Trending RF & Microwave News Stories of the Week (8

Qorvo to Acquire Supplier of Programmable Analog Power Solutions

Qorvo has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire private fabless supplier of programmable analog power solutions, Active-Semi International. Active-Semi will become part of Qorvo’s Infrastructure and Defense Products (IDP) group. Active-Semi’s technologies are positioned to intersect multiple long-term secular trends in 5G, industrial, data center, automotive and smart home by addressing the increased demand for efficient power solutions.

With the acquisition of Active-Semi, Qorvo will expand IDP’s product offerings for existing customers and extend its reach into new high-growth power management markets. The company sees significant opportunities to accelerate adoption of Active-Semi’s innovative analog/mixed signal solutions across multiple markets by leveraging its global scale, sales channel and customer relationships. Click here to read more.

Testing Solution Simulates Actual Road Conditions in a Lab for Vehicle Radar Tests

Sensors in autonomous vehicles have to be extremely reliable and are thus subjected to arduous road tests, making the whole process cumbersome. The Fraunhofer Institute for High Frequency Physics and Radar Techniques FHR has thus developed a new testing device which will help move a large portion of these road tests to the laboratory. The new device, called ATRIUM, puts on a show for the vehicle’s radar sensor, generating artificial scenery that comes very close to the actual conditions encountered while drivin down a street.

Cars of the future will be driverless. Passengers will sit in the back seat of the car as if they are being driven by a private chauffeur while enjoying a conversation, reading the newspaper or perhaps watching a video. Although driver assistance systems such as automatic distance control are no longer new to the market, we are still a few years away from cars being completely autonomous. Click here to read more.

SAW Device Market to Grow to US$ 3.4 Billion by 2024

According to a report published by Transparency Market Research (TMR), the global surface acoustic wave devices market is projected to grow at a 6.90% CAGR in the period of 2016-2024 and reach US$ 3.4 bn by the end of 2024. This growth is primarily attributed to the presence of a large number of new companies that are actively working in the industry. For instance, In October 2017, a supplier of semiconductor and system solutions named Microsemi Corporation joined hand with Knowles Corporation, an electronic component manufacturing company. They together declared that Microsemi came into an agreement to take over the high-performance SAW filter business named Vectron International; it is a company of Knowles.

The purpose of the takeover is Vectron's correlative innovation suite increases the Microsemi's item offering with separated innovation. In addition, it enables Microsemi to pitch more to its level one clients in the defense and aerospace, industrial and communications markets. This acquisition has also enhanced the working execution of the joined model as they execute on substantial synergy prospects. There are major organizations in the surface acoustic wave devices markets like ITF Co. Ltd., Murata Manufacturing Co. Ltd., Oscilent Corp., API Technologies, and Kyocera Corp. Click here to read more.

5G-NR Compatible Spectrum Analyzers for R&D & Production Environments

Today, manufacturers of RF components, transmitters and modules are facing complex measurement tasks on wideband RF signals and tight time-to-market requirements. With the advances of 5G NR technologies, engineers now need to analyze wireless communications signals in R&D and production with test solutions supporting 5G bandwidth and RF requirements.

Rohde & Schwarz has introduced two new signal and spectrum analyzer families, with different frequency models covering up to 44 GHz. Click here to read more.

Is the 5G Roll-Out in China Already Facing A Road Block?

China, alongside America and Europe, has been touted to be one of the biggest markets for 5G. According to a recent IDTechEx research report, 5G Technology, Market and Forecast 2019-2029, there will be over 120 million 5G subscribers in 2022 and 1.5 billion by 2029 in China, about half of the total number globally. However, the report also forecasts a possible slowdown of the Chinese market in coming years.

According to the market research, three main telecom carriers in China (China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom) announced their capital expenditure (capex) plan for 2019. The 5G capex is lower than expected. China Telecom is expected to spend 9 billion CNY ($1.34 Billion USD), slightly higher than China Unicom's plan of 6-8 billion ($890 Million USD). Market leader China Mobile did not disclose any number, but it is likely to be around 17 billion CNY ($2.5 Billion USD). In total, the capex for 5G is estimated to be 34 bn CNY ($5 Billion USD) in China in 2019, which is much lower than what was expected (50-100 bn CNY in 2019 and over 250 bn in 2020). Click here to read more.

NASA’s Magnetosphere Mission Spacecrafts Break Record of GPS Navigation in Space

NASA’s four Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) spacecrafts recently broke the world record for navigating using GPS signals further from Earth than ever before. This success indicates that NASA spacecraft may soon be able to navigate via GPS as far away as the Moon, which will prove important to the Gateway, a planned space station in the lunar orbit.

After navigation maneuvers conducted this February, MMS now reaches over 116,300 miles from Earth at the highest point of its orbit, or about halfway to the Moon. At this altitude, MMS continued to receive strong enough GPS signals to determine its position, shattering previous records it set first in October 2016 and again in February 2017. This demonstrates that GPS signals extend farther than expected and that future missions can reliably use GPS at extreme altitudes. Click here to read more.

