Trending RF & Microwave News Stories of the Week (13 - 17 Jan, 2020)

Cadence Completes Acquisition of NI AWR Corporation

Cadence Design Systems has completed the acquisition of AWR Corporation from National Instruments (NI) for $160 Million. The acquisition was announced earlier this month. The addition of AWR’s technologies and talent will further expand Cadence’s reach into 5G RF communications and support system innovation for the aerospace and defense, automotive and wireless market segments.

AWR software is used by microwave and RF engineers to design wireless products for complex, high-frequency RF applications. The technology helps customers accelerate the design and product development cycle of systems used in communications, aerospace and defense, semiconductor, computer, and consumer electronics, by helping reduce the time it takes to go from concept to manufacturing.  Click here to read more.

imec Demonstrates GaAs & GaN Transistors on Si for 5G RF Front-End Modules

World-leading research and innovation hub in nanoelectronics and digital technologies, imec, presented the first functional GaAs-based heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT) devices on 300mm Si, and CMOS-compatible GaN-based devices on 200mm Si for mm-wave applications at December’s IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM 2019) in San Francisco. The results demonstrate the potential of both III-V-on-Si and GaN-on-Si as CMOS-compatible technologies for enabling RF front-end modules for beyond 5G applications. imec has also featured them in a keynote presentation by Michael Peeters at the IEEE Consumer Communications and Networking Conference (CCNC 2020) in Las Vegas (10-13 January).

In wireless communication, with 5G as the next generation, there is a push towards higher operating frequencies, moving from the congested sub-6 GHz bands towards mm-wave bands (and beyond). The introduction of these mm-wave bands has a significant impact on the overall 5G network infrastructure and mobile devices. For mobile services and Fixed Wireless Access (FWA), this translates into increasingly complex front-end modules that send the signal to and from the antenna. To be able to operate at mm-wave frequencies, the RF front-end modules will have to combine high speed (enabling data rates of 10 Gbps and beyond) with high output power. In addition, their implementation in mobile handsets puts high demands on their form factor and power efficiency. Beyond 5G, these requirements can no longer be achieved with today’s most advanced RF front-end modules that typically rely on a variety of different technologies amongst others GaAs-based HBTs for the power amplifiers – grown on small and expensive GaAs substrates. Click here to read more.

Pivotal Announces Commercial Shipment of a 28 GHz Repeater for 5G Applications

Pivotal Commware, a recognized pioneer of 5G mm-Wave technologies, systems, and applications, has initiated commercial shipment of its 28 GHz Pivotal Echo 5G™ subscriber repeater to a Tier 1 mobile network operator in the United States. The Echo 5G uses Holographic Beam Forming® (HBF) technology to serve 5G and mm-Wave applications.

The Echo 5G is a self-installable, on-the-window, precision beamforming repeater designed to counteract mm-Wave penetration, reflection, and structural shadowing losses so it can gently flood an interior with mm-Wave signal. Essentially, the Echo 5G acts as a wireless portal between indoor and outdoor worlds. For fixed wireless access (FWA) providers serving homes and enterprises, the Echo 5G facilitates Gigabit speeds and introduces superior broadband choice and experience to cable and DSL end users. For 5G connected devices, the Echo 5G enables outdoor-to-indoor signal transitions so users can ubiquitously enjoy the immersive 5G experiences that only mmWave capacity can deliver. Click here to read more.

R&S Delivers 10,000 Software Defined Radios to Customers Across the Globe

Rohde & Schwarz has successfully delivered more than 10,000 R&S M3SR software-defined radios to satisfied customers around the world. These radios were produced at Rohde & Schwarz’ Memmingen manufacturing plant. A majority of the delivered SDRs encompass the R&S M3SR Series 4400 VHF/UHF radios for Line of Sight (LoS) communications.

To ensure successful accomplishment of missions, today’s secure radio communications solutions must meet extremely demanding radio frequency (RF) requirements as well as provide high operating reliability. Rohde & Schwarz’s highly modular software-defined radios (SDR) are optimized for stationary and shipborne secure voice and data communications. Click here to read more.

