Trending RF & Microwave News Stories this Week(27-31 Aug, 2018)

NGC & DARPA Demonstrate 100 Gbps Data Link Over 20 Km Distance

Northrop Grumman and DARPA have set a new standard for wireless transmission by transmitting 100 Gbps over a distance of 20 kilometers in a city environment. The two-way data link, which featured active pointing and tracking, was demonstrated Jan. 19, 2018 in Los Angeles.

The blazing data rate is fast enough to download a 50 Gigabyte blue ray video in four seconds. The demonstration marked the successful completion of Northrop Grumman’s Phase 2 contract for DARPA’s 100 Gbps (100G) RF Backbone program. Click here to read more.

GLOBALFOUNDRIES Reshapes Technology Portfolio to Focus on RF SOI and High-Performance SiGe

GLOBALFOUNDRIES has announced an important step in its transformation, continuing the trajectory launched with the appointment of Tom Caulfield as CEO earlier this year. In line with the strategic direction Caulfield has articulated, GF is reshaping its technology portfolio to intensify its focus on delivering truly differentiated offerings for clients in high-growth markets.

GF is realigning its leading-edge FinFET roadmap to serve the next wave of clients that will adopt the technology in the coming years. The company will shift development resources to make its 14/12nm FinFET platform more relevant to these clients, delivering a range of innovative IP and features including RF, embedded memory, low power and more. To support this transition, GF is putting its 7nm FinFET program on hold indefinitely and restructuring its research and development teams to support its enhanced portfolio initiatives. This will require a workforce reduction, however a significant number of top technologists will be redeployed on 14/12nm FinFET derivatives and other differentiated offerings. Click here to read more.

SpotterRF Introduces First Full Dome 3D Counter-Drone Radar

The threat of sUAS (small drones) is dramatically increasing as they become more accessible to the public. Anyone can buy a drone and utilize it for illegal and harmful activities, such as espionage or delivering payloads into secure or critical areas as seen in the recent attack on the Venezuelan President, Maduro. The alarming fact is that the frequency of such incidents is dramatically increasing. A solution to combat this aerial threat is crucial and has been a high priority of SpotterRF since 2009. Click here to read more.

Researchers Discover a Way to Enhances the Flow of RF/Microwave Energy in Materials

An international group of researchers has discovered a way to make a thin material that enhances the flow of microwave energy. The advancement, which could improve telecommunications, sheds new light on structural traits, generally viewed as static and a hindrance, that, when made to be dynamic, are actually key to the material’s special ability. Click here to read more.

Nokia Receives 500 Million Euro Loan from EU to Advance 5G Research

The European Investment Bank (EIB) as part of the Investment Plan for Europe has approved a EUR 500 million loan for Nokia to accelerate the research and development of 5G technology. The loan from EIB, which is also backed by the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI), will allow Nokia to further invest heavily in research, development and innovation (RDI) in an area which can produce enabling technologies for innovation and growth in Europe.

5G technology is expected to enable faster speeds, massive connectivity, decade-long battery life for sensors and super-responsive and reliable networks for customers. This could power on-demand virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) experiences, driverless vehicles, medical monitoring, advanced industrial automation services, and other applications - all requiring ubiquitous, low-latency connectivity. Click here to read more.

NI AWR Launches New Version of its AntSyn Antenna Simulation Software

NI has released the latest version of its AntSyn antenna design, synthesis and optimization software. The new release is now available for use by current customers and evaluators. Click here to read more.

Chinese Foundry Now Offering its III-V Technology Platform to Global Fabless Design Houses

Sanan Integrated Circuit (Sanan IC), a pure-play compound semiconductor foundry located in China, has announced the introduction of their advanced III-V technology platform for Global markets. With its broad portfolio of gallium arsenide (GaAs) HBT, pHEMT, BiHEMT, integrated passive device (IPD), filters, gallium nitride (GaN) power HEMT, silicon carbide (SiC), and indium phosphide (InP) DHBT process technologies, Sanan IC covers a wide range of applications among today’s active microelectronics and photonics markets.

The company is focused on high performance, large scale, and high-quality III-V semiconductor manufacturing and on serving the RF, millimeter wave, power electronics, and optical markets. They are now looking to cater to the North American, European, and Asia Pacific (APAC) markets in the near future. Click here to read more.

Wideband I/Q Data Recorder Enables Realistic Device Tests in the Lab

Rohde & Schwarz has launched a new high-end wideband I/Q data recorder that can be used to record signal scenarios typically required in test cases at a bandwidth of up to 512 MHz with high sampling rates. The R&S IQW solution records wideband RF signals and reproduces them to simulate real-world test environments, enabling realistic, repeatable device tests in the lab. Click here to read more.

RFID Sensors Market Size to Grow to $26.67 Billion by 2024

The global RFID sensors market, valued at $11.81 billion in 2017, is expected to reach $26.67 billion by 2024, registering a CAGR of 12.2% in the period. The forecast was made in the recently released, Global RFID Sensor Market by Product, Frequency Band, Type, Application, and Industry Vertical: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2018-2024 by Allied Market Research.