Trending RF & Microwave News Stories of the Week (17

These Isolated Ku-Band Power Splitters Help Customers Avoid Expensive Space-Qualification Tests

Smiths Interconnect, has released a new series of high reliability multi-way isolated splitters for high-frequency Ku-bands. The SpaceNXT MWC Series of isolated splitters have been specifically designed for a variety of space applications from MEO/GEO satellites to deep space probes.

Testing for the SpaceNXT MWC Series is performed in house and in compliance with general space qualification flows, incorporating industry standard environmental requirements or custom screening and qualification flows provided by users as preferred. The test sequence and limits were designed and selected by Smiths Interconnect on a worst-case combination based on user requirements. Click here to read more.

Ultra Compact Off-the-Shelf Chip Antenna for IoT & 5G Applications

Fractus Antennas, has announced the release of a super-slim chip antenna which is the size of a grain of rice. The ONE mXTEND is a multi-band miniature antenna booster that measures only 7.0 x 3.0 x 1.0 mm and is available as an off the shelf component.

The antenna operates at a frequency range from 824 to 5000 MHz covering 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G frequency bands. With a tiny volume of 21 mm³, it is designed to provide worldwide 5G and cellular IoT connectivity in a miniature and ultra-slim antenna component avoiding the usual problem with size restrictions. Click here to read more.

Apple Set to Develop its Own 5G Antenna for the Upcoming iPhone

Smartphone manufacturers last year, were focused on mastering camera technology (this saw the advent of punch-hole, water drop and notch cameras) and providing a superior screen viewing experience. However, for the upcoming smartphones they will be focusing on 5G technology. 5G is the next-gen connectivity technology, and has already become the major talking point for device makers, including Apple.

Apple this year is set to release more than one 5G-enabled phone. And while there are no confirmed reports about the upcoming iPhone lineup or the number of iterations to be launched, there has been one confirmed major change that will be seen in the new iPhone – an Apple developed 5G antenna. In a year where the 5G radio will be the new iPhone’s spotlight feature, Apple has decided to design the phone’s antenna itself. Click here to read more.

Silicon Labs Introduces Wireless SoCs for Zigbee Green Power IoT Applications

Silicon Labs has announced a new family of secure, ultra-low-power Zigbee system-on-chip (SoC) devices designed for eco-friendly IoT products deployed in mesh networks. The EFR32MG22 (MG22) family expands Silicon Labs' Zigbee portfolio by delivering the smallest, lowest power SoCs optimized for Zigbee Green Power applications. Based on Silicon Labs' Wireless Gecko Series 2 platform, the MG22 SoCs are an ideal choice for Zigbee devices powered by coin cell batteries or energy-harvesting sources. Target applications include smart home sensors, lighting controls, and building and industrial automation. The new MG22 SoC solution offers an industry-leading combination of energy efficiency, security capabilities, wireless performance, and software tools and stacks to meet the growing market demand for eco-friendly, ultra-low-power IoT products.

Energy-friendly Zigbee Green Power technology can help address environmental concerns by reducing residential, commercial and industrial energy footprints, one IoT device at a time. Using the same 802.15.4 PHY and MAC of the already energy-efficient Zigbee 3.0 protocol, Zigbee Green Power further reduces power consumption by decreasing the amount of data required for wireless transmission. From its inception, Zigbee Green Power was designed to be a highly efficient protocol enabling IoT devices, whether powered by batteries or by "battery-less" energy harvesting options. Silicon Labs optimized the new MG22 SoCs to provide a best-in-class connectivity solution for these challenging, power-sensitive wireless applications. Click here to read more.

R&S and Decawave Develop Test Solutions for Ultra Wideband Technology

RF Test and measurement equipment expert, Rohde & Schwarz and UWB technology expert, Decawave (Recently acquired by Qorvo), have developed test and measurement capabilities for production line testing of UWB functions in chipsets and complete devices. As part of the cooperation, Decawave provided knowledge of the required test strategy and test methods, as well as the Decawave DW3000 as a test device. Rohde & Schwarz has added UWB test capabilities to their R&S CMP200 radio communication tester, making it the only test platform on the market able to provide R&D and production RF tests for both 5G FR2 and UWB functions.