Researchers 3D Print Metamaterials with Unique Microwave Properties

Engineers at Tufts University have 3D printed metamaterials with unique microwave and optical properties that go beyond, what can be achieved by only using conventional optical or electronic materials. The fabrication methods developed by the researchers demonstrate the potential of 3D printing to expand the range of geometric designs and material composites that lead to devices with novel optical properties. In one case, the researchers drew inspiration from the compound eye of a moth to create a hemispherical device that can absorb electromagnetic signals from any direction at selected wavelengths. The research was published in the journal Microsystems & Nanoengineering, published by Springer Nature.

Metamaterials extend the capabilities of conventional materials in devices by making use of geometric features arranged in repeating patterns at scales smaller than the wavelengths of energy being detected or influenced. New developments in 3D printing technology are making it possible to create many more shapes and patterns of metamaterials, and at ever smaller scales. In the study, researchers at the Nano Lab at Tufts describe a hybrid fabrication approach using 3D printing, metal coating and etching to create metamaterials with complex geometries and novel functionalities for wavelengths in the microwave range. Click here to read more.

Wave Guide Noise Sources up to 110 GHz for mmWave and 5G System Test

Noisecom has introduced the NC5000A Wave Guide noise sources for millimeter wave noise figure measurement. This next generation of waveguide noise sources provides high stability and higher performance than the previous generation in a smaller, lighter form factor. Reliably measuring noise figure of a communication system is critical especially with the shift to the higher frequencies and data rates of 5G. Use of NC5000A high-performance noise sources ensures accurate laboratory and production test results of components and devices for next-generation communications systems.

Noise figure is a key performance parameter for any RF or millimeter wave component or system. As communication data rates and operating frequencies increase for 5G applications, systems become even more sensitive to signal-to-noise degradation on the communication links. The NC5000A has been designed to provide system designers high confidence that what is designed in the lab will be able to operate in the field. Click here to read more.

Battery-Less Bluetooth Low Energy Sensor Platform for IoT Powered by Solar Energy

ON Semiconductor, continuing on the path of innovation for battery-less and maintenance free IoT products, has introduced the RSL10 Multi-Sensor Platform powered solely with a solar cell. This complete solution supports the development of IoT sensors using continuous solar energy harvesting to gather and communicate data through Bluetooth Low Energy, without the need for batteries or other forms of non-renewable energy.

The powerful combination of ultra-low-power wireless communications, small form-factor solar cell and low duty cycle sensing applications makes it possible to develop and deploy totally maintenance-free IoT sensor nodes. The RSL10 Solar Cell Multi-Sensor Platform is enabled by the RSL10 SIP, a complete System-in-Package (SiP) solution featuring the RSL10 radio, integrated antenna and all passive components. Click here to read more.

Keysight Adds New Time Domain and Real Time Scan Capabilities to its EMI Receiver Solution

Keysight has announced the addition of Time Domain Scan (TDS) and Real-Time Scan (RTS) capabilities to the Keysight N9048B PXE Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) receiver, enabling real-time measurements and diagnostics for faster electromagnetic compliance (EMC) certification.

EMC testing requires detailed and exacting methodologies to ensure that all emissions are accurately measured. Long test times impact test facility availability and reduce the number of devices that can be certified. It's also easy to miss intermittent disturbance signals with conventional scan mode since long dwell time is required at each frequency. Keysight's new TDS and RTS capabilities in the N9048B PXE EMI receiver enable independent compliance test laboratories, as well as in-house self-certification labs, to shorten overall test time and easily perform gapless signal capture and analysis, certifying that a product meets regulatory compliance standards. Click here to read more.

New UHF RFID Solution to Help Retailers Tag Objects Containing Metal, Foil and Liquids

Avery Dennison, a global designer and manufacturer of a wide variety of labeling and functional materials, has unveiled a range of On-Metal UHF RFID solutions, specifically designed for tagging products that traditional RFID technologies find challenging. The new tags have been optimized for performance when applied to objects containing metal, foil and liquids, reflecting retailers growing desire for RFID to play a larger role in enhancing and automating supply chains and retail, especially in the food and beauty segments.

Developed to address the need to tag 100 percent of inventory, On-Metal uses a unique inlay design and label construction to tackle performance limitations when applied to products that contain metal and liquid. Items such as foil cosmetic packaging, aluminium cans, metal tools or electronic goods can create interference between the tag and reader, making it challenging to achieve the performance read rates required in retail. The range features two inlay designs, which vary in size to accommodate required read rates typically beyond three meters. Click here to read more.

New RFID System Could Turn Everything in Your Home into a Network of IoT Sensors

Imagine a world where your pill bottle keeps track of your medication intake and your water bottle monitors your hydration level. Even your yoga mat is aware of your exercises and could adjust lighting, temperature and background music accordingly. Surprisingly wonderful, isn’t it? A new RFID-based technology developed at University of Michigan could help make all this a reality. The new technology could help turn the non-electronic things in your home, like frying pans, bottles, yoga mats, cups and more into a network of IoT sensors.

The new system, called IDAct, bridges the gap between the estimated 14.2 billion "smart" electronic devices that are currently part of the Internet of Things and the hundreds of billions of everyday non-smart objects left out of the picture. U-M researchers say it's a key step toward creating a truly immersive IoT experience. Click here to read more.

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Trending RF & Microwave News Stories of the Week (8 - 12 April, 2019)