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p. 97
See us at the IMS Show, Booth # 2910 www.us.anritsu.com ©2010 Anritsu Company
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MICROWAVE
OFFICE
A PENTON PUBLICATIONt"13*- 70-t/0
NewsReport
33 | Digital Techniques Hold Key To 4G Infrastructure
To enable high-data-rate applications on wireless networks, microwave
engineers are moving beyond traditional analog methods to embrace a
variety of digital design approaches.
42 | RF Primer
COVER STORY
Narrowing Choices For RF/MW Filters
Filters play key roles in RF and microwave systems although the number
of different filter types and technologies can make the selection process
somewhath challenging.
h ll i
Active Inductors
Tune Low-Noise VCOs DesignFeature
Dynamic-phase-injection 61 | PIN Switch Protects LNA From Overloads
techniques help to tame tunable A MMIC low-noise amplifier (LNA) can be paired with an external PIN
diode bypass switch to provide overload protection for mobile television
active inductors for use in miniature
receiver applications at 47 to 870 MHz.
monolithic VCOs that provide low
phase noise while operating with 68 | Design MMICs On A Budget
low power consumption.
78 | Forecast Rain Effects On Microwave Links, Part 2
Departments
p
13 52 84 | Wilkinson Divider Powers TV Transmitters
Feedback Company News
17 54 90 | Patch Array Antenna Serves Satcom Needs
Editorial People
22 56 ProductTechnology
The Front End Educational
Meetings 108 | IndustryInsight
26 Cables And Connectors Link Microwave Systems
Microwaves In 58 The latest developments in high-frequency cables and connectors seek to
Europe R&D Roundup cut weight while maintaining low loss and high phase stability even in
flexible assemblies.
28 94
Web Table Of Application Notes 110 | ProductTrends
Contents Math/EM Software Solves Circuit Problems
118 The newest versions of popular mathematical and electromagnetic
46 Infocenter simulation programs add speed by taking advantage of the latest memory-
Crosstalk packed, multiprocessor-based computers.
120
50 Editor’s Choice 114 | Tunable MMIC Filters Span 1.0 To 7.6 GHz
Financial News With their tunable frequency coverage and small surface-mount packages,
these MMIC filters can handle any number of signal-management needs,
with stopband rejection to 30 GHz.
LTE and HSPA+ are just two of numerous one-button measurement applications
Smooth Sailing
through the merger ahead
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Of Technology
And Social Need
C
ommunications technology has come a long way in
a lifetime. Once telephone calls were on wires, and
television signals over the air. Now television is over
metal wire, glass wire, and even from space (satellite),
and telephone calls are broadcast over the air. Cellular
The purpose of phone companies are also sending television signals
the technology is over their networks. These changing capabilities are
a tribute to advances in wireless, optical, and satellite
to serve man, not communications, but they have side effects.
the reverse. But The rapid growth of cellular communications tech-
nology to its third and fourth generations (3G and
too often, wireless 4G) prompts the question of how long before the
devices seem more seventh and eighth generations (7G and 8G) are upon
like addictions than us, and how much better could they be? The purpose
of technology is to serve man (and woman), not the
tools. reverse. But too often, wireless devices seem more like
addictions than tools.
Consider the recent introduction of the iPad by Apple. The
company, credited with inventing the personal computer (PC), has
a history of developing innovative products, such as the iPhone.
Before the iPad first went on sale this month, people waited outside
retail stores, sometimes overnight, to purchase an iPad. What this
says about these people, other than having too much time on their
hands, will fill volumes of psychology texts. Mental health aside, for
many people, wireless devices such as the iPhone and iPad not only
fill business or personal needs, but social needs as well.
Although records are not available for the comparison, it is a safe
bet that the number of telephone calls on average per person per
month has more than doubled or tripled in the last 30 years. With a
wireless device, it is simply easier to make a call at any time, easier
than looking for a phone booth (if one can still be found) or waiting
for the wired phone at home. But what of the quality (as in content) of
the call? Is it really necessary? The effect of wireless communications
devices on our “social fabric” is apparent, as two passengers in the
same car will often opt to talk to others on cellular telephones rather
than to each other. Face-to-face conversations, with all their subtle
nuances, are being replaced by one-dimensional wireless conversa-
tions or e-mails. And even when that 7G phone brings video calling
capabilities to the masses, it will also be supported by screen savers
and special effects that will allow any user to “put on a happy face”
by means of a menu selection.
