IMS2025 took place June 15-20 in San Francisco, Calif., and the organizers chose the event theme as the Wireless Golden Gateway - "Just as the Golden Gate is the gateway to San Francisco Bay, San Francisco is the gateway to Silicon Valley and the Bay Area-global innovation hubs in RF and microwave technology." The Si Valley region is home to many wireless innovations and start-ups, so it is a rich area for the history of our industry, especially in the area of commercial wireless. IMS is always co-located with the IEEE Radio Frequency Integrated Circuits Symposium (RFIC) and the Automatic Radio Frequency Techniques Group (ARFTG) Conference, making it the largest gathering of RF engineers each year.

The IMS Plenary Session featured two talks: Jin Bains, CEO of Mini-Circuits, presented "Powering the Next Generation of RF Systems," exploring the evolving role of RF in modern technology in a historical perspective. Arogyaswami Paulraj, Professor Emeritus at Stanford University and a pioneer of MIMO wireless tech­nology, presented "Antenna Arrays for Communications, Positioning, and Sensing: Emerging Applications and Challenges," sharing insights into the breakthroughs that have shaped wireless systems.

For the first time at IMS, IMS2025 was co-located with the IEEE Hard Tech Venture Summit, an event de­signed to connect hard tech start-up founders with visionary investors and manufacturers, fostering the growth of next-generation companies. This addition to Microwave Week offers a unique platform for innovation and collaboration, featuring a series of panels and talks led by leaders in the venture capital and small business innovation research communities on Wednesday. Complementing these sessions, the Hard Tech Pavilion, strategically located near the Start Up Pavilion and MicroApps Theater on the exhibit floor, provided an engaging networking space and show­cased emerging technologies.

Attendance and exhibition participation were good but seemed under expectations for San Francisco, which usually sets a record in these areas. We don't have final numbers, but we don't see that happening this year. We visited the exhibition and summarized the new products and services from the companies we were able to see.

See the Microwave Journal IMS video gallery here and photo gallery here. 

Aaronia AG 

With the RTSA of the SPECTRAN® V6 XPR series, Aaronia AG presents one of the world's most powerful USB-based analyzer series at IMS2025. Equipped with sweep speeds of > 3 THz/s and state-of-the-art waveguide technology, high frequency and rapidly changing signals in the microwave range can be reliably analyzed and evaluated. The SPECTRAN V6 PLUS XPR 250XB-WR12, for example, offers 10 dB NF at 77 GHz. This makes it the perfect choice for radar measurements, for example in the automotive sector (76 to 81 GHz). In addition, the V6 XPR series is an attractively priced solution. Thanks to the waveguide connection, you can connect your own amplifier and splitter systems to the RTSA from Aaronia AG according to your requirements. Aaronia thus provides affordable solutions for such applications.

AR 

As part of the **AMETEK CTS** family, AR showcased cutting-edge solutions that set the standard for performance in defense, EMC testing and wireless communications applications. Visitors to the AR booth experienced a live demonstration of their latest microwave amplifier system, engineered to deliver the power, precision and rugged reliability demanded by mission-critical applications. Designed and manufactured in the USA, AR amplifiers are known around the world for pushing performance boundaries while offering unmatched quality and support. Also featured at the show was the new Teseq NSG 4070D, a versatile and compact RF conducted immunity test generator designed for fast, flexible compliance testing. As part of the broader AMETEK CTS portfolio, Teseq products complement AR's amplifier systems with industry-trusted immunity solutions.

Amphenol Printed Circuits

Amphenol Printed Circuits (APC) offered a sample of its design, manufacturing and test capabilities in RF printed circuit boards (PCBs) Rigid-Flex/Flex and backplanes. They showed examples of PCBs for commercial and military applications, including high speed-digital (HSD) circuits to 25 Gbps, RF/microwave planar antenna arrays and beamforming networks to 40 GHz and beyond and hybrid combinations of analog, digital and RF/microwave assemblies precision designed, assembled and tested in APC’s facilities in Nashua, N.H., Mesa, Ariz., and Nogales, Mexico, delivering full turnkey assembles. They have a lot more capabilities than on display but were limited in what was approved to be shown due to customer restrictions.

