Industry News

The Commercial Market

The Commercial Market Market for Discrete Microwave Semiconductors to Exceed $1.1 B in 2005 A new report entitled "Microwaves North America III - Discrete Microwave Semiconductors - Markets to 2005," suggests that the overall total available markets for this class of RF/microwave products will grow from the $890 M...
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The Book End

The Book End Radio-Frequency and Microwave Electronics Illustrated Matthew M. Radmanesh Prentice Hall PTR 849 pages plus CD-ROM; $84 ISBN: 0-13-027958-7 This book is intended to be used in a two-semester course in microwave electronics for senior-level or graduate students and should serve as an excellent reference guide for...
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Cost-effective Wireless Antenna Measurement Systems

Introduction to two new antenna measurements systems for single- or dual-axis antenna pattern measurements in the wireless frequency ranges
Product Feature Cost-effective Wireless Antenna Measurement Systems MI Technologies Duluth, GA Two new antenna measurement systems have recently been introduced that add to the MI-3600 antenna measurement product line. The MI-3600 family is comprised of 20 antenna measurement systems for single- or dual-axis antenna pattern measurements in the popular...
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A Mobile Ultra-low Phase Noise Sapphire Oscillator

Introduction to a low noise fixed-frequency X-band sapphire cavity oscillator
Product Feature A Mobile Ultra-low Phase Noise Sapphire Oscillator Poseidon Scientific Instruments Pty Ltd. Fremantle, Western Australia Radar, communications, and test and measurement designers require ever-improving phase noise performance in their master oscillator. For mobile system success, ultra-low phase noise performance must be coupled with exceptional immunity to vibration...
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2.5 V GaAs pHEMT Switches for GSM Handsets

A new line of 2.5 V GaAs pHEMT switches for GSM handsets is featured
Cover Feature 2.5 V GaAs pHEMT Switches for GSM Handsets M/A-COM Lowell, MA A new line of robust GaAs pHEMT switches for operation in 2.5 V GSM handsets has been developed. These switches feature performance that is unrivaled in the industry for harmonics at 2.5 V in addition to...
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A CMOS-based Front-end Downconverter for GPS Applications

Description of a CMOS-based front-end downconverter used to downconvert incoming satellite signals from 1.575 GHz to an intermediate frequency of 1.023 MHz
Product Feature A CMOS-based Front-end Downconverter for GPS Applications Valence Semiconductor Irvine, CA The industry is striving for single-chip Global Positioning System (GPS) designs given the limited real estate available within cell phones, personal digital assistants (PDA) and other consumer electronic devices. Since GPS designs are typically comprised of...
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Advanced Microwave Chip Capacitor Models

Use of accurate substrate-dependent chip capacitor models in computer-aided engineering software
Product Feature Advanced Microwave Chip Capacitor Models Modelithics Inc. Temple Terrace, FL Fig. 1 Measured S 11 of a 4.7 pF 0402 chip capacitor on different thickness FR4 substrates (series configuration). The use of computer-aided engineering (CAE) software by microwave printed circuit board (PCB) designers has become commonplace. These...
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Antenna Selection to Minimize Pointing Requirements

Use of antenna optimization to ensure antenna pointing requirements are kept to a minimum
Technical Feature Antenna Selection to Minimize Pointing Requirements Traditionally, when designing a satellite communications system, an allowance is made in the link budget for pointing loss. The earth station's antenna size is then selected to achieve the desired gain margin. In this article, a different approach called antenna optimization...
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Axial Ratio Measurements of Single Circularly Polarized Antennas

Presentation of a procedure for measuring the axial ratio of single circularly polarized antennas
Technical Feature Axial Ratio Measurements of Single Circularly Polarized Antennas Robert Gunnels Andrew Corp. Orland Park, IL The measurement of antenna axial ratios must be done properly if accurate results are to be obtained. When measuring on a terrestrial antenna test range, a straightforward approach is often used whereby...
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SOI CMOS Technology For RF System-on-chip Applications

Overview of current advances in silicon-on-insulator (SOI) CMOS technology, including reduction in cross-talk between RF and digital circuits and integration of high quality passive elements
Technical Feature SOI CMOS Technology For RF System-on-chip Applications CMOS technology is one of the most promising choices for RF applications. Its highly integrated nature provides true RF system-on-chip integration. Silicon-on- insulator (SOI) CMOS offers specific additional design advantages that include a significant reduction in cross-talk between RF and...
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