Active downconverting RF mixer offers high linearity
Apr 1, 2005
Optimized to offer high linearity and wide dynamic range, Linear Technology's active downconverting RF mixer LT5527 brings a high level of integration...
Tightening the screws in RF power measurement
Apr 1, 2005
By Carlos Calvo and Anthony Mazzei Using a combination of a logarithmic amplifier and a temperature sensor it is possible to design a temperature compensation scheme to significantly reduce the contributions of the two major error factors in RF power management, temperature and process variations. In some cases, the temperature compensation hardware is integrated onto the power detector chip....
SI Intnl. adopts net-centric enterprise architecture
Apr 1, 2005
SI International Inc., an information technology and network solutions company, has developed and implemented an object-oriented (OO)/unified modeling...
Integrating devices above the traditional IC process
Mar 1, 2005
Ashok Bindra, Editorial Director Last month, in this column, I focused on CMOS and BiCMOS technology making strong inroads into the microwave territory and extending its reach right into...
Microwave Components
Mar 1, 2005
MMIC doubler Mimix Broadband Inc. has introduced a gallium arsenide (GaAs) monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) differentially fed doubler with...
Direct digitization using superconducting data converters
Mar 1, 2005
By Jack Rosa Direct digitization is the ultimate enabler for future wireless communications. It
refers to the ability to bring the digital domain as close to the antenna as possible, on both the receive and transmit ends of the radio transceiver system. It's a goal that remains just out of reach for systems based on traditional semiconductor technology and conventional data converters. Through the use of superconducting microelectronics technology and new, high-performing analogto-digital and digital-to-analog converters, however, direct digitization is firmly in reach....
Frequency divider design strategies
Mar 1, 2005
By Louis Fan Fei Typically, in frequency divider design, the trade offs are around the maximum
operating frequency, power consumption, number of transistors needed and
flexibility. Depending on the specific application the frequency divider is used,
analog or digital approaches may be adopted. This paper will cover the
fundamentals of both approaches....
Using behavioral models to drive RF design and verify system performance
Mar 1, 2005
By Colin Warwick and Mike Mulligan A new generation of software tools for model-based design is enabling
the creation of system-level models that system architects can use to
evaluate the RF design specification. These flexible design environments
allow information to flow top down and bottom up. Before, during and
after the circuitry for the components and modules is being designed,
the same system-level model can incorporate ever more refined
performance information in order to determine the impact on systemlevel
performance....
Log-amp performs advanced RF measurements
Mar 1, 2005
By Ken Yang The basic purpose of a logarithmic amplifier is to convert an RF input signal to an output voltage proportional to the log of RF power....
Products
Mar 1, 2005
Active Components Surface-mount Schottky diodes M/A-COM has released the MA4E2200 series of zero bias detector (ZBD) silicon Schottky diodes for use in...
Digital oscilloscopes feature 100 GHz bandwidth
Mar 1, 2005
New sampling techniques permit LeCroy Corp.'s new digital oscilloscopes, WaveExpert 9000 and SDA 100G, to offer unprecedented 100 GHz bandwidth....
Why tiny sensors with single-chip wireless platforms are flourishing
Mar 1, 2005
By Bar-Giora Goldberg A miniature, integrated radio-sensor network in a cube less than 1-inch square is
a technology whose time has come. It is essential to understand the special
requirements imposed on RF devices operating on a tiny silicon die....
EDGE wireless solutions offer pervasive connectivity
Mar 1, 2005
Implementing MC75 quadband EDGE module from Siemens, AirLink Communications Inc., a provider of fixed and mobile wireless data solutions, unveiled its...
Tutorial on Gilbert mixers
Mar 1, 2005
Barrie Gilbert The recent article concerning active mixers (see Comparing active Gilbert mixers integrated in standard SiGe process Part I by N Rodriguez, E Hernandez...
Direct modulation radio hardware architectures for 3G communications systems
Feb 1, 2005
By Patrick Naraine The base station transceiver system is one of the most expensive network elements in the wireless network infrastructure and directly impacts the cost of the overall network design and deployment. The requirement for increased capacity and higher data rates will inevitably lead to increased cell deployments. To maintain costs at an acceptable level, telecommunications equipment
manufacturers will continue to seek more cost-effective solutions to their
infrastructure hardware....
Products
Feb 1, 2005
Active Components Bipolar power transistors The PH1090-700B from M/A-Com is an NPN common base Class C pulse power transistor designed for IFF and other...
RF CMOS design kit creates on-chip spiral inductors
Feb 1, 2005
Semiconductor foundry service provider UMC and EDA software supplier Ansoft Corp. have developed a parameterized spiral inductor design kit based on full-wave...
CDMA2000 Design and Performance Requirements
Feb 1, 2005
By Bill Schofield and Brad Brannon Various heterodyne solutions have continued to flourish through incarnations of
transceiver designs, each generation adding new control loops or components to improve the architectures. While communications standards such as CDMA2000 provide challenging performance requirements, the trends are for deep cost reduction, highly integrated solutions and flexibility....
Analyzing sigma-delta ADCs in deep-submicron CMOS technologies
Feb 1, 2005
By Yann Le Guillou Sigma-delta analog-to-digital-converters are critical components in wireless
transceivers. This study shows that a continuous-time, single-loop, single-bit SD
ADC is suitable for wireless applications demanding less than 5 MHz conversion
bandwidth. On the other hand, for applications that require bandwidth conversion higher than 5 MHz, the use of a CT
single-loop, multibit SD ADC is recommended....
Wafer-scale integration brings low cost and a small footprint to active antenna arrays
Feb 1, 2005
By Fred Mohamadi Fabricating a 256-element steerable antenna array on an eight-inch wafer is
quite a feat, given the multitude of issues—steering the antenna, optimizing the
RF paths and the like. By addressing these and other matters, one at a time, it
becomes clear that realization is well within reach....
