FEATURED PRODUCTS

Hyperabrupt Tuning Varactors

The SMV1247–SMV1255 series of silicon hyperabrupt junction varactor diodes are designed for use in VCOs with low tuning voltage operation

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  SP3T Switch For Smartphone And Tablet Applications
• power amplifier module

FEATURE ARTICLES

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  What’s The Worst That Could Happen? RF Communication Disasters

  The morning of December 4, 2011 began normally for the team of Air Force technicians. As they settled into their shift flying unmanned aircraft over Afghanistan, perhaps they chatted casually and swapped stories from the weekend. Very soon, however, their conversations were interrupted by shrill alarm sirens blaring from their control monitors. The video screen on the wall, which normally displayed real-time video imagery from their stealth RQ-170 drone, was now completely black. By Michael Clonts, Product Manager, RT Logic

• VNAs With Wide Frequency Coverage Help Overcome High-Speed Interconnect Challenges

  Cloud computing, smartphones, and LTE services are creating a significant increase in network traffic. To support this added traffic, speed of IT equipment – such as those used in high-end services in data centers – must be increased, creating challenges for signal integrity engineers that must be met by advanced test instruments, such as vector network analyzers (VNAs). By Bob Buxton, Marketing Manager, General Purpose Test, Microwave Measurements Division, Anritsu Company

• RF Switch Matrix Basics: Configuring And Verifying With Simulation Tools

  RF and microwave switch matrix solutions play a key role in a variety of test systems. At SenarioTek, we design and configure signal routing solutions that are often unique to a specific application. Over the years, we have found some basic steps that help facilitate the design process and ensure that the finished product meets the needs of the test system. This column covers what I believe are the most important initial steps in the process. This is the first in a series of guest columns by Bob Alman of SenarioTek.

• Transitioning Designs To Manufacturing: Partnering For Success

  Innovation and the development of new products are critical to the overall success of most companies. Leading companies have a continuous pipeline of new technology and/or product development and the process discipline in place to transition new developments into manufacturing. Product development is typically resource-intensive, involving investments in labor, materials, and capital. High frequency products as well as other leading-edge technology-based systems pose unique challenges to successful product development and manufacturing. In order to maximize success and optimize the returns on these investments, it’s imperative to employ a disciplined and comprehensive process from the design phase through the transition into manufacturing and throughout the product’s lifecycle. By Bob White, Vice President, Manufacturing Services Division, Millitech, Inc.

• Analyzing Frequency Response Of Inertial MEMS In Stabilization Systems

  UAV-mounted surveillance equipment, maritime microwave receivers, vehicle-mounted infrared imaging sensors, and similar instrument systems require stable platforms for best performance, but they are often used in applications that experience vibration and other undesirable kinds of motion. Vibration and normal vehicular movements cause communication loss, blurry images, and many other behaviors that degrade the instrument’s performance and ability to perform its desired function. Platform stabilization systems employ closed-loop control systems to actively cancel this type of motion, thus preserving mission-critical performance objectives for these instruments. 

FEATURED SUPPLIERS

AR

Since 1969, AR has played a major role in the success of the automotive, medical, military, aerospace and telecom industries. The company’s products are used for a variety of critical applications including RF Test & measurement in a multitude of industries throughout the world. At AR, there’s no substitute for quality. It’s the foundation of our business and the AR value that’s recognized around the globe...

Corry Micronics, Inc.

Corry Micronics, located in northwestern Pennsylvania, has been producing Feedthru Capacitors and Radio-Frequency Interference (RFI) Filters since 1970...

LATEST NEWS

• LS Research Announces The Opening Of The Antenna Shop, Providing Dedicated Specialists To Ensure An Optimized Antenna Design For Wireless RF Devices

  One of the most important – and overlooked – components of any RF device is the Antenna. An improperly designed antenna can greatly impact radio performance and be very costly to a device manufacturer as Apple discovered shortly after releasing the iPhone 4. Its improperly designed antenna ultimately cost the company $53 million.

• National Science Foundation Participates In White House Initiatives In Wireless Broadband And Technological Innovation

  In conjunction with the recently-released Presidential Memorandum on Expanding America's Leadership in Wireless Innovation, the White House has announced that the National Science Foundation (NSF), along with other federal agencies, will make strategic investments in research and development to make more efficient use of the nation's airwaves.

• New Array Measures Vibrations Across Skin May Help Engineers Design Tactile Displays

  In the near future, a buzz in your belt or a pulse from your jacket may give you instructions on how to navigate your surroundings. By Jennifer Chu, MIT

• Northrop Grumman Develops New Gallium Arsenide E-Band High-Power Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuits

  Northrop Grumman Corporation has developed new gallium arsenide (GaAs) Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit (MMIC) high-power amplifiers operating in the E-Band communication frequency spectrum.

• Smart Technology Makes Its Way Into Lighting

  According to VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, the lighting systems of the future could be multi-purpose devices not dissimilar to smart phones. In the future, lighting will not just allow us to see but could also be used to survey surroundings, transmit information, reflect moods and make our lives more comfortable.

• CSR Launches SiRFstarV 5e GNSS Location Solution For Best Navigation Experience

  CSR plc recently debuted the SiRFstarV 5e, a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) engine optimized to enable highly accurate location positioning for devices including mobile phones, cameras, and health and fitness products.