New Innovation will Reduce RF Filter Costs for High Power 4G Devices

Resonant Inc. has announced an RF filter design innovation that allows the design of high-power RF filters using low-cost surface acoustic wave (SAW) processes. This breakthrough will first impact the fast-growing market of 4G high power user equipment (HPUE) devices. The HiPower SAW innovation was enabled by Resonant's high-precision Infinite Synthesized Networks (ISN) RF filter design tool.

Currently, Tier 1 4G smartphones have between 50-90 RF filters to support multiple antennas and radio frequencies needed for worldwide operation. Lower-cost processes will significantly reduce the bill of materials (BOM) cost. Click here to read more.

Physicists Develop Directional Nano Antennas for High-Speed Data Transfer

Physicists from the University of Würzburg have developed a low-footprint optical nano antenna that measures only 800 nanometres in size. The physicists used the antenna to convert electrical signals into photons and radiated them in specific directions.

Directional antennas convert electrical signals to radio waves and emit them in a particular direction, allowing increased performance and reduced interference. This principle, which is useful in radio wave technology, could also be interesting for miniaturized light sources. After all, almost all internet-based communication utilizes optical light communication. Directional antennas for light could be used to exchange data between different processor cores with little loss and at the speed of light. To enable antennas to operate with the very short wavelengths of visible light, such directional antennas have to be shrunk to nanometer scale. Click here to read more.

Comtech to Supply Next-Gen Troposcatter Equipment to the US Marines

Comtech Telecommunications has announced that their subsidiary, Comtech Systems, has been awarded a 10-year, $211.0 million indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract by the Cubic Mission Solutions to provide next-generation troposcatter systems in support of the U.S. Marine Corps. Troposcatter Communications are used for beyond line of sight (over the horizon) point to point communications between remote geographic areas where cable links are not feasible.

In connection with this contract award, Comtech received an initial $13.4 million order to supply next-generation terminals to Cubic. Delivery of the first units will support test and evaluation for the U.S. Marine Corps. Click here to read more.

Researchers Develop Water Drop Antenna Lens for Directing Radio Waves

Engineers from the ESA (European Space Agency) and Sweden’s Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), have designed a novel ‘water drop’ antenna lens for directing radio wave signals. In the same way that optical lenses focus light, waveguide lenses serve to direct electromagnetic radio wave energy in a given direction. This can be used to minimize energy loss when sending out a radar or a communication signal.

Traditional waveguide lenses have complex electrically-sensitive ‘dielectric’ material to restrict electromagnetic signals as desired. But once the top plate of this water drop waveguide lens has been added on, it comes down purely to its curved shape for directing signals through it. Click here to read more.

This Ultra-Low-Power Bluetooth Module Will Operate for Many Years on a Single Battery

Atmosic Technologies, an innovator of ultra-low-power wireless solutions for the Internet of Things (IoT), and Tonly Electronics Holdings Limited, a leading IoT solutions provider, have announced a partnership to develop a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) module - TBMO2. The TBMO2 module will integrate Atmosic’s M2 system-on-chip (SoC), which is built with Atmosic’s groundbreaking Lowest Power Radio and On-Demand Wake Up technologies, to enable significantly longer battery life for IoT applications. The feature-packed TBMO2 will help companies accelerate the development of innovative wireless devices with extended battery life, helping reduce the cost of IoT deployment and maintenance.

With the growth of IoT, there is a growing demand for batteries to operate throughout the entire life span of a device. Atmosic’s revolutionary Low Power Radio technology enables devices to achieve incredible power efficiency improvements, without compromising the device’s overall performance. Additionally, the company’s On-demand Wake-Up technology is designed for today’s always-on, always-connected devices, enabling applications to perceive incoming transmissions using as little power as possible. Together, these technologies in the TBMO2 will help alleviate the impact of battery waste on the environment and eliminate the need for constant battery replacement, ushering in new possibilities for IoT deployments. Click here to read more.