As tools, wireless devices are wonderful additions to most peoples’
lives. But when they start using such phrases as “that’s my life in
there” while pointing to their cell phone, then it is time to reconsider
which processor or is really doing the thinking.
Technical Director
Technical Director
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“I need robust MMICs for my most
demanding applications.”
So do we.
If you
y ou
ou’r
’ree an
’r n e ngineer w orking in a field requiring robust products
that perr fo
form
r to spp ec
e iin a wide range of real world conditions, we
can relate. Agill ent requires instrument-grade MMICs to design and
Agilent and our Distributor Network North America: Avnet Express Europe: BFi OPTiLAS
Right Instrument. Right Expertise. Delivered Right Now. www.em.avnet.com/agilent www.bfioptilas.com
frontend h
Compiled by Dawn Hightower
s Year
X—The
AUSTIN, TX mobile-handset market has
not escaped the recession unscathed. Despite World Summary: New Handsets Split by Technology
T
(1000s of new handsets purchased)
the resulting financial pressure
pressure, however
however, the
2,000,000
global cellular installed base grew 14.1 percent
year over year in 2009. The cellular installed 1,500,000
base comprises all active devices on cellular
networks. The installed base for third-generation 1,000,000
(3G) networks in particular showed a consider-
500,000
able increase, growing 32.9 percent year over
year. This growth highlights the strength of the 0
industry overall as well as the bright future for 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
evolving cellular technology. 4G handsets 3G handsets 2G handsets Source: IMS Research
While the 3G portion of the networks are
projected to show the most growth through the forecast period, devices on second-generation (2G) networks are
still expected to dominate the total market. In 2015, 2G devices are forecasted to make up 66.7 percent of the
installed base. Most of these devices are located in the rapidly growing Asian and Middle East and African (MEA)
markets. For the first time since 2001, shipments of new handsets declined 6.5 percent year over year. These ship-
ments are projected to recover in 2010—again, driven in large part by rapidly developing cellular opportunities
in emerging markets.
This past year also saw a shift in the types of handsets being sold. Despite the overall market contraction, shipments
of smartphones grew more than 15 percent year over year. Additionally, the attach rates of features like WLAN
and GPS increased significantly, as the use cases for mobile handsets continue to evolve beyond voice communica-
tion. These and a range of other mobile-handset market trends are examined in IMS Research’s recently published
report, “The World Market for Mobile Handsets – 2010 Edition.” Additional information and details regarding
this report can be found at www.imsresearch.com.
MS
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SANTA CLARA, CA—Agilent Technologies, Inc. high- performance testing facility.
The first phase of the and the University of Texas at Dallas (UT “One of TxACE’s key goals is to help enable
new facility will involve Dallas in Richardson, TX) will establish a mil- the emergence of silicon millimeter-wave and
limeter- and sub-millimeter-wave electronics sub-millimeter-wave integrated circuits for the
network and spectrum characterization facility at the Texas Analog industry,” explains Ken O, Director of TxACE
analyses as well as Center of Excellence (TxACE). The facility and holder of the Texas Instruments Distin-
will be available to industrial and government guished Chair at UT Dallas. “With a facility
two-tone linearity and institutions using an open, of this type in a university
noise-measurement collaborative framework. environment, critical bar- r
’’
capabilities to 325 GHz. It will initially support riers will be removed for
research to make 77-to- research in this challenging
81-GHz short-range measurement area.”
radar integrated circuits “We are delighted to
(ICs) affordable. In addi- help establish the facility at
tion, researchers will be TxACE for research in mil-
able to study the feasibil- limeter and terahertz analog
ity of 180-to-300-GHz circuit design,” states Bill
spectrometry in complementary-metal-oxide- Wallace, Americas Region Director of University
semiconductor (CMOS) technology for security De-velopment at Agilent.“The research conducted
and healthcare applications. by some of the most distinguished faculty in their
The first phase of the new facility will involve field should lead to new disruptive technologies
network and spectrum analyses as well as two- and positively impact our industry.”
tone linearity and noise-measurement capa- An emerging technology, millimeter-wave
bilities to 325 GHz. In the subsequent phases, semiconductors offer applications in potentially
Agilent Technologies and UT Dallas/TxACE are everything from scanning people for weapons
committed to expand the test capability into the and monitoring air quality to enabling aircraft
500-GHz region and above as applications for to operate more safely in dense fog and other
high-frequency analog circuits demand a shared poor weather conditions.
