services and security.1-4 But these digital systems also place greater demands on analog components in the system, including the power amplifiers (PAs) because of the complexity of the digitally modulated waveforms.5 To achieve the required levels of PA performance in terms of power, linearity, and... — [Design Features] Microstrip Approach Benefits Quad Splitter Quadrature power split- Qtpehras,s e wdiitfhfe rtehnecier b9e0tw-deeegn. output ports, are useful components in communi- cations systems applica- tions. They can be used, for example, to realize amplifiers, phase shifters, and balanced mixers for receivers and transmitters.1,2 Because of the wavelength dependence of microstrip and stripline circuits, however, maintaining the small size of a printed quadrature power splitter can be challenging. The current... — [Design Features] Design An X-Band Frequency Synthesizer Digital microwave radio (DMR) applications require frequency sources with stable outputs and low phase noise. One possible solution is an Xband frequency synthesizer designed for use from 7.7 to 8.2 GHz. It is based on multiplying by three a reliable source operating from 2.56 to 2.74 GHz with outstanding phase-noise performance to achieve final output signals with -84 dBc/Hz phase noise offset 10 kHz from the carrier. The prototype... — H. Ameri , et al. [Product Technology] RF/Microwave Filters Fit Surface-Mount Needs Filters are getting smaller, with RF and microwave designers having a greater number of choices in surface-mount packages. These miniature filters leverage a variety of technologies, including traditional inductive-capacitive (LC), ceramic, surface-acoustic-wave (SAW), bulkacoustic- wave (BAW), film-bulk-acoustic- resonator (FBAR), microelectromechanical- systems (MEMS), and even monolithic-microwave-integratedcircuit (MMIC) approaches. ... — Jack Browne [Product Technology] PIN Diode Modules Add Delays To 3 GHz Adding delay to a signal is instrumental in some applications, such as in signal propagation simulators and radar signal simulators. Delays can be implemented in a number of ways, including the use of precise lengths of semirigid coaxial cable. Colby Instruments, known for its trombone tuner for broadband delays (see Defense Electronics, p. S37), also offers compact delay modules based on... — Jack Browne [Editorial] The Post-IMS Report Card June is usually a good time to conduct a midyear assessment, not only of your company’s business but of your personal goals. Returning to work from the annual IEEE Microwave Theory & Techniques Society’s (MTT-S) International Microwave Symposium (IMS) makes it all the easier to evaluate those goals, especially after so many tales of fortune and woe from the IMS exhibition floor. There are many shows of interest to the RF/microwave community, especially in... — Jack Browne [Feedback] Feedback Dear Mr. Kumar: With interest I read your paper in the MWRF May issue, “Antenna Assists MW Power Transmission.” I am not sure if I understand the arrangement of your rectenna in Fig. 1. In fact, the antenna is loaded with a Schottky diode; the capacitor and tuning stub seem to me to be on a wrong side of the antenna-detector combination. The “Load” is possibly the DC load. On p. 73 you refer to the design by Bharj et al. who designed a... — Various Readers [The Front End] Combat Policy Will Impact UAV Market UNITED STATES—According to the Market Intel Group LLC (MiG) report titled, “Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) for Counter-Insurgency Global Market & Technologies Outlook 2010-2015,” the current US government policy regarding combat operations in the Near East is going to significantly impact the size and makeup of UAV market sectors. This finding is just one of several conclusions detailed in the “Triple Scenario” analysis, which is part of MiG’s latest... — Dawn Hightower [The Front End] Software Enables Operators To Create “AER-Aware” Networks PARIS, FRANCE AND ULM, GERMANY—Mentum and Ubidyne have entered into a partnership to further extend the capability of Mentum Planet tools to support advanced Antenna Embedded Radio (AER) technology. Ubidyne’s Antenna Embedded Radios integrate all of the radio-frequency elements of a network directly into the antenna housing and improve quality of service while reducing network CAPEX and OPEX costs. With Mentum Planet’s ability to manage advanced antenna systems... — Dawn Hightower [The Front End] US Navy Radar Operates Across Two Frequency Ranges TEWKSBURY, MA—The US Navy has successfully tracked targets