Analog Devices

Analog Devices has a big lineup of demos and products for IMS2025. Here are some of them:

AEROSPACE AND DEFENSE

• Apollo MxFE™: Agile Multi-Band Phased Array Radar 
  • This demo was about the Apollo MxFE AD9088 (8T8R) in a multi-band Radar application. Operating across both S-Band and X-Band, the system highlights high performance transmit and receive paths, fast frequency hopping and on-chip digital error correction capabilities. Witness how fast switching of hardened IP showcases Apollo's agility for multi-band, multi-mission phased array radar systems.
• Multi-Chip Synchronization of Two 16T/16R Systems with Ian Beavers and Jeff Chambliss
  • How can you synchronize a plethora of RF sub-system tiles, clocked at 12.8 GSPS, that could be meters or even tens of meters away from each other? Attendees could learn how to synchronize a large, phased array system by nulling out path delay differences. Witness a multi-chip sync across two X-Band 16T/16R systems with different spatial distances from their sync source.
• Narrowband Radio Design Enablement
  • This demo showed a variety of hardware platforms that augment and enable capabilities across Analog Devices' narrowband transceiver portfolio. A breakout board for the Nevis family of transceivers (ADRV910x) accelerates the development of your embedded application software. A VCO reference design enables the best phase noise performance for Nevis-based, high performance radio applications. The new "Dual Navassa" evaluation system provides a platform for evaluating the RF Multi-Chip Sync (MCS) capabilities of the ADRV900x series transceivers. And lastly, the new AD9310 evaluation system provides a compact development platform that is ideal for assessing the capabilities of the AD9310 integrated GNSS RF front-end. 

• 6G FR3 RFFE for OTA test systems
  • As wireless standards evolve from 5G to 6G, the test and measurement complexity is increasing. Visitors to the booth could witness ADI’s instrument-grade 6G FR3 front-end signal chain intended for conductive and OTA test systems to maintain signal fidelity. In this demonstration, a modulated IF signal is upconverted to 7.1 GHz by the FR3 transmitter front-end and travels over the air. The FR3 receiver front-end down converts the RF signal to a modulated IF signal and its EVM is analyzed on a third party analysis tool. The measured EVM matches high performing T&M requirements.

MULTI-MARKET POWER

• Silent, Efficient and Compact µModule DC/DC Power Regulators
  • µModule DC/DC power products deliver single- and multi-channel power solutions, supporting a diverse range of power levels and input and output voltages in advanced and reliable packages. µModule DC/DC products have a 20-year history of providing enhanced electrical, mechanical and thermal performance. ADI’s latest µModule regulators with patented silent switcher technology feature low EMI and low RMS and spot noise, eliminating the need for LC pi-filters or LDO post-filtering downstream of switching converters in noise-sensitive applications.

RF

• Cutting-Edge PLL/VCO Performance
  • ADI's new synchronization and time alignment methods make system design easier for military phased array applications, communication's massive MIMO or any instrumentation applications that require multi-chip synchronization or picosecond alignment. ADI’s leading-edge phase noise clocks and LO enable high speed data converter and mixer applications to achieve their systems performance targets. Fast frequency hopping is key in many ADEF and instrumentation applications.
• High Dynamic Range, Low NF, 2-18 GHz Flexible EW Front-End
  • Experience ADI's flexible RF front-end solution tailored for multi-band radar and electronic warfare (EW) applications. By leveraging a low-loss RF path selector and highly tunable signal chain components, attendees could see how ADI’s latest switches and amplifiers enable adaptable, high performance system designs. This solution addresses the need for compact, wideband and reconfigurable architectures in defense, aerospace and high frequency communications.

COMMS

• RadioVerse® Transceivers: Balanced Power and Performance
  • ADI’s RadioVerse transceivers contain advanced architectures for balancing power and BW performance coupled with high channel count and optimal digital capability. Visitors could join in discussing the suitability of these products for ADEF and instrumentation needs with 7.1 GHz BW operation, 8 Tx / Rx channels and enhanced DPD / CFR performance solutions.

