April 7, 2005 Newsletter

==============================
Microwaves & RF UPDATE
PlanetEE - www.planetee.com/
MWRF - www.mwrf.com/
April 7, 2005
==============================

Greetings and welcome to your personal copy of PlanetEE's Microwaves 
and RF UPDATE e-newsletter. Please see below for address-change or 
subscribe/unsubscribe instructions.

Today's Table of Contents:
1. Software To Shine At MTT-S 
2. Bidirectional Adaptive Optics System Reaches 800 Gb/s 
3. SiGe Semiconductor Launches WiMAX Transceiver Solution 
4. Thunderline-Z Adds Two Tools to Website 
5. IEEE's 802.11 Handbook Guides WLAN Developers 
6. RFID Transponder Hits Ski Slopes 
7. AR's Products Offer Internet Remote Control 
8. CAN Transceiver Powers Vehicle Applications 
9. Happenings - Conferences 


************************ ADVERTISEMENT **************************** 
   

Digital Gage Kits from Maury Microwave Corporation

Maury has a new digital gage kit, replacing the previous analog 
design.
Our new gage has a large easy to read digital read out in both US 
standard and/or Metric display.  Verifying the critical dimensions 
of each connector before mating ensures measurement accuracy.  For 
additional details, please contact our Sales Department at 
mailto:[email protected] or phone (909) 987-4715.

For more complete information on our digital gage kits, go to the 
Maury website:
http://nls.planetee.com/t?ctl=70E6:FFCBF


*******************************************************************


***************
1.  Viewpoint 
***************
Software To Shine At MTT-S 

Each year, microwave and RF engineers gather for a "homecoming" week 
of sorts, at the annual Microwave Theory & Techniques Symposium. 
This year's event is scheduled for June 12-17, 2005 at the Long 
Beach Convention Center (Long Beach, CA), and promises five days 
packed with panel sessions, workshops, tutorials, and technical 
sessions. And for aficionados of the latest in test equipment and 
measurement practice, the Automatic RF Techniques Group (ARFTG) 
breakfast, awards lunch, and general meeting offers those with a 
measurement bent to share ideas with their peers.

Of course, the continuing-education benefits of the MTT-S are 
certainly important. But perhaps even more invaluable is the chance 
to catch up with old friends on the exhibition floor, and to hear 
and pass along the latest gossip. One of the most-asked questions on 
the show floor is invariably "What are the hottest products?" I 
suspect that this year's answer will be simply "software." Many of 
the leaders, including Agilent Technologies, Ansoft, Applied Wave 
Research, Cadence Design Systems, Eagleware, Sonnet Software, and 
Zeland Software have been busy this winter in anticipation of major 
announcements at the show. Sonnet's recent launch of Release 10 of 
its Sonnet Suites of software tools, for example, features a host of 
new features, including broadband SPICE model extraction and Linux 
support. Earlier this year, Ansoft announced a design library for 
developers of ultrawideband (UWB) 
orthogonal-frequency-division-multiplex (OFDM) systems. And Agilent 
Technologies' EEsof group has been touring with a series of seminars 
on RF printed-circuit-board (PCB) design, power-amplifier design, 
and signal-integrity topics. 

If this activity among software suppliers is a harbinger of 
show-floor announcements, then this year's MTT-S should be ripe with 
new code and new software tools. And this is good news, since these 
tools have become much more accurate over the years and are indeed 
engineering productivity enhancers. 

JACK BROWNE
Technical Director

Please share your thoughts by contacting me at: mailto:[email protected]


*************
2. News
*************
Bidirectional Adaptive Optics System Reaches 800 Gb/s

AOptix Technologies, an emerging supplier of electro-optical systems 
and technologies for next-generation laser communications, imaging, 
and directed energy systems, announced its first product, the GT1.0 
Communicator. The system provides a range of more than 20 km with 
virtually zero probability of intercept or detection and 800-Gb/s 
bandwidth with a fiber-optic source. The portable system measures 
just 9 by 13 by 13 inches and weighs just 1 kg, running for more 
than 8 hours on battery power. For ground applications, the patented 
DWDM-capable optical system enables building-to-building (in room) 
line-of-sight links directly through windows with no performance 
degradation.
AOptix Technologies -----> http://nls.planetee.com/t?ctl=70EE:FFCBF

