Industry News

The Book End

Modern Microwave Transistors - Theory, Design and Performance Frank Schwierz and Juin J. Liou Wiley Interscience 486 pages; $89.95 ISBN: 0-471-41778-5 Microwave transistors are the backbone of modern microwave systems. In recent years they have undergone an impressive evolution, where continuous research efforts have made transistors faster and more...
Read More

Conformal Subsections for Accurate EM Analysis

The fast fourier transform (FFT) approach to the method of moments (MoM) is well known for providing high accuracy, high dynamic range and robust electromagnetic (EM) analysis of planar circuits. The FFT consistently calculates the coupling between subsections to full numerical precision; no error is introduced by complex multi-dimensional...
Read More

Two New High Performance Resonator Materials

In the telecoms and other RF component markets, today's climate means that there can no longer be a trade-off between cost and performance - the designer needs to achieve both. Temex has recognized this fact and addressed it through the evolution of two new generations of materials on which...
Read More

Design of a MESFET Frequency Multiplier - Theory and Simulation

The design of nonlinear circuits is usually viewed as a challenge, mainly because of the difficulty in determining the accurate model that describes the device behavior over a wide range of conditions, including varying frequency and power level. The m...
The basic principle of operation of a MESFET multiplier is that the device is biased for a particular conduction angle, based on the harmonic frequency to be generated. A generalized circuit schematic of a MESFET frequency multiplier is shown in Figure 1 . It can be seen that the...
Read More

Design of a TRM Calibration Kit for the ZMA Coaxial Interface Using Ansoft HFSS

When new coaxial interfaces become available, it is important to validate their performance. The best way to do this is by using a calibration kit that eliminates the effects of adapters in the measurement. This article discusses the design and impleme...
One of the greatest challenges in characterizing new coaxial interfaces is to determine an accurate test configuration. When precision airlines are not available it is very difficult to obtain a true measurement of the device under test. It becomes necessary to design and implement calibration standards to eliminate the...
Read More

3G Launches to Peak in 2004

Realities of 3G launches are far from what operators anticipated just a few years ago, when they committed billions of dollars in 3G fees, adhering to stringent regulatory terms and conditions. According to Allied Business Intelligence (ABI), the number of 3G network launches will peak in 2004, but developed...
Read More

RF Test Fixture Basics

When the RF test system and the device-under-test (DUT) both have coaxial connectors, hooking them together to make a measurement is easy. However, as radio-frequency integrated circuits (RFIC) have shrunk in size, traditional coaxial connectors are no longer useful. With the multitude of RF component sizes and shapes found...
Read More