with a multiband radar featuring a common radar suite controller. This milestone, which took place at the Navy’s Engineering Test Center in Wallops Island, VA, was accomplished through the use of an engineering development model of the dual-band radar (DBR). This model was developed by Raytheon Co. and its subcontractor Lockheed Martin Corp., which are the Navy’s prime contractors. The DBR... — Dawn Hightower [Financial News] Comtech Telecommunications Acquires CPI COMTECH TELECOMMUNICATIONS CORP. and CPI International, Inc. jointly announced the signing of a definitive merger agreement under which Comtech will purchase CPI in a cash and stock transaction with an enterprise value of approximately $472.3 million. Comtech will fund the acquisition by redeploying approximately $372.0 million of its existing cash. It also will issue approximately 4.4 million shares of Comtech common stock. CPI’s sales and earnings... — Dawn Hightower [Company News] Company News CONTRACTS TriQuint Semiconductor—Has been awarded a contract by the US Air Force Research Laboratories (AFRL) to develop gallium-nitride (GaN) modules for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The GaN devices will extend the range and capabilities of UAVs used for reconnaissance missions over Afghanistan, Iraq, and other regions. The modules will include 20- and 50-W devices. The more efficient GaN devices will reduce the need for... — Dawn Hightower [People] People Ahuja Heads Wireless Broadband Venture Chief Executive Officer of Harbinger Capital Partners’ new nationwide 4G-LTE wireless broadband company. Ahuja will lead the development and deployment of the network’s nationwide rollout. In addition to controlling access to 13 MHz of terrestrial spectrum, the new company has a controlling interest in SkyTerra Communications, Inc., an L-band (MSS) company. The company will build an LTE network that... — Dawn Hightower [Educational Meetings] Educational Meetings MEETINGS ASQED10, International Symposium and Exhibits on Quality Electronic Design Aug. 3-4, 2010 (Penang, Malaysia) For more information, visit: www.isqed-asia.org. E-mail: info2010@isqed-asia.org European Microwave Week Sept. 26-Oct. 1, 2010 (Paris, France) For registration... — Dawn Hightower [R&D Roundup] Indoor Wireless Networks Use White LEDs WHITE LIGHT-EMITTING DIODES (LEDs) are considered the “green” alternative to conventional lighting methods. After all, they offer lower power consumption, lower voltage, longer lifetime, smaller size, and cooler operation than other lighting options. LEDs also can be used as a wireless communications transmitter. This capability stems from the fast response time and modulation of visible light for wireless communications. An optical wireless communications ... — Nancy Friedrich [R&D Roundup] Backplane Transceiver Draws 87 mW From 1.2-V Supply TO ACHIEVE HIGHER DATA RATES in backplane communications, designers tend to improve input/ output (I/O) circuits instead of modifying the board. This approach is easier because of cost and compatibility issues. Yet the I/O usually requires higher power, which may dominate overall power consumption if conventional architectures and circuit structures are used. With novel design approaches, however, it is possible to relax the required power dissipation. For example,... — Nancy Friedrich [R&D Roundup] 94-GHz Mixer Outperforms Predecessors MUCH RESEARCH IS FOCUSEDon the 75-to-110-GHz W-band. At 94 GHz, for example, low signal absorption creates an opportunity for applications like frequency-modulated-continuous-wave (FMCW) radar and image sensors. Yet such applications call for the creation of a high-performance device, circuit, and module. A 94-GHz monolithicmicrowave- integrated-circuit (MMIC) mixer module using 0.1-µm gate-length metamorphic high-electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) has been... — Nancy Friedrich [Application Notes] Leverage Nonlinear Models And Measurement Systems CURRENTLY, SOFTWARE CIRCUIT simulators are used to analyze the linear behavior of a design in the frequency domain and the nonlinear behavior in the time domain. The two domains and behaviors are resolved through an iterative approach called harmonic balance. Yet designers face additional challenges in compact models. For example, such models may not be able to reliably predict behavior under extreme nonlinear conditions or for circuits with non- 50-O... — Nancy Friedrich [Application Notes] Go Beyond The Datasheet To Assess Signal Generators HIGH-PERFORMANCE MICROWAVE signal generators