Trending RF & Microwave News Stories of the Week (24

Demand for RF-SOI to Help the Global SOI Market Grow to $2.1 Billion by 2024

According to a report by MarketsandMarkets, the global Silicon-on-Insulator (SOI) market, is projected to grow from $894 million in 2019 to $2.1 Billion by 2024, at a CAGR of 19.6% from 2019 to 2024. This growth will be driven by the improved performance offered by SOI and a low operating voltage required by SOI wafers. Growing use of SOI wafers in consumer electronics, and increasing investments by wafer manufacturers and foundry players in the SOI ecosystem are also factors driving the growth of the SOI market across the globe.

RF-SOI Wafer Type Segment Led SOI Market in 2018 Click here to read more.

Ericsson Building Smart-Factory in the US to Develop 5G Radios

Ericsson will be building its first fully-automated smart factory in the US. The state-of-the-art factory will produce Advanced Antenna System radios to boost network capacity and coverage, including rural coverage, as well as 5G radios for urban areas, both necessary for rapid 5G deployments in North America. Advanced Antenna Systems radios enable large scale deployments in 4G and 5G mobile networks. Street Macro radios for urban use are radios with integrated RAN Compute baseband functionality that allows network densification in metropolitan areas, where no new rooftop sites are available.

The new smart factory complements Ericsson’s global supply chain, which ensures the company is working close to customers through its European, Asian and American operations, securing fast and agile deliveries to meet customer requirements. This builds on Ericsson’s previously announced strategic initiative is the U.S. market. Ericsson is also fast-tracking the launch of the next-generation smart manufacturing through a modular and flexible production setup in its existing own factories in Estonia, China and Brazil. Click here to read more.

Ceramic Antenna for Global LTE and 5G Cellular Applications

Taoglas has expanded its hugely successful Warrior series of ceramic antennas for LTE with the addition of the PA740 antenna, at the 2019 MWC Shanghai. With additional LTE bandwidth and new bands added for 5G functionality, the new antenna is an evolved design from Taoglas's successful Warrior PA710 High-Efficiency Ceramic Wideband LTE Antenna. With the optimal antenna efficiency and performance for IoT devices including smart home devices, mobile devices, and vehicle integration, Taoglas continues to provide tthe most advanced future-proof antenna technology for any LTE and 5G application.

High-performance, reliable LTE and 5G antenna technology is crucial to the future of the Internet of Things (IoT), mobility and overall customer experience. The ability to have precise high-speed connectivity, low latency, reliable data transfer, and computing in real-time is dependent on antenna reliability. Taoglas serves the largest technology companies, manufacturers, and distributors in the world with affordable, easy to implement antenna and RF solutions. Most importantly it also has multiple test and development centers across the world in order to ensure integration and customer product design are certification and market ready. Click here to read more.

Rogers Introduces High Performance Laminates for 5G Active Antenna Arrays

The RO4730G3 ceramic hydrocarbon laminates were originally introduced with a standard profile low-loss LoPro copper foil option. While LoPro copper foil provides excellent passive-intermodulation (PIM) performance (typically better than -160 dBc) and has gained popularity for intermodulation (IM) sensitive, high-frequency antennas, as 5G designs evolve, PIM has become less important on some applications. RO4730G3 laminates with standard profile electrodeposited copper provide an optimum blend of price, performance, and durability.

RO4730G3 laminates provide a low dielectric constant (Dk) of 3.0 favored by antenna designers, held to a tolerance of ±0.05 through the thickness (z-axis) when measured at 10 GHz. These laminates are 30% lighter than PTFE circuit materials and feature a high glass transition temperature (Tg) of better than +280°C for compatibility with automated assembly techniques. RO4730G3 circuit laminates exhibit low z-axis coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of 30.3 ppm/°C from -55 to +288°C for reliable plated through holes (PTHs) in multilayer circuit assemblies and are lead-free-process compatible. Click here for more information. Click here to read more.

World's First Regulatory Platform for Low Earth Orbit Satellites

LeoLabs, a commercial provider of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) mapping and Space Situational Awareness (SSA) services have announced the world's first dedicated regulatory platform for LEO. The Space Regulatory and Sustainability Platform, developed as a joint initiative between LeoLabs and the New Zealand Space Agency (NZSA). The regulatory platform offers a ground-breaking set of capabilities to empower the New Zealand government to meet its stated mission of encouraging a sustainable space environment for future generations.

