Trending RF & Microwave News Stories of the Week (27

Qorvo Announces Acquisition of Custom MMIC and Decawave

Custom MMIC is a leading fabless MMIC company that specializes in RF through millimeter-wave circuits for satellite communications, radar systems, cellular infrastructure, consumer electronics, VSAT, and point-to-point radio systems.

Custom MMIC's product portfolio consists of over 200 products - Amplifiers, Mixers, Phase Shifters, Switches, Multipliers and Variable Attenuators. They use various semiconductor technologies and processes and have experience with GaAs, GaN, SiC, InP, and InGaP HBT technology. Click here to read more.

DARPA to Protect Wideband RF Systems in Congested Electromagnetic Environments

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has introduced a Wideband Adaptive RF Protection (WARP) program, aimed to protect wideband receivers operating in congested and contested electromagnetic (EM) environments.

The goal is to develop wideband, adaptive filters and analog signal cancellers that selectively attenuate or cancel externally generated interference signals (from adversarial jamming, for instance) and self-generated interference signals (like those created by a radio’s own transmitter) to protect wideband digital radios from saturation. Click here to read more.

Fully-Integrated Surveillance System Locates Unauthorized RF Signals Quickly

ThinkRF has announced the launch of the ThinkRF Surveillance System. The complete surveillance system allows government agencies and enterprises to locate unauthorized RF signals quickly and in a cost-effective manner, even in difficult indoor environments, such as large corporate office buildings, government facilities, and other secure locations.

Click here to read more.

Industry’s First VNA Capable of 70 kHz to 220 GHz Measurements in a Single Sweep

Anritsu has introduced the industry’s first VNA (VectorStar ME7838G) capable of making measurements from 70 kHz to 220 GHz in a single sweep. By offering unprecedented frequency coverage, the new VectorStar VNA allows engineers to more accurately and efficiently characterize devices over a much broader range of frequencies to provide accurate device models, thus optimizing the chance for accurate simulations and the opportunity to reduce design turns.

Consistently providing the industry’s widest single sweep broadband coverage for improved device modeling is achieved because the VectorStar VNA system incorporates the Anritsu Non-linear Transmission Line (NLTL) millimeter-wave (mmWave) modules. Its innovative design allows the 220 GHz probe to connect directly to the mmWave module for accurate, stable on-wafer measurements, thereby avoiding the limits of coaxial connectors at sub-terahertz frequencies. Click here to read more.

World’s Smallest Software-Defined Radio for Troposcatter Communications

Comtech Systems Inc, a subsidiary of Comtech Telecommunications, has introduced the world’s first software-defined adaptive troposcatter combination radio/modem, packaged in a compact sealed module. The CS67PLUS uses a unique, patented adaptive architecture that is capable of supporting line-of-sight (LOS) and troposcatter beyond-line-of-sight (BLOS) communications with a capacity of up to 210 Mbps of full duplex data throughput. Offering a wide selection of modulation techniques from BPSK to 64APSK, coupled with the most powerful Error Correction in the industry, Low Density Parity Check (LDPC), the CS67PLUS Tropo Radio is a solid foundation for any troposcatter communication system.

Operating in the 70 MHz to 6 GHz frequency range, the compact size of the CS67PLUS is possible due to its Zero-IF design, providing the lowest cost, lowest power, and the smallest footprint solution of any modern troposcatter radio/modem technology to date. The radio module is mounted in a single rack unit connectorized interface chassis. It contains two transmit channels and four receive channels and is user-configurable for Single, Dual or Quad Diversity system configurations, essential to modular tactical troposcatter terminals. Click here to read more.

Anokiwave Named Hot Tech Innovator in the Cellular & 5G Antenna Domain

Anokiwave, a cutting-edge provider of highly integrated IC solutions that enable emerging mm-Wave markets and Active Antenna based solutions, has been named as a hot tech innovator by global technology market advisory firm ABI Research in its 2019 QTR 4 report, “Hot Tech Innovators” for Cellular and 5G Antenna Technologies.

Advances in phased array antennas for use at mmW frequencies are essential for the rollout of new 5G, cellular, and other applications. In naming Anokiwave as a hot tech innovator in this area, ABI Research said that the company’s pioneering hybrid beamforming technology not only enables the development of high-performance antennas, it also provides the additional benefits of low cost, low complexity, and ease of reconfigurability for even the largest designs. Click here to read more.

BAE Systems to Develop Next Generation Electronics for US Department of Defense

BAE Systems, has received a DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) contract to develop the next generation of mixed-signal electronics. The solutions are meant to enable new Department of Defense (DoD) applications including high capacity, robust communications, radars, and precision sensors, and lead to solutions that enhance situational awareness and survivability for the warfighter.

