Feature Articles

1. What’s The Worst That Could Happen? RF Communication Disasters
   5/3/2013

   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

2. VNAs With Wide Frequency Coverage Help Overcome High-Speed Interconnect Challenges
   1/2/2013

   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

3. RF Switch Matrix Basics: Configuring And Verifying With Simulation Tools
   11/14/2012

   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.

4. Transitioning Designs To Manufacturing: Partnering For Success
   11/9/2012

   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.

5. Analyzing Frequency Response Of Inertial MEMS In Stabilization Systems
   7/25/2012

   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. 

6. Power Management Design For PLLs
   9/22/2011
   The phase-locked loop (PLL) is a fundamental building block of modern communication systems. By Austin Harney and Grzegorz Wawrzola
7. Article: Leveraging Commercial Electronics For Military And Aerospace Applications
   7/20/2011
   Electronic technologies have evolved at an astounding pace, following the trend observed by Gordon Moore 46 years ago: the number of transistors that can be placed inexpensively on an integrated circuit doubles approximately every two years. This trend has enabled tremendous computational capabilities, new consumer applications, and a new world of communications and high-technology warfare. By Michael L. Alles, Vanderbilt University Institute for Space and Defense Electronics (ISDE)
8. A View Of The Microwave Industry From 10,000 Feet
   3/22/2011
   In this guest column, 2011 MTT-S President Richard V. Snyder provides his perspective on the state of the RF/microwave industry, tracing current trends from the industry's roots during World War II to this year's IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Symposium (IMS)...
9. Active Inductor Oscillator Noise Dynamics
   2/4/2011
   The noise properties of active inductor resonator is studied. A design strategy centered on improving the quality factor of the active inductor is discussed for giving brief insights about the active resonator noise dynamics, and validated through an example, leading to a low cost high performance tunable active inductor oscillator (TAIO) for reconfigurable radio-frequency circuit solutions. By Ajay K. Poddar, Chief Scientist, Synergy Microwave Corporation
10. Article: Active Inductor Oscillator Noise Dynamics
    2/4/2011
    In this article, the noise properties of an active inductor resonator are studied. A design strategy centered on improving the quality factor of the active inductor is discussed for giving brief insights about the active resonator noise dynamics, and validated through an example, leading to a low-cost, high-performance tunable active inductor oscillator for reconfigurable radio-frequency circuit solutions. By Ajay K. Poddar, Chief Scientist, Synergy Microwave Corporation