Antennex

Antennex debuted a disruptive new functionality. Unlike conventional techniques that rely on cumbersome setups including liquid nitrogen or radiated noise sources with careful calibration, Antennex’s method is fully OTA, self-contained and operator-friendly. The demonstration at IMS showed a complete noise figure characterization performed livecom in a realistic setup. The technology was developed in close collaboration with leading industry partners and is currently the subject of multiple standardization initiatives.

Antenom 

Antenom Antenna Technologies presented its full portfolio of block-based Anten’it antenna and microwave products, high-power defense antennas and an early preview of its upcoming RNDMarketplace platform at IMS. They had the latest innovations from one of the most dynamic RF and microwave companies in the field. Antenom’s Anten’it® product line is the only modular, block-based training and prototyping system designed for hands-on education, rapid R&D and custom antenna creation. It enables engineers, researchers and students to build, test and modify antennas and microwave components within minutes.

Anritsu

Anritsu Company expanded its signal generator product line with the introduction of the EcoSyn™ Lite Microwave Synthesizer Module that delivers outstanding phase noise, ultra-fast switching speed and a compact size. EcoSyn Lite complements Anritsu’s high performance Rubidium^TM benchtop signal generators to address a wide range of signal generator applications. EcoSyn Lite covers the 10 MHz to 20 GHz frequency range and delivers +18 dBm output power. Housed in a portable, compact 4 x 4 x 0.8 in. form factor ideal for use in space-constrained applications that require an instrumentation-grade CW signal source.

Anritsu also announced the launch of a new Simultaneous Sweep capability for its ShockLine™ MS46131A Vector Network Analyzer (VNA) — the world’s first 1-port VNA supporting frequencies up to 43.5 GHz. This advanced capability enables simultaneous 1-port S-parameter measurements across up to four MS46131A units. Each unit can be independently configured with custom test settings — such as start and stop frequencies, IF bandwidth and number of points — while all units perform sweeps in parallel. The result is significantly reduced test time and enhanced flexibility for a wide range of measurement scenarios.

Ansys

Visitors to Ansys’ booth explored the latest in RF and microwave systems, chip thermal management and microwave component simulation and optimization. Attendees saw live demos and presentations from customers, partners and Ansys experts at the booth, with their in-booth theater sessions packed with expert talks and customer stories.

ATEK Midas

ATEK’s booth displayed the company’s catalog and custom offerings for wired, wireless and optical communication and sensor applications. Technical experts were available to answer questions on the company's key MMICs such as tunable filters / amplifiers / control devices, SiGe / RF CMOS / FD-SOI / BCD / GaAs / GaN custom ASICs and IMAs / RF connectorized modules. Check out ATEK Midas’ video interview on the MWJ website under the “Videos” section to learn more.

Bird RF

Bird RF's booth had live demos of their newest solutions, including:

• 4480A Digital Wattmeter – A next-generation RF power meter that requires no plug-in elements and delivers real-time measurements across 2 MHz to 1 GHz. Ideal for both CW and digital signals, it’s built for speed, accuracy and convenience in the field or lab.
• GH-60 GenHawk Vector Signal Generator – A powerful, handheld generator covering 100 MHz to 6 GHz (upgradeable to 300 kHz to 6.5 GHz) with full support for AM/FM, pulse, GSM, LTE, 5G NR and more. Built for field professionals who need precise signal generation on the go. Whether you're testing, validating or troubleshooting RF systems, Bird’s tools help you work smarter—without the complexity.

Cadence

Cadence software demonstrations showed their latest design and analysis platforms and workflows. Cadence offers a complete RF/microwave full design flow, from concept to manufacturing, addressing the design and analysis of MMICs, RFICs and modules for IC packaging, power amplifiers, RF PCBs and 5G and radar systems. Cadence RF solutions, including Virtuoso Heterogeneous Integration for RF Solution, the new Virtuoso Studio RF platform, Microwave Office software, Visual System Simulator, Clarity 3D Solver, Celsius Studio Thermal Solver and EMX 3D Planar Solver, maximize advanced-node process benefits and streamline advanced IC package and module design implementation, verification and multiphysics analysis to speed development of RF/mmWave components and systems.