Kudos
NORWOOD, MA—Remtec, Inc. is celebrating its 20th year individual component design featuring state-of-the-art specifica-
specializing in manufacturing ceramic packaging products tions and function evolving from in-house proprietary MMIC
for commercial and military electronics. Shortly after its or discrete designs.
founding in 1990, Remtec developed its core manufacturing NEWBURYPORT, MA—Rochester Electronics has been chosen as
technology--PCTF, which is based on combining plated copper one of the Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems 2009 Supplier
and thick films. That technology has become the foundation Excellence Award recipients. The award represents a commit-
for Remtec’s business and has undergone continuous develop- ment to quality, on-time delivery, safety, and an investment in
ment and advancement. process improvement initiatives.
CHANDLER, AZ Z—Rogers Corp. and its Advanced Circuit Materi- ANAHEIM, CA—Bisco Industries, Inc. has received a 2009 Boeing
als (ACM) Division earned a distinguished DesignCon Paper Performance Excellence Award.
Award at the DesignCon 2010 Conference and Exhibition. The HILLSBORO, OR—TriQuint Semiconductor, Inc. has received
paper, “Effect of Conductor Profile on the Insertion Loss, Phase China Electronics News’ (CEN) “Most Popular Semiconductor
Constant, and Dispersion in Thin High-Frequency Transmis- Brand in China” award for 2009. TriQuint established business
sion Lines,” was co-authored by Allen F. Horn III and Patricia in China in 2001. It worked to establish a footprint there by
LaFrance of Rogers Corp. together with James Rautio, President opening offices in Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Zhongshan as well
of Sonnet Software. as launching a Chinese language web site and working with local
FREDERICK, MD—Planar Monolithics Industries and AmpliTech universities to increase the awareness of RF technology.
have announced the collaboration of their combined product RANDOLPH, NJJ—ADI American Distributors, Inc. has announced
offering, engineering skills, and marketing efforts. This effort that its American Manufacturing Services Division has been
is able to offer unprecedented start-to-finish system design and certified to AS9100.
*
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dentnt,
ionn
Nancy Friedrich and European Paul Whytock. Paul Pau willl reguulaarlrlyy up upda daate
te ourr aaud uddi--
udi-
Correspondent Paul Whytock ence with both hott aand uniquee news neews
ws ffrorom
ro m tthhe EuEurro-
have been bringing you video pean RF market. VViisi sit ww
sit www. w.mw
w. mwrf
mw rf.c
rf .com
.com m tod o ayy to se seee
Paull Whyt
Pau Whyt
hytock
ock
coverage from the floors of what’s new online..
important tradeshows like the
International Microwave Sympo- Share Your Thoughts With Quick Polls
sium (IMS) and European Micro- Quick polls allow you to regularly share your opinion on a
wave Week. To see Nancy’s most wide range of topics.
recent interviews at IMS in Boston,
LATEST POLL RESULTS:
for example, go to www.mwrf.com
and click on IMS 2009 on the left Can thermal modeling software programs adequately
toolbar. These videos strive to provide predict the behavior of microwave passive compo-
both attendees and non-attendees with a nents under high-power (>100 W) operation?
personal view of some of the key product
56% Yes
developments and trends that emerge at
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ideas with some of the greatest minds in the NEW POLL:
microwave industry. We’re hoping that our Are you comfortable leaving the house without a
video interviews offer insight into the latest product devel-
opments while introducing you to the microwave engineers
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who created them. Stay tuned for more video coverage on
www.mwrf.com! To cast your vote, go to www.mwrf.com
m now!