Apple Leads Wireless Bluetooth Headset Segment with 60 Million AirPods Sold in 2019

According to a new report by Strategy Analytics, Apple will capture a dominant share of the Bluetooth Wireless Headset segment with its AirPods. According to the newly published report, “Global Bluetooth Headset Sales and Revenue Forecasts 2001 to 2024” from the Emerging Device Technologies (EDT) team, Apple sold nearly 60 million AirPods in 2019. As a category, Totally Wireless (TWS) Bluetooth headset sales grew by 200% in 2019. Apple’s AirPods are the dominant Bluetooth headset in terms of sales volumes and revenues in the TWS segment. Even as other vendors enter the TWS segment, Apple will remain the dominant vendor in the category through the middle of the next decade.

Totally Wireless (TWS) headsets are Bluetooth stereo headsets that do not have a wire connecting the two earpieces. Apple’s AirPods are the best-selling example of TWS Bluetooth headsets, a category created by Apple with the first AirPods introduced in 2016. Apple held a commanding lead in the TWS segment in 2019. It took over 50% share in the TWS category in 2019, while its next two closest competitors, Samsung and Xiaomi, each held less than 10%. Apple’s lead isn’t surprising since it created the category, but it’s unlikely that any single vendor will replace Apple at the top in terms of volume or revenue in TWS Bluetooth headphones in the foreseeable future. Click here to read more.

UMS GaN & GaAs PDKs for Pathwave ADS Support Enhanced Thermal Capability

RF & mm-Wave solutions expert, United Monolithic Semiconductors (UMS), has announced that the Pathwave ADS PDK for its 0.25µm GaN (GH25) process will now support the new ElectroThermal capability (ETH) offered by Pathwave ADS. This new functionality is not only included for the GH25 GaN PDK but also on the UMS PPH15X-20 GaAs power pHEMT process PDK.

Designing packaged high-power amplifiers is a challenging task. GaAs & GaN devices dissipated high amounts of power in a very small area. As a result of this there are considerable thermal challenges. Device temperature can rise based on CW or pulsed operating conditions, different package materials used or the assembly process used. In addition, the temperature inside the transistor can also impact its properties and performance. Click here to read more.

New Direction Finding Antenna from 10 MHz to 8 GHz for Signal Localization

Narda Safety Test Solutions (STS), an RF measurement specialist, has introduced its second automatic direction-finding antenna. The SignalShark ADFA 2 has a higher frequency range from 10 MHz to 8 GHz as compared to the ADFA 1 which operates from 200 MHz to 2.7 GHz. When connected to Narda’s powerful real-time receiver, the SignalShark, the device can precisely and reliably localize signals between 10 MHz and 8 GHz. Just like its smaller “brother”, the ADFA 2 delivers extraordinarily stable measurement results in seconds – it is insensitive to reflections. Its wide frequency range means that direction-finding at low and high frequencies is covered equally. Compact and universal, it is unique in the market in combining an extremely broad spectrum with the minimum outlay of equipment. This makes the ADFA 2 particularly interesting for use by mobile network providers and regulatory authorities, as well as for military applications.

SignalShark ADFA 2 in practical use Click here to read more.

New Channel Emulation System to Accelerate 5G Development and Commercialization

Keysight Technologies has introduced new 5G channel emulation capabilities that enable the deployment of seamless connectivity and end-user experiences. The PROPSIM FS16 channel emulation solution is the latest in a long line of innovative technology introduced by Keysight to accelerate 5G development and commercialization. PROPSIM FS16 enables users to verify the performance of 5G new radio (NR) devices with support for ultra-wide bandwidths in mmWave frequency spectrum, beamforming technology, and multiple-antenna configurations.

The new 5G channel emulation solution extends Keysight’s family of 5G channel emulators, widely used for benchmarking and validating devices and base stations. PROPSIM FS16 helps chipset and device makers cost-effectively and confidently validate the real-world performance of 5G designs using MIMO and massive MIMO antenna technology for high data rate applications. The solution is housed in a compact and modular benchtop 5G NR radio frequency (RF) channel emulator with scalable fading capacity and intuitive software tools. Click here to read more.