Industry News
TriQuint Semiconductor Inc., an RF front-end product manufacturer and foundry services provider, announced its acquisition of TriAccess Technologies, a provider of Cable TV (CATV) and Fiber-to-the-Premise (FTTP) integrated circuits for the amplification of high quality multimedia content, effective immediately. Previously, TriQuint served as TriAccess’ foundry supplier. In related news, TriQuint announced it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Huawei, a leader in providing next-generation telecommunications network solutions for operators around the world, to supply driver amplifiers and related products for new optical transport systems. As a strategic partner, TriQuint will work closely with Huawei to develop higher-speed and wider-bandwidth network solutions with lower power consumption for operators worldwide. TriQuint was selected due to its comprehensive product portfolio and green technologies. In addition to the MOU, the product development roadmaps of both TriQuint and Huawei will be aligned to enhance the competitiveness of their products.
The power of one multi-intelligence aircraft collecting, correlating then distributing diverse types of intelligence to those who needed it was demonstrated by Lockheed Martin during the US Army’s C4ISR On-The-Move exercise. Lockheed Martin’s Airborne Multi-intelligence Laboratory (AML) demonstrated how its onboard sensors, interacting with the Army’s intelligence and battle command enterprises can dramatically improve the speed and quality of situational awareness available to friendly forces.
Agilent Technologies Inc. announced that Simplay Labs in Shenzhen, China, has selected Agilent’s HDMI test solution for source, sink and cable certification at its new test center opening there this month. This purchase continues the long-term relationship between Simplay Labs and Agilent to further develop devices for current and future HDMI technology standards. The test center at Simplay Labs is designed to promote industry-wide interoperability among products using HDMI and High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP).
RF Micro Devices Inc. (RFMD), a leader in the design and manufacture of high-performance semiconductor components, announced that it has successfully demonstrated industry-leading reliability performance with its high-power Gallium Nitride (GaN) process technology.
Janco Electronics Inc. (JEI) is now certified for ISO 13485:2003. ISO 13485:2003 is a quality-management standard for medical device manufacturing developed by the International Organization for Standardization. ISO 13485 certification will ensure that JEI has the required level of Quality Management systems in place to properly service the medical electronics services industry. It covers fundamental Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) principles, which apply during the manufacture of medical devices.
Contracts
The US Department of Defense announced that Aeroflex won a five-year, $40.5 M contract with the US Marine Corps to supply Ground Radio Maintenance Automatic Test Systems (GRMATS). For this contract Aeroflex will supply its newly developed test platform, the 7200 Configurable Automated Test Set (CATS). The 7200 is a commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) platform for testing software-defined radios, including military tactical radios and other high technology devices.
Tektronix Inc., a provider of test, measurement and monitoring instrumentation, announced it has won a contract award from the US Navy to supply Digital Phosphor Oscilloscopes (DPO). The $10.75 M contract has a Best Estimated Quantity (BEQ) of 5000 units over a five-year period. The Naval Inventory Control Point (NAVICP), the Navy’s primary equipment purchasing and inventorying agent for the Naval Supply Systems Command (NAVSUP), will use the Tektronix 100 MHz, 2-channel TDS3012C oscilloscopes for its General Purpose Electronic Test Equipment (GPETE) program. This contract follows two similar oscilloscope programs awarded by the US Navy in recent years—100 MHz, 2-channel TDS3012B (six-year program) and the 500 MHz, 4-channel TDS5054B oscilloscopes (five-year program).
Channel Microwave Corp. has recently been awarded $3.1 M in contracts for components and subsystems used for military and homeland defense applications. These contracts will be completed next year with expected follow-on orders.
MicroWave Technology Inc. (MwT Inc.), Fremont, CA, a wholly owned subsidiary of IXYS Corp., announced that it has been awarded a contract from BAE Systems with total amount over $2.5 M. MwT has been a well known supplier to the military and defense industry for the past 25 years. MwT manufactures high performance and high quality microwave semiconductor devices, MMICs, modules and subsystems for wireless communication infrastructure, defense, industrial and medical equipment applications. The contract that MwT has won consists of a large volume of custom connectorized microwave amplifiers with military electrical specifications and high reliability requirements.