UWB technology, based on the IEEE 802.15.4a and 802.15.4z standards, enables centimeter-accurate location measurements at distances up to 75 meters. UWB also includes secure data communication at rates up to 27 Mbps, with very low power requirements. It is the ideal technology for implementing low latency, high accuracy, reliable, and secure local area location services. UWB opens new doors in the fields of mobile communication, automotive, IoT and industry 4.0 applications. The very wide bandwidth and very low power density make it possible for UWB signals to share spectrum with other narrowband and wideband systems without causing interference. Click here to read more.

Qualcomm Introduces Innovative ultraSAW RF Filter Technology for 5G/4G Mobile Devices

Qualcomm Technologies has announced the launch of its ultraSAW filter technology, a groundbreaking thin-film innovation that offers game-changing performance improvements over existing BAW technologies. RF filters isolate radio signals from the different spectrum bands that phones use to receive and transmit information. By achieving as much as 1 decibel (dB) improvement in insertion loss, Qualcomm ultraSAW filters offer a higher performance solution compared to competing bulk-acoustic (BAW) filters in the sub-2.7 GHz frequency range.

Qualcomm ultraSAW technology achieves superior filter characteristics to deliver high performance in frequencies from 600 MHz to 2.7 GHz with a range of benefits including: Click here to read more.

2-in-1 Dual L/S-Band Power Amplifier for SATCOM Applications

Teledyne Paradise Datacom, part of the Teledyne Defense Electronics Group, has announced the availability of a new, leading-edge L- and S-Dual Band solid-state power amplifier (SSPA) for today’s evolving satellite command systems.

Both S and L-band frequencies have been the industry’s bands of choice for positioning and tracking applications like global positioning systems (GPS) and Tracking, Telemetry, and Control (TTC) ground stations. This new dual-band product offers customers a virtual ‘two for the price of one’ SSPA solution that dramatically lowers the costs of command and control, leaves a much smaller footprint, but also delivers higher reliability compared to traditional klystron power amplifiers. Click here to read more.

MIT Researchers Develop Smart Surface to Boost Signal Strength Without Adding Extra Antennas

Achieving high-speed 5G internet without more efficient ways of delivering wireless signals is a challenging task. One solution is the addition of extra antennas to either the transmitter (i.e., Wi-Fi access points and cell towers) or the receiver (such as a phone or laptop). But its implementation is difficult, as companies are increasingly producing smaller and smaller devices, including a new wave of “internet of things” systems. And yet, while high-speed 5G internet has indeed slowly been rolling out across the globe, many barriers remain that have prevented widespread adoption.

Researchers from MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) are working towards achieving high-speed 5G internet without adding extra antennas to either the transmitter or the receiver. To tackle this issue, the CSAIL team has proposed an idea, rather than focusing on the transmitters and receivers, what if we could amplify the signal by adding antennas to an external surface in the environment itself? They are developing a new system called RFocus, a software-controlled “smart surface” that uses more than 3,000 antennas to maximize the strength of the signal at the receiver. Tests showed that RFocus could improve the average signal strength by a factor of almost 10. Practically speaking, the platform is also very cost-effective, with each antenna costing only a few cents. The antennas are inexpensive because they don’t process the signal at all; they merely control how it is reflected. Click here to read more.

Sivers IMA Unveils State-of-Art 5G mm-Wave Dual Quad Beamformer IC

Leading wireless and RF solutions developer, Sivers IMA, has launched a new state-of-art 5G mmWave Dual Quad Beamformer IC (BFIC) for 5G applications. The AFEVM2Q275/295 supports Time Division Duplex (TDD) and covers the 5G-NR n257 and n258 bands, from 24.25 - 29.5 GHz. The new solution is the result of a joint development project between Ampleon and Sivers IMA.