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NewsReport
R
ight now, many fami- on limited bandwidths. This capability [OFDMA], and multiple input mul-
lies rely on wireless- is a convenient solution to the prob- tiple output [MIMO]). The interesting
local-area-networking lem of providing a growing number point is that we can make base stations
(WLAN) access points of users with an increasing number smaller and cheaper. That increases the
to provide Internet of services over still-limited RF spec- signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) so you can
capabilities for mul- trum. In addition, digital modulation actually achieve the higher rates.”
tiple computers inside is generally credited with advantages At Spain’s Mobile World Congress
their homes. In the like improved security and greater this past February, picoChip debuted
near future, however, such devices resistance to interference and fading two new picoXcell system-on-a-chip
will be replaced by cellular femto- than analog approaches. (SoC) devices. The PC313 and PC323
cells. These smaller base stations are Femtocells are among the devices single-chip HSPA+ femtocell SoCs serve
expected to be widely used in homes being enabled by newer digital-mod- eight or 24 users, respectively. They can
and small businesses to provide access ulation techniques, thanks to firms be scaled to accommodate even more
to fourth-generation (4G) communica- like picoChip (www.picochip.com). users. The SoCs boast Third Generation
tions services. To enable these higher- According to Rupert Baines, the Partnership Project (3GPP; www.3gpp.
data-rate capabilities, however, the firm’s VP of Marketing, “The areas org) Release 8 features like 42-Mb/s
network infrastructure as a whole we are working on are HSPA femto- downlink and 11-Mb/s uplink data
must operate with reduced amplifier cells (increasing efficiency by making rates. They also meet that release’s
distortion, increased power efficiency, base stations smaller and cheaper) demand for the inclusion of MIMO
and higher output power. RF technology, which will enable
and microwave designers are Antenna the high data rates and receive
preparing to win this battle diversity needed to achieve the
by leveraging the latest digi- RF input higher real-world user counts
tal technologies ranging from PA Filter required for enterprise and
advanced digital modulation “greater femto” applications.
schemes, multiplexing, base- To that end, the PC323 SoC
band processing, and cutting- RFIN RFOUT has been designed to accom-
edge approaches to signal pro- SC1887 modate as many as 24 simul-
cessing and linearization. RFFB taneous users for enterprise,
The move to digital-modula- campus, rural, and metro fem-
tion formats and the resulting tocell usage scenarios with
evolution of those formats has 1. This system-on-a-chip solution provides all of the functionality need- a cell radius to 2 km. Two
been a rather natural progres- ed for RF power-amplifier predistortion. cascaded devices can be used
NewsReport
to power systems with 48 users. erals, femtocell L1 engine (FLE), and 2. This dual-channel,
An SoC from Percello Ltd. (www. embedded double-data-rate (DDR) 1.2-GSample/s, 16-b DAC sup-
percello.com) also promises to reduce memory. As a result, it does not require ports the high data rates and
complex modulation schemes
HSPA+ femtocell cost and size. The any external memory or digital parts
required for advanced multi-carri-
single-chip PRC6100 maximizes digital on the board. The PRC6100 is compli- er communications equipment.
integration by housing a high-speed ant with 3GPP HNB specifications. It
MIPS24Kc processor and its periph- supports eight users and offers HSPA+
B 15 d
B
GVA
-84
+
24 d
B
+20 dBm
m Power Ampllifierss wiith a choice of g
gai
ain !
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right gain to fit your application. Based on high-performance input/output return loss and high reverse isolation. With
InGaP HBT technology, patented GVA amplifiers cover DC* to built-in ESD protection, GVA amplifiers are unconditionally
7 GHz, with a selection of gain choices 10, 15, 20 or 24dB, stable and designed for a single 5-V supply. For more on
(measured at 1 GHz). They provide better than +20 dBm broadband GVA amplifiers, visit the Mini-Circuits’ web site
typical output power, with typical IP3 performance as high at www.minicircuits.com.
US patent 6,943,629 *Low frequency determined by coupling cap. Mini-Circuits...Your partners for success since 1969
NewsReport
Need
Ne
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er highgh-p
ghh-ppre
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cisi
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from
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fillm
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emai
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att thi
hick
ckfilm lm@a
lm@a@anaanar
naare
ren.
n.co
com
com 800-411-6596 > www.anaren.com statically reserved. Because of this condition, adaptive
modulation can only be applied to the data portion of the
traffic in the current environment. This condition results
from the fact that TDM service makes use of fixed slots that
are consistently transmitted even when some of those slots
are empty. When congestion occurs, all of the data traffic
including voice-over-Internet-Protocol (VoIP) is impacted
regardless of its relative priority.