ConductRF

ConductRF introduced its new website and RF cable composer, “Maestro,” at IMS2025 with an in-booth demonstration. Maestro enables users to design assemblies using ConductRF’s products and allows them to find and incorporate solutions from other cable manufacturers as well. In addition to the cable composer demo, ConductRF had a variety of samples on display, including flexible, hand-formable and semi-rigid connectorized cables. Check out ConductRF’s video interview on the MWJ website under the “Videos” section to learn more.

Copper Mountain

Copper Mountain Technologies showcased various products and had three demos at IMS2025, including upgrades, new products and a product preview. The company showcased its line of versatile, modular VNA solutions, including VNA frequency extenders and calibration kits. Copper Mountain also demonstrated their new 2-port Value Series VNAs, including the V0402 4.5 GHz VNA, V0602 6.5 GHz VNA and V0902 9 GHz VNA. Finally, they had a preview of their new product line, a 2-port VNA with frequency extension compatibility. Check out Copper Mountains’ video demo on the MWJ website under the “Videos” section to learn more.

Corning

Corning, a materials science group, is best known in the RF industry as a connector designer and supplier. This year at IMS, Corning displayed their latest dielectric, RESINFLEX™, alongside their GPO series of connectors, including GPO, GPPO, G3PO and G4PO. RESINFLEX is a dielectric epoxy resin insulator designed to replace glass dielectrics to increase performance and reliability throughout the manufacturing and assembly processes. RESINFLEX is designed for non-hermetic applications and remains dimensionally stable throughout the soldering process and other high heat environments. This stability allows engineers to get full gold plating coverage on the center conductor of the connector. Check out Corning’s video interview on the MWJ website under the “Videos” section to learn more and hear from RESINFLEX’s lead design engineer.

Crystek Corporation 

Crystek released a family of new VCOs, filling a void left by other manufacturers who have removed similar products from their lineups. Three VCOs are available immediately, with many other frequency ranges to follow in the coming months. First-release products include:

• CVCO55CL-0091-0095: frequency: 91-95 MHz; phase noise: 120 dBc/Hz at 10 kHz typ.; power: 5 dBm typ.; Vcc: 5 V, Vt: 0.5 V to 5 V; current: 25 mA max.
• CVCO55CL-0144-0200: frequency: 144-200 MHz; phase noise: 122 dBc/Hz at 10 kHz typ.; power: 9 dBm typ.; Vcc: 12 V, Vt: 0.5 V to 16 V; current: 33 mA max.
• CVCO55CL-0170-0244: frequency: 170-244 MHz; phase noise: 120 dBc/Hz at 10 kHz typ.; power: 10 dBm typ.; Vcc: 12 V, Vt: 2V to 16 V; current: 34 mA max.

Elite RF

Elite RF showcased its latest innovation, a C-Band amplifier system delivering 5 kW peak power at IMS. The amplifier, engineered to meet the demands of modern C-Band high RF power applications, is built for customers in defense, aerospace, weather radar and commercial applications who require high RF power, gain, field replaceable modules and rugged reliability. Built with advanced GaN-based architecture, the system offers excellent linearity, pulse capability and thermal management in a rack-mountable design. It also features intuitive control interfaces for simplified integration into both new and existing platforms. Elite RF’s portfolio was on display throughout IMS. Engineers and attendees could stop by the booth to view the new 5 kW system and discuss their amplifier requirements.

Emerson 

Emerson and LG Electronics Company Limited (LGE) demonstrated a new proof-of-concept (PoC) platform for 6G research at sub-terahertz frequencies. LGE used Emerson’s third-generation NI vector signal transceiver, field programmable gate array co-processors, and NI LabVIEW™ software to prototype a new platform capable of transmitting and receiving signals of up to 4 GHz bandwidth at 160 GHz frequencies. This platform can validate various PoCs for new candidate waveforms in real-time, over-the-air tests.

Eravant

Eravant showcased its SBB-5039532510-1F1F-S1, a 1 mm broadband amplifier with a typical small-signal gain of 25 dB, a nominal P1dB of +10 dBm and a typical noise figure of 7.0 dB across the frequency range of 50 to 95 GHz. The DC power requirement for the broadband amplifier is +8 VDC/300 mA. The use of a heat sink is advised to assist in cooling the device. The RF connectors are female 1 mm connectors. Other port configurations are available under different model numbers.