Skyworks Solutions Inc., an innovator of high reliability analog and mixed signal semiconductors enabling a broad range of end markets, announced that Samsung is leveraging both quad-band GSM/EDGE and next-generation WCDMA front-end solutions to power a variety of new 3G smart phones including the Pixon12, a 12 megapixel touchscreen camera phone. Skyworks has also secured EDGE and WCDMA power amplifier design wins for more than 15 additional Samsung smart phones currently in production.
Rohde & Schwarz America announced that it has received a contract from the US Naval Inventory Control Point (NAVICP) in Mechanicsburg, VA, for the purchase of 800 R&S SMB100N analog signal generators over a five-year period. The instruments will replace existing instruments throughout the Navy, and will also be available for purchase by other government agencies as well as defense contractors through NAVICP along with various options if desired.
Strand Marketing has been awarded a contract to manage the rebranding strategy of a leading digital and RF component manufacturer, LNX Corp. of Salem, NH, and related procurement business, Solynx. The contract calls for new corporate logos, websites and brochures.
RFaxis, a fabless semiconductor company focused on innovative, next-generation RF solutions for the wireless and connectivity markets, announced that Helicomm Inc. has chosen RFaxis’ RF Front-end Integrated Circuits (RFeIC) and embedded antennas for integration into its family of Zigbee and other wireless networking modules.
HRL Laboratories LLC announced it has received Phase 2 funding to continue developing the Cognitive Technology Threat Warning System, or CT2WS. Funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the goal of the CT2WS program is to improve warfighter situational awareness in a variety of operations, including reconnaissance, surveillance and standard infantry tactical fighting.
New Market Entry
Fujitsu Microelectronics America Inc. (FMA) has entered the mobile phone RF transceiver market with commercial production of a new highly integrated transceiver module supporting 3GPP WCDMA/EGPRS wireless phones. The MB86L01A is the industry’s first multi-mode transceiver to eliminate 3G TX and RX inter-stage SAW filters and low noise amplifiers (LNA). The transceiver features a high-level programming model for controlling the radio using an open standard digital interface (3G DigRF/MIPI), which is compatible with a wide range of industry basebands. The MB86L01A is available in volume shipments now.
Personnel
TRAK Microwave Corp., a Smiths Interconnect business, appointed Rick Walsh as Senior Staff Engineer, Technical Business Development. Walsh joins TRAK Microwave from Tampa Microwave, where his last position was Vice President of Engineering. Prior to that appointment, he spent 15 years at TRAK Microwave in various positions including Director of Business Development for Time and Frequency Systems. Walsh has over 30 years of experience in the RF/microwave industry, including design engineering, business development and operations.
Rep Appointments
Crystek has been named the exclusive franchise USA distributor of Rubidium and GPS Time Sources from AccuBeat of Israel. AccuBeat’s line of Frequency Standards provide precision signal timing for applications such as test and measurement equipment, military and satellite communications, and wireless technology. Crystek is offering four AccuBeat models: two Rubidium Frequency Standards and two GPS-Disciplined Rubidium Frequency Standards, in a number of configurations.
Reactel Inc., a manufacturer of RF and microwave filters, multiplexers, switched filter banks, and sub-assemblies to the commercial, military, industrial, and medical industries, announced the appointment of J/34 MICROWAVE as the company’s exclusive representative in Pennsylvania. For more information about J/34 MICROWAVE, please telephone Jim Shea at (443) 340-7705.
Asymtek, a Nordson company and leader in dispensing, coating and jetting technologies, announced a new manufacturer’s representative company to provide sales, technical expertise, service, parts, and support for Asymtek’s dispensing and coating products in Mexico—the Rich Sales Co. Rich Sales has 30 years of experience representing manufacturers throughout Mexico. They have eight outside sales engineers covering Mexico along with four service personnel to support Asymtek’s Mexican’s installation base. With its highly trained technical team, Rich Sales is able to help Asymtek customers find the best solution for their dispensing and coating applications.
Web Site
AWR Corp., a leader in high frequency EDA, and Modelithics Inc., a premier provider of precision measurements and models for RF and microwave design simulation, announced that a one-click option enabled on the AWR web site for trial evaluation requests for AWR’s Microwave Office® software now also includes Modelithics’ highly accurate active and passive model libraries. This cooperative partnering gives microwave designers the opportunity to use Modelithics’ active and passive simulation models on a trial basis and see how they can impact their designs from within AWR’s Microwave Office design environment. The Modelithics libraries are available for a growing number of components and ICs from various manufacturers, ranging from passive components to nonlinear diode and transistor models, and shortly, system-level components.