 
*********
3. News
*********
SiGe Semiconductor Launches WiMAX Transceiver Solution

Fabless semiconductor supplier SiGe Semiconductor announced a 
high-performance transceiver chipset aimed at WiMAX systems, 
broadband wireless access (BWA) applications, and 
wireless-local-loop (WLL) equipment. The new transceiver chipset 
consists of four devices: the SE7051 IF transceiver, the 3.5-GHz 
model SE7351L RF transceiver, the 2.5-GHz model SE725iL RF 
transceiver, and the SE7380L GaAs PHEMT single-pole, double-throw 
(SPDT) switch. The four-chip solution provides system designers with 
the full transmit and receive paths, and requires minimal external 
components. The transceiver is equipped with multiple baseband 
interfaces and can support HD-FDD BPS-IF, HD-FDD IQ, and TDD IQ 
baseband controllers. The transceivers' wide bandwidths of 2.3 to 
2.7 GHz and 3.3 to 3.8 GHz allow designers to address all worldwide 
systems, speeding time to market. According to Andrew Parolin, 
director of wireless data products for SiGe Semiconductor, "Our new 
WiMAX transceiver leverages SiGe's RF design and process technology 
expertise to offer customers an optimized solution relative to 
overall performance and flexibility. We are also providing our 
customers with design and layout support to help them to take WiMAX 
products based on our devices through the certification process."
SiGe Semiconductor ---> http://nls.planetee.com/t?ctl=70F3:FFCBF
 

*********
4. News
*********
Thunderline-Z Adds Two Tools to Website

Thunderline-Z, designer and manufacturer of hermetic packaging as 
well as RF, DC, and capacitive feedthroughs, announced two new 
engineering tools on their website. The first tool supports 
advanced searches through their database of designed and available 
feedthroughs, with over 2000 models listed. Users can enter complete 
or partial requirements on their feedthroughs to obtain a broad 
choice of options, or use the search function to narrow their 
selection to a handful of choices. The second software tool is an 
impedance reference calculator. It can be used to calculate the 
opposing dimension of glass to pin, or pin to glass, that will 
achieve optimal impedance for a given package. Users first enter 
their desired impedance, choose a dielectric constant of 4.1, 4.9, 
or 6.65, and watch as the tool instantly displays the optimal glass 
or pin diameter for that impedance. 
Thunderline-Z ---> http://nls.planetee.com/t?ctl=70EB:FFCBF


**********
5. News
**********
IEEE's 802.11 Handbook Guides WLAN Developers

Designers of wireless local area networks (WLAN) now have an 
authoritative information source with the publication of the IEEE's 
"IEEE 802.11 Handbook: A Designer's Companion." Written by Bob 
O'Hara and Al Petrick, this second edition provides new information 
on the IEEE 802.11 standard and its amendments. IEEE 802.11 
standards are sponsored by IEEE 802 LAN/MAN Standards Committee of 
the IEEE Computer Society. The handbook features the underlying 
technology that makes wireless mobility a reality, as IEEE 802.11 
equipment moves into its second stage. It includes information on 
WLAN medium access control (MAC), security, quality of service, and 
key specifications and attributes for the five physical layers. 
Copies of the handbook are available for $49.95 for non-IEEE members 
and $39.95 for IEEE members. In addition, free copies of WLAN 
standards are available at the IEEE site link listed below.
IEEE ---> http://nls.planetee.com/t?ctl=70F4:FFCBF
IEEE 802.11 ---> http://nls.planetee.com/t?ctl=70ED:FFCBF