must deliver excellent spectral purity by minimizing phase noise, harmonics, and spurious signals. In fact, spectral-purity performance often differentiates high-performance, mid-range, and entry-level signal generators. In a white paper titled, “Comparing Spectral Purity in Microwave Signal Generators,” Giga-tronics, Inc.’s Leonard Dickstein discusses the factors that comprise spectral-purity specifications. The paper’s... — Nancy Friedrich [Editor's Choice] Smart-Energy Module Puts Out +20 dBm A NEW TOOL CALLED iFILTER was developed specifically for the synthesis of lumped-element and distributed filters. It operates within the Microwave Office high-frequency design software, thereby allowing filter designs and their evolution to be part of the entire circuit design project. With iFilter’s intuitive user interface, designers should be able to quickly and easily design filters, connect them to other circuitry, and make optimization tradeoffs. iFilter’s ... — Nancy Friedrich [Editor's Choice] Software Facilitates Filter Synthesis TARGETING THE SMART-GRID MARKET, a new wireless subsystem can be easily integrated into applications like electric meters, industrial machinery, home appliances, and thermostats. Dubbed the SyNode 3020 (SN3020), this smart-energy embedded wireless module is fully ZigBee compliant. It supports both the Smart Energy and Home Automation profiles. The SN3020 integrates a ZigBee system-on-a-chip (SoC) transceiver, power amplifier (PA), and lownoise ... — Nancy Friedrich [Editor's Choice] Low-Profile Capacitors Span 1 .0 To 3.3 mF A new range of tantalum capacitors is designed for applications that require bulk capacitance to boost transmitter power. Examples include PCMCIA/USB wireless express cards, smart meters, GPS transmitters, and GSM high-speed wireless data handling. Two case sizes of tantalum products are available. Case sizes “6” (14.5 x 7.5 x 2.0 mm) and “4” (7.3 x 6.1 x 2.0 mm) are rated from 1000 to 3300 µF (3.3 mF) with a voltage rating of 4 to 10 V. Their maximum case... — Nancy Friedrich [Editor's Choice] USB Power Meters Perform Measurements To 20 GHz THE LB679A AND LB680A Universal Serial Bus (USB) microwave power meters measure average, pulse, and peak envelope power over a 60-dB measurement range from 50 MHz to 20 GHz. The LB680A provides pulseenvelope profiling measurement capability for repetitive signals. It also offers an optional wideband, real-time video detector output signal (option 0W2) for measuring one-shot signals and timing events. Both models include the patent-pending ... — Nancy Friedrich [RF Primer] Dropping Noise Levels In LNAs Low-noise amplifiers (LNAs) are usually the most critical component in setting an RF/microwave receiver’s noise figure and sensitivity. Over the years, designers have taken advantage of emerging device technologies to achieve the lowest possible noise figures for a given operating frequency. But not all LNAs are created equal, and it takes more than just a low-noise transistor to make a high-performance LNA. It also requires careful impedance... — Jack Browne [Microwaves in Europe] NXP Commits To SiGe Roadmap As Sales Of ICODE Chips Hit A Billion Eindhoven, Netherlands: By the end of this year, NXP Semiconductors plans to release 50 different products based on its new silicon germanium: carbide (SiGe:C) process technology. The process, dubbed QUBiC4, is designed to meet the needs of high-frequency applications in the wireless, broadband communications, networking, and multimedia markets. An advantage of the SiGe:C QUBiC4 process is that it allows manufacturers of wireless systems to add more... — Paul Whytock [Microwaves in Europe] UHF Solutions IN ADDITION TO ITS0.25-µm QUBiC4Xi SiGe:C devices, NXP Semiconductors has developed an ultra-high-frequency (UHF) radio-frequencyidentification (RFID) solution for the fashion, retail, and electronics markets. The UCODE G2iL and G2iL+ achieve good read ranges based on a simple, single antenna solution (Fig. 1). In addition, the new chips feature a tag tamper alarm, several privacy-mode... — Paul Whytock [Microwaves in Europe] One Billion Devices AMONG THESE ACHIEVEMENTS, NXP also is celebrating a production milestone with its ICODE chip. Recently, the company shipped its one-billionth component. In an effort to maintain this device’s success, NXP has launched the ICODE SLIx platform (Figure 1). This platform offers enhanced flexibility and 100-percent backward compatibility with existing solutions. ICODE SLIx vows to ... — Paul Whytock |
|
| CONNECT WITH MWRF |
|