From 1 to 330 GHz and beyond, Eravant’s Custom Design capability is supported by a vast design library based on decades of industry-leading innovation and manufacturing expertise. Offering a wide array of proven designs that include signal sources, power amplifiers, control components and antennas, Eravant can work with your team to quickly transform system requirements into working prototypes ready for volume production.

ERZIA

ERZIA announced a new strategic partnership with ACETEC, naming them the exclusive ERZIA representative for Southern California. This partnership marks a significant step in ERZIA’s ongoing mission to serve the global RF and microwave community with localized support and global innovation. The ERZIA and ACETEC teams were available to meet customers and industry partners at IMS. Visitors were invited to explore ERZIA’s latest innovations and discuss how this new partnership will enhance regional support and collaboration.

Filtronic

Filtronic, a designer and manufacturer of components and subsystems up to 175 GHz, was at booth 1665 at IMS2025. Filtronic was demonstrating a variety of products including their brand new 500 W V-Band amplifier, Prometheus. Prometheus is designed for long-range, high frequency communications and is largely marketed toward the satellite ground system uplink industry sector. To achieve its high performance, Prometheus uses another Filtronic product, Cerus, combined with GaN semiconductor technology.

HAROGIC Technologies

HAROGIC Technologies invited engineers, researchers and industry partners to visit booth 768 to see their cutting-edge spectrum analyzer solutions designed for critical applications in test and measurement, 5G/6G and telecommunications R&D. Attendees could see live demos of the latest IP68 rugged spectrum analyzers with enhanced rugged design, dynamic range and real-time analysis capabilities. Attendees could discuss technical challenges with HAROGIC’s RF engineering team for customized test solutions in test and measurement, software defined radio and spectrum monitoring while visiting their booth.

Hyperlabs

Hyperlabs was at IMS with a variety of broadband components including bias tees, baluns, DC blocks, power dividers, amplifiers and attenuators. Hyperlabs introduced their newest product, a combined DC block and adapter, to eliminate extra interfaces when changing connector types.

Indium Corporation

Indium Corporation featured its high-reliability, gold-based precision die-attach preforms for critical laser and RF applications, as well as 5G communications, at IMS2025. Among its featured products, Indium Corporation will showcase:

• AuLTRA^® 75 is an off-eutectic AuSn preform solution (75Au/25Sn) designed to improve intermetallic reliability in applications using a die with a thicker gold plating, such as a GaN die used for high frequency, high-power RF power amplifier devices for 5G and other critical military and aerospace wireless communications. AuLTRA^® 75 helps improve the operation of these critical technologies by adjusting the final solder joint composition and improving wetting and voiding. The AuLTRA^® product line is also available in 78Au/22Sn and 79Au/21Sn compositions.
• AuLTRA^® Die-Attach Preforms offer the new gold standard — the highest level of quality available to deliver the best performance possible in critical, high-reliability die-attach applications. Features include highly accurate thickness control, precise edge quality, optimized cleanliness, the default waffle pack method and availablity for gold-based alloys.

Additionally, Indium Corporation featured their gold-based die-attach solutions.

Insulated Wire

Insulated Wire (IW) showed a range of their high performance coaxial and microwave cables, cable assemblies and bulk cables at IMS2025. IW products meet the requirements of a wide range of applications from aerospace to telecommunications. Of note at the exhibition were the 1 mm cable assemblies using their series of precision low loss coaxial cables, engineered for superior performance in high frequency applications and operating seamlessly up to 110 GHz. This series stands out for its advanced material and design choices, making it a premier solution for applications requiring high precision and minimal signal loss. Visitors could collect three new product brochures including the High Power Microwave Products catalogue, the Re-Flex™ cable catalogue and the latest Short Form catalogue.

JFW Industries, Inc.

Visitors to JFW's booth could find solutions to their requirements from the specialists in attenuation and RF switching. Whether designing a test lab or upgrading existing systems, their expert staff, including, Simon Watkins, vice president of sales, Brett Chermansky, vice president of engineering and Steve Leonard, U.S. sales engineer, were on site at IMS2025 to offer valuable insights into selecting the right components for your RF testing needs.