LEO is rapidly emerging as the focus of commercial activity in space, with thousands of new satellites spawning unprecedented generations of services. Against this backdrop is the risk posed by orbital space debris – including an estimated 250,000 dangerous objects that are currently untracked. An expected growth in satellite constellations requires space-faring nations such as New Zealand to engage in monitoring and regulating satellite activity. Click here to read more.

NFC Forum Updates Specifications to Support Enhanced Connectivity of IoT Devices

The NFC Forum has announced the release of its newly published Tag NFCData ExchangeFormat Exchange Protocol Candidate Specification (TNEP) and a new candidate version of its popular Connection Handover Technical Specification (CH 1.5). The TNEP candidate specification is the first of its kind to simplify the bidirectional exchange of data between an NFC-enabled phone and an IoT device. When combined with the TNEP, CH 1.5 enables new NFC, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi negotiated handover products and solutions. Together, the two specifications offer an ideal solution for microcontroller-based designs for IoT devices.

Both candidate specifications are available for industry review before they are validated and adopted by the NFC Forum and available for general use. Click here to read more.

Vubiq's New Patent Enables it to Speed up Development of mm-Wave Radios

mm-Wave wireless solutions expert, Vubiq Networks, has been awarded a new technology patent by the US Patent and Trademark Office. The new patent (Number 10,320,047) is entitled, Waveguide Assembly Comprising a Molded Waveguide Interface having a support block for a launch transducer that is coupled to a communications device through a flange attached to the Interface.

The millimeter waveguide technology separates the digital components from the analog components on Vubiq’s high-speed broadband communications platforms. This patented technology allows rapidly developing new millimeter wave radios without the expense of a complete redesign. The innovative millimeter waveguide technology allows the company to remain completely spectrum agnostic in its wireless product designs. In addition, it provides the company with the flexibility to utilize the highest performing silicon at the most economical price. Today, applications such as vehicular radar, 5G, and Vubiq’s Hyperimaging Synthetic Aperture Radar are driving the cost of millimeter wave silicon down to more affordable levels. Click here to read more.

1000 W X-Band GaN based SSPA/BUC for Military Applications

Advantech Wireless has released its new Taurus-X GaN based SSPA/BUC for military applications. The new Taurus-X 1000W X-Band GaN based SSPA is perfectly suited for harsh environments and is designed and manufactured by Advantech to meet stringent military requirements.

Taurus-X is available in two frequency options - X-band Troposcatter (7.1-7.9 GHz) and Satellite band (7.9-8.4 GHz) and can be configured with or without an integrated L-band Block Up-converter (BUC). Available in a variety of redundancy and phase combined system architectures, Taurus-X can be developed for both outdoor and rack-mount enclosures. This SSPA provides high performance and reliability in a compact form factor and weighs less than 95 lbs. Click here to read more.

Thread Introduces Version 1.2 with Significant Performance Enhancements

To drive widespread adoption of the Internet of Things (IoT) devices in smart homes and commercial buildings, the Thread Group has announced the next evolution of its networking technology. The new Thread 1.2 Networking Protocol delivers performance enhancements that create highly responsive and scalable networks for battery-operated devices — without compromising power, security or end-to-end IP connectivity.

IoT can make people’s lives more convenient, while improving the efficiency, functionality and safety of smart homes and buildings. However, it’s been constrained by fragmented technologies, concerns about security, and limits to the number of devices that can connect to one network. Click here to read more.

Pasternack Introduces 26.5 to 67 GHz Power Dividers for SATCOM, Radar & Telecom

The new line of high-frequency power dividers consists of 17 models with an operating frequency range from 26.5 GHz to 67 GHz. These power dividers are available in 2 Way and 4 Way configurations, can handle up to 20 W (CW) of power and are available with SMA, 2.92mm, 2.4mm and 1.85mm connectors.

These power splitters offer a low insertion loss and very good return loss, along with being available quickly, which is ideal for initial proof-of-concept testing and prototype builds. These RF splitters are ideal for telecom carriers, cell phone, contract and defense manufacturers, labs and research institutes. Click here to read more.

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Trending RF & Microwave News Stories of the Week (24 - 28 June, 2019)