Meeting state-of-art performance targets, which have been set in close cooperation with Ampleon and their Tier 1 customers, the AFEVM2Q275/295 Dual Quad BFIC includes two quad antenna connections, each with RX/TX channels and including integrated RX/TX RF switches. It supports both horizontal and vertical polarization MIMO and has unique digital features to allow easy adoption. Click here to read more.

Cyient Introduces X-Band Transmit and Receive Module for AESA Radar Systems

Advancing commercial air travel, missile technology, and unmanned aerial vehicles are driving growth across the airborne radar market. Aerospace and defense OEMs are turning to suppliers to reduce size, weight, and time-to-market while enhancing reliability. Cyient, a global engineering, and technology solutions company, has launched its X-Band Transmit and Receive Module (TRM) which offers an innovative solution to OEMs seeking a lightweight, ITAR-free TR Module for Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar systems.

Given the manufacturing complexities and export control regulations, standard TR Modules available today are extremely expensive. TR Modules are also the building blocks for AESA radars and account for over 33% of normalized system production costs. Addressing these challenges starts at the component level, where the design, development, and qualification processes play a crucial role in system optimization. Conventional designs use chip & wire bond assembly that results in poor yield and high cost of manufacturing. Standard TR Modules also use connectors that increase overall product weight. Click here to read more.

The Wireless Charging Market is Projected to Grow to $71.21 Billion by 2025

According to a new report published by Allied Market Research, the global wireless charging market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 38.7% from 2018 to 2025. The market size in 2017 was $5.22 billion and according to the report is expected to grow to $71.21 billion by 2025. Allied Market's new report offers a detailed analysis of the key segments, top investment pockets, changing dynamics, market size & estimations, and competitive scenario.

The necessity to harvest ambient RF energy and constantly evolving portable electronics and wearables market have boosted the growth of the global wireless charging market. Also, a surge in sales of electric vehicles (EVs) will further propel the market growth. However, the technology is expensive to integrate and the comparatively slower charging rates hamper growth. Companies are conducting excessive research in far-field wireless charging technologies and trends of the Internet of Things (IoT) are expected to create lucrative opportunities in the near future. Click here to read more.

Broadcom Unveils World’s First Wi-Fi 6E Chipset for Mobile Devices

Leading semiconductor solutions provider, Broadcom Inc, has released the world’s first Wi-Fi 6E / Bluetooth Combo Chipset. Wi-Fi 6E extends the Wi-Fi 6 standard to support the soon-to-be-operational 6 GHz band with wider 160 MHz channel bandwidths that double Wi-Fi speeds and cut latency in half compared to Wi-Fi 5. The BCM4389 delivers over 2 Gbps of real-world speeds and has up to five times better battery utilization, making it an ideal solution for flagship smartphones and future AR/VR devices.

Wi-Fi 6E builds on the rich feature set of Wi-Fi 6, which includes improved performance in crowded environments, advanced roaming capabilities and increased security. This enhancement of Wi-Fi 6 uses new spectrum in the 6 GHz band to deliver multi-gigabit speeds while avoiding congestion with legacy devices. The BCM4389 expands on the accelerated deployment of Wi-Fi 6, delivering a steady, swift and secure consumer experience in tandem with over 150 million smartphones already in the market. With the additional innovations of Wi-Fi 6E, it unlocks high-speed bi-directional video applications and augmented reality. Click here to read more.

Bandpass Filter

Lowpass Filter

Highpass Filter

Band Reject Filter

Diplexer

Triplexer

Flexible

Attenuators

Bends

Circulators

Directional Couplers

Isolators

Phase Shifter

Rotary Joints

Straights

Termination

Transitions

Waveguide to Coax Adapters

Rigid PCB Quotes

Flexible PCB Quotes

PCB Assembly Quotes

PCB Design Quotes

PCB Repair Quotes

PCB Stencil Quotes

Trending RF & Microwave News Stories of the Week (17 - 21 Feb, 2020)