RF & Microwave The latest generation of microwave packet-radio devices
strives to overcome this limitation by treating all types of traf-
Design Software
fic as packets that can be transmitted using a single Ethernet
Ap
ppl
p ied Comp
putational Sciences switch. They also employ statistical multiplexing on radio
www.appliedmicrowave.com directions so that channel capacity can be more fully exploited.
For example, Alcatel-Lucent’s 9500 microwave packet radio
• Exact Circuit Synthesis leverages adaptive modulation and supports deterministic
• Accuratte S
Siimullati
tion behavior in terms of latency and jitter independently from
• Powerful Optimization
timization the network load. Services are handled as a function of their
priority. Native TDM voice, for example, is converted into
• Statistical Yield Analysis packets and combined with VoIP so that a single voice service
• Free Tecchnical support is handled by microwave-packet-radio devices.
e
o m plet ites Underlying these system solutions are advances in com-
C gn su k! ponent design that also rely on digital techniques. To answer
i
des nder $1 the call for reduced amplifier distortion, increased power
for u efficiency, and higher output power, for example, Scintera
(www.scintera.com) recently teamed with Richardson Elec-
Check Web for Latest Specials tronics (www.rell.com) to bring its SC1887 power amplifier
TM
(PA) to market (Fig. 1). This PA vows to deliver critically
LINC2 From ACS needed linearity improvements without requiring access to
Powerful • • • Accurate • • • Affordable in-phase/quadrature (I/Q) baseband signals. The SC1887
To order, contact: www.appliedmicrowave.com Adaptive RF Power Amplifier Linearizer (RFPAL) vows to
provide an adjacent-channel leakage ratio (ACLR) to 26 dB.
The solution requires no analog-to-digital converters (ADCs)
or digital-to-analog converters (DACs). With Scintera’s RF
NewsReport
Power Amplifier Linearizer, the com- efficient power-amplifier topologies. analog circuitry. The solution can be
plex signal processing is done in the According to Kris Rauch, Scintera’s reconfigured with software to support
RF domain. This solution is applicable Vice President of Sales and Marketing, a wide array of modulation types and
across a broad range of signals includ- “The IC provides a programmable signal bandwidths over all operating
ing 2G, 3G, 4G, and other modulation analog signal processor under digital conditions.”
types, as its analog signal-processing control by way of an on-chip micro- Chris Marshall, VP of RF/Microwave
engine is capable of linearizing highly controller integrated with advanced Products at Richardson Electronics,
notes,“The Scintera approach of analog
predistortion is grabbing a lot of atten-
tion because it is easy to implement.
The NEW
W Agilent CXA signal analyzer (N9000A)
-161 dBm DANL for fast spur search
NewsReport
of the functions that were once handled higher while keeping power and power noise immunity and timing.”
by various additional circuit elements supply voltages low. High input data The latest signal-processing DACs,
including the baseband processor. In rates to the DAC help to increase the such as ADI’s AD9122 TxDAC+, prom-
addition, the increasing use of low- transmit path input bandwidth, allow- ise to work in a complex, intermedi-
voltage differential signaling (LVDS) ing for higher-order DPD algorithms ate-frequency (IF) direct-conversion
for the digital interface allows the data or wider correction bandwidths. LVDS architecture (Fig. 2). They provide the
rate to run at 1200 MSamples/s and also radiates less and provides better fully modulated IF I and Q signals
that can be fed directly to the antenna
through the analog quadrature modula-
tor and PA without additional signal
modulation.