*********
6. News
*********
RFID Transponder Hits Ski Slopes

Radio-frequency-identification (RFIC) chip supplier EM 
Microelectronic has developed the model EM4026 RFID transponder chip 
to facilitate handling and identification of rented skis or 
snowboards at ski resorts. Working with partners Skidata and 
EC-Passage, EM Microelectronic has created the device for use with 
contactless readers operating at 125 kHz. The transponder works 
without batteries, requiring only a small antenna for use at 
temperatures as low as minus 40 degrees Centigrade. When integrated 
into a ski, the chip and antenna are invisible and tamper protected. 
Each chip has a factory-programmed 64-b identification number. The 
Tag Talk First protocol enables a cost effective chip implementation 
and avoids interferences with existing contactless access control 
systems near ski lifts. In ski rental shops, tagged items can easily 
be identified and attributed to customers, to speed the delivery and 
return of rented equipment.
EM Microelectronic ---> http://nls.planetee.com/t?ctl=70E9:FFCBF


*********
7. News
*********
AR's Products Offer Internet Remote Control

AR Worldwide's new model IA232ET Ethernet Interface allows any of 
the company's products with an RS-232 interface to be remotely 
controlled on IP-based Ethernet networks. By means of serial 
tunneling, the interface encapsulates serial data into packets and 
transports it over the Ethernet. By using the IA232ET with an 
appropriately equipped power amplifier or other instrument from AR 
Worldwide, operators can remotely monitor, manage, and control these 
instruments over both 10Base-T and 100Base-TX networks, eliminating 
limited distance point-to-point connections.
AR Worldwide ---> http://nls.planetee.com/t?ctl=70EC:FFCBF

 
*********
8. News
*********
CAN Transceiver Powers Vehicle Applications

AMI Semiconductor announced a single-chip transceiver for 
next-generation in-vehicle-networking (IVN) controller-area-network 
(CAN) systems. The firm's model 
AMIS-42665 is suitable for both 12- and 24-V automotive applications 
and is fully compatible with both the ISO 11898-2 and ISO 11898-5 
standards. The SOIC 150-8 device offers all the functionality needed 
to provide the interface between a CAN controller and the physical 
bus. Specifically, the device provides differential signaling 
capability to the CAN bus via the transmit and receive pins of the 
CAN controller. It is ideal for vehicle body and comfort control 
functions ranging from electric windows to climate control.
AMI Semiconductor -----> http://nls.planetee.com/t?ctl=70F2:FFCBF
 

*******************************
9.  Happenings - Conferences
*******************************
ARMMS RF & Microwave Society Conference
April 18-19, 2005
Milton Hill House Hotel, Milton Hill, Oxfordshire, UK
http://nls.planetee.com/t?ctl=70F0:FFCBF

2005 International Reliability Physics Symposium
April 17-21, 2005
San Jose Marriott Hotel, San Jose, CA
http://nls.planetee.com/t?ctl=70F1:FFCBF

Broadband Wireless World 2005
April 21-22, 2005
Caesar's Place
Las Vegas, NV
http://nls.planetee.com/t?ctl=70E7:FFCBF

Lead-Free QuickStart Seminar
Sponsored by Indium Corporation of America
May 17-18, 2005
Libertyville, IL
http://nls.planetee.com/t?ctl=70E8:FFCBF

IEEE Compound Semiconductor IC Symposium (formerly the GaAs IC 
Symposium)
October 30 - November 2, 2005
Palm Springs, CA
http://nls.planetee.com/t?ctl=70EF:FFCBF


Read past issues of Microwaves and RF (MWRF) UPDATE e-Newsletter: 
http://www.mwrf.com/


MICROWAVES AND RF (MWRF) UPDATE e-NEWSLETTER CONTACTS
====================================================
Technical Director: Jack Browne
mailto:[email protected]
Associate Editor: Laurie Collins
mailto:[email protected]

Advertising/Sponsorship Opportunities:
Jim Theriault at 1-925-736-5051 or
send email to mailto:[email protected]
====================================================
To subscribe click here:  http://nls.planetee.com/t?ctl=70EA:FFCBF
To unsubscribe click here:  http://nls.planetee.com/u?id=92976FF2A879FA46AC456861C53C43DF
Penton's e-Newsletter homepage:  http://www.planetee.com/
====================================
Copyright 2005 Penton Media Inc. All rights reserved.