Medical Markets Offer Intriguing RF Possibilities

Oct. 8, 2009
Medical applications have long held great appeal for RF/microwave electronics manufacturers. Companies selling non-magnetic components into magnetic-resonance-imaging (MRI) systems, for example, have found such medical applications to be small in volume ...

Medical applications have long held great appeal for RF/microwave electronics manufacturers. Companies selling non-magnetic components into magnetic-resonance-imaging (MRI) systems, for example, have found such medical applications to be small in volume but generous in profit margin. Of course, not all medical applications fit this model, especially with the growth of devices for use in wireless personal area networks that must be low enough in cost to be essentially disposable.

With the tightening of commercial purse strings, however, RF/microwave electronics manufacturers must reach beyond their traditional safe havens of military and industry markets and find new opportunities among such markets as healthcare and homeland security. While not all opportunities in those markets will match the security and return of multiple-year government/military contracts, they will provide much needed diversification for an industry that still depends too much on cellular handsets and network build-outs.

About the Author

Jack Browne | Technical Contributor

Jack Browne, Technical Contributor, has worked in technical publishing for over 30 years. He managed the content and production of three technical journals while at the American Institute of Physics, including Medical Physics and the Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology. He has been a Publisher and Editor for Penton Media, started the firm’s Wireless Symposium & Exhibition trade show in 1993, and currently serves as Technical Contributor for that company's Microwaves & RF magazine. Browne, who holds a BS in Mathematics from City College of New York and BA degrees in English and Philosophy from Fordham University, is a member of the IEEE.

Sponsored Recommendations

Wideband Peak & Average Power Sensor with 80 Msps Sample Rate

Aug. 16, 2024
Mini-Circuits’ PWR-18PWHS-RC power sensor operates from 0.05 to 18 GHz at a sample rate of 80 Msps and with an industry-leading minimum measurement range of -40 dBm in peak mode...

Turnkey Solid State Energy Source

Aug. 16, 2024
Featuring 59 dB of gain and output power from 2 to 750W, the RFS-G90G93750X+ is a robust, turnkey RF energy source for ISM applications in the 915 MHz band. This design incorporates...

90 GHz Coax. Adapters for Your High-Frequency Connections

Aug. 16, 2024
Mini-Circuits’ expanded line of coaxial adapters now includes the 10x-135x series of 1.0 mm to 1.35 mm models with all combinations of connector genders. Ultra-wideband performance...

Ultra-Low Phase Noise MMIC Amplifier, 6 to 18 GHz

July 12, 2024
Mini-Circuits’ LVA-6183PN+ is a wideband, ultra-low phase noise MMIC amplifier perfect for use with low noise signal sources and in sensitive transceiver chains. This model operates...