By leveraging digital superconductor
technology, Hypres has been able to
develop ADCs that supposedly sur-
pass current ADC offerings in terms of
sampling speed, resolution, and band-
width (Fig. 3). When applied in an RF
or microwave transceiver, this digital
superconductor technology allows
a very wideband RF or microwave
signal to be directly digitized right
after the antenna. It does not require
downconverters or multiple ADCs,
filters, and amplifiers. Richard Hitt,
CEO of Hypres, states, “Digitizing such
large swaths of spectrum so accurately,
quickly, and at the top (near the anten-
na) of the signal chain creates the path
to a true ‘all-digital’ system—a digital
baseband that now has a true digital
front-end companion. And for RF and
microwave engineers, there is no longer
a need to devise workarounds to help
boost or clean up a signal that has been
degraded through its twists and turns
in the predominately analog front-end
of the signal chain as it heads toward
the digital baseband processors.”
As these few examples show, the
multitude of cutting-edge digital tech-
nologies is offering a seemingly limitless
amount of options for next-generation
infrastructure designers. As is common
with cutting-edge, emerging technolo-
gies, some of them are already in com-
petition. In addition, a number of them
may not be deemed practical solutions
for real-world problems because of
expense, dependability, ruggedness, or
performance issues. No matter which
solutions win for LTE, however, one
thing is certain: The future of wireless
infrastructure will increasingly rely on
digital techniques.
RF Primer
Narrowing Choices
For RF/MW Filters
Filters play key roles in RF and microwave systems although
the number of different filter types and technologies can make
the selection process somewhat challenging.
M
icrowave filters with some compromise in amplitude
can be simple to flatness and insertion loss in the pass-
build, but com- band. A Bessel filter has good amplitude
plex to under- and transient response but sacrifices in
stand. They stopband attenuation. It is known for
perform a basic This size comparison shows the size difference its linear phase characteristics, resulting
function in a between large cavity filters and miniature in flat group delay across the passband.
system: stop ceramic filters. [Photo courtesy of Anatech An elliptic filter is capable of sharp
some signals and pass others. But they Electronics (www.anatechelectronics.com).] transitions from the passband to the
can achieve this function in many dif- stopband, at the expense of passband
ferent ways, and with many different can be combined to form a diplexer (or amplitude ripple and excessive pass-
side effects, such as distortion to the three bandpass filters into a triplexer), band group-delay variations.
amplitude and phase responses of the while a lowpass and a highpass filter The performance levels of different
system. Before making filter choices, it can be joined to create a duplexer. types of filters can best be compared by
helps to know how the choices differ. Ideally, a filter would suffer 0 dB a common group of specifications that
Filters come in a variety of configu- attenuation for the signals it was includes insertion loss, rejection, VSWR,
rations: lowpass, highpass, bandpass, designed to pass, and infinite attenua- and power-handling capability. Inser-
and band-stop or band-reject filters. As tion for signals it was designed to reject. tion loss, which refers to signals within a
the name implies, a lowpass filter has In real life, dielectric substrate materials, filter’s passband, is the difference (in dB)
minimal attenuation below a cutoff conductors, passive components, and in signal amplitude between the output
point while suppressing signals above connectors contribute to losses and and the input. As mentioned previously,
the cutoff point. The highpass filter less-than-ideal filter behavior. Those ideal passband insertion loss would be
works in reverse. A bandpass filter specifying filters must sort through a 0 dB, but realistic numbers are higher
has minimal attenuation in a pass- number of tradeoffs to decide which and can often be above 1 dB depending
band around a center frequency, with filter is best for a given application. upon frequency and filter type.
high rejection above and below the Filter response types include Butter- A filter’s stop band is the frequen-
passband. A band-reject filter works worth, Chebyshev, Bessel, and elliptic cy range over which it is specified to
in reverse, stopping signals within a filters, each with a different response attenuate signals by a certain level. That
narrow bandwidth around a center shape that is suited to a specific set of level may be 20 dB or more, depending
frequency and allowing all other signals applications. For example, Butterworth upon how a manufacturer characterizes
to pass. In addition, a pair of bandpass filters sacrifice the sharpness of the tran- their filters. For a given application, the
filters with different frequency ranges sition from passband to stopband for amount of rejection should be at least
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Mini-Circuits...Your partners for success since 1969
RF Primer
enough to decrease the amplitude of an band. The cut-off frequency is defined the passband in a bandpass filter and the
undesired signal below, for example, the as the point where the insertion loss (or rejection band or notch in a band-stop
sensitivity of a receiver front end in the rejection) is equal to the 3-dB or half- filter. In addition, for a bandpass filter,
same system. In some filter types, stop- power point. For a lowpass or highpass the center frequency is typically the geo-
band rejection may be 80 dB or more. filter, there is one cut-off frequency. For metrical mean between the upper and
A filter’s cut-off frequency essentially a bandpass or band-stop filter, there are lower cut-off frequencies. For example,
separates its passband from its stop two cutoff frequencies, above and below a bandpass filter with lower cut-off
frequency of 2400 MHz and upper
cut-off frequency of 2500 MHz has a
center frequency of 2450 MHz and a
3-dB bandwidth of 100 MHz.