Recognizing that the DoD has performance demands that far exceed the capabilities of the commercial world in terms of speed, fidelity, capacity, and precision, DARPA created the Technologies for Mixed mode Ultra Scaled Integrated Circuits (T-MUSIC) program to enable disruptive radio frequency (RF) mixed-mode technologies by developing high performance RF analog electronics integrated with advanced digital electronics on the same wafer. Click here to read more.

60 GHz mm-Wave Wireless Module with High-Gain Phased Array Antenna

Fujikura has started shipping a 60 GHz Millimeter-Wave Wireless Communications Module that uses a High-gain phased array antenna which realizes high-speed wireless communication in the 60 GHz frequency band. Their compact design combines a baseband wireless modem with an RF front end and antenna.

This module is based on the IEEE 802.11ad (WiGig) standard and provides features such as high-power transmission output, scalable channel bandwidth and high-order modulation support. It employs low loss LCP circuit board material and a board layout design that optimizes RF-IC performance for even higher output. This allows it to achieve world-class long-distance transmissions. Click here to read more.

Programmable Polarized Antenna technology to Enhance 5G Connectivity

TiaLinx, Inc., a developer of highly integrated wireless systems has announced the successful implementation of its programmable polarized antenna technology at X-band and Ka-band frequencies. TiaLinx's patented wafer-scale beamforming technology and its planar antenna arrays enable scanning with a fine lateral resolution, ultimately enhancing the connectivity of the users to 5G cell clusters.

Click here to read more.

Industry's First LoRa SoC to Enable Simpler, Integrated, and More Power-Efficient Designs

STMicroelectronics, recently unveiled the industry's first LoRa SoC that integrates a wireless microcontroller (MCU) and LoRa transceiver on a single silicon die. The industry currently has either discrete MCUs and transceivers, or both components under the same package but on different dies (System-in-Package). The new solution from STMicroelectronics opens the door to original applications by enabling simpler, more flexible, more integrated, and more power-efficient designs. It targets OEMs and select ST customers who will also have access to a LoRaWAN stack on demand, thus accelerating their production ramp-ups.

STMicroelectronics wrote a blog post that talks about why the LoRa-enabled SoC a game changer. We have summarized their thoughts below. Click here to read more.

5G Technology to Boost the RF Component Industry

According to a report published by Strategy Analytics, 5G user equipment (UE) will help stimulate the markets for radio components, favoring the most advanced radio chipsets and complex RF front ends capable of supporting new sub-6 and mmWave 5G bands.

The report ‘Cellular UE Radio Components Forecast 2020 - 2024: 5G Beyond the Baseband’ takes a detailed look at user equipment shipments and bills of material by air interface (GSM-GPRS-EDGE, UMTS, CDMA, LTE, 5G, etc.), examining recent history and providing a forecast to 2024 for market revenue and unit shipments of cellular radio frequency components including basebands, transceivers, millimeter-wave modules, RF filters, duplexers & multiplexers, power amps, LNA, switches, drain modulators and antenna tuners. Click here to read more.

NXP Introduces Bluetooth Low Energy SoC with Built-in NFC Technology

NXP Semiconductors has announced the availability of its QN9090 and QN9030 Bluetooth 5 System on Chips (SoC) with hardware compatible options for 802.15.4, Multiprotocol RF, and optional NFC technology. The latest additions to its QN series of Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) devices enable next-generation intelligent connected devices by achieving ultra-low power consumption and integrating a high-capacity CPU with a wide operating temperature range, a comprehensive mix of analog and digital peripherals and BLE mesh support.

The QN9090 and QN9030 devices are powered by an Arm® Cortex®-M4 running at 48 MHz and include up to 640 KB onboard flash and 152 KB SRAM, providing storage space and flexibility for complex applications and safe over-the-air (OTA) updates. The QN Series devices help accelerate development and time-to-market for developers creating products with rich features for diverse IoT applications such as personal healthcare devices, sports and fitness trackers, connected appliances, building and home automation, toys, and gaming peripherals, as well as beacons and mesh networks. Click here to read more.

Booz Allen Receives $178 Million US Navy Contract to Modernize GPS Systems

Leading information technology consultants, Booz Allen Hamilton, have been awarded a $178 million US defense contract to provide technical engineering services toward the modernization of advanced GPS systems. The contract was awarded by the US Navy’s Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC Pacific) in partnership with the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC).

The NIWC Pacific Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT) Division is the Navy’s principal research and development center for navigation sensors and systems. SMC is the center of technical excellence for developing, acquiring, fielding, and sustaining resilient and affordable military space systems. By executing this contract, Booz Allen will continue to serve as a key mission partner for NIWC Pacific and SMC on the important endeavor of modernizing PNT systems for U.S. and Allied warfighters. Click here to read more.

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Trending RF & Microwave News Stories of the Week (27 - 31 Jan, 2020)