A filter’s voltage standing wave
RF Primer
with an excellent overview of differ- 114). Lumped-element or LC filters are and to power levels of about 5 W, but are
ent filter types, the same company’s commonly used below about 3 GHz. suitable for bandpass and band-reject
“Lumped Element (LC) Filters” with The size of these filters is dictated by the filters when small size is important.
a review of these popular RF filters, operating frequencies and the required Cavity filters can handle power lev-
and Mini-Circuits (www.minicircuits. sizes of the L and C components. els to about 500 W, with outstanding
com) with its application note, “Filters: Helical filters, composed of a series insertion-loss performance. Cavity filters
Introduction, Definition of Terms, Q of magnetically coupled cavities, are can be designed to about 30 GHz. They
& A’s,” which reviews the meanings also LC filters and similarly limited to are large compared to LC and ceramic
of filter specifications and provides a about 3 GHz in bandpass formats only. filters (see figure) and expensive since
few application examples based on the Although capable of sharper responses they are typically machined from blocks
company’s compact filters. than conventional LC filters, they are of aluminum.
The types of filters are many, and limited to about 5 W input power. SAW, BAW, and FBAR filters are
include fixed and tunable types, at low Ceramic filters are fabricated on made by semiconductor fabrication
and high frequencies, such as lumped- thin ceramic substrates using discrete or techniques, using photolithography
element filters based on discrete induc- integrated components to form resonant to pattern fine features, while MEMS
tors (Ls) and capacitors (Cs), crystal circuits. Depending upon the dielectric employ these processes to form three-
filters, ceramic filters, cavity filters, constant of the ceramic substrate, ceram- dimensional structures. All can be made
surface-acoustic-wave (SAW) filters, ic filters can be made extremely small, as small as 2 x 2 mm, although limited in
bulk-acoustic-wave (BAW) filters, film- with higher-dielectric-constant materials power-handling capability. SAW, BAW,
bulk-acoustic-resonator (FBAR) fil- yielding smaller filters. They can be made and FBAR filters are typically used in
ters, microelectromechanical-systems low in cost by using volume production cellular communications handsets to
(MEMS) filters, and even active, semi- methods and can also be made small in about 3 GHz. MEMS filters offer the
conductor-based tunable filters (see p. size. They are limited to about 6 GHz potential to 18 GHz and beyond.
An Interview With
Joseph G. Thomas, Jr.
NF: After being part of larger corporations for a long time, M/A-COM Tech-
nology Solutions is now privately held, correct?
JT: That’s correct. We are now a private standalone company with our sole
focus on the RF, microwave, and millimeter-wave space. Our owner, John
Ocampo, is a private investor. But more importantly for us, John has been a
very successful entrepreneur in this industry for his entire career.
NF: How has the move to being private affected the company in terms of
Joseph G. Thomas, Jr. (Joe) core competencies?
JT: It’s too early to roll out a list of new core competencies, although we’ve
Thomas is CEO of M/A-COM
certainly kicked off a set of new investments that will significantly impact us
Technology Solutions. He
starting in about two to three years. However, there is a lot we are able to do
has been with the company in the meantime as a private standalone company on existing competencies.
and its predecessors since We can make changes very rapidly in how we drive the best competencies
1975. He has held numer- harder and not worry so much about trying to give attention to as many
ous positions—Design things as we did in the recent past.
Engineer, Engineering Man- NF: Your employees have been through a lot of changes. What steps has the
ager, and Product Marketing firm taken to make them feel secure and motivated during the transition back
Manager—before moving to a private company?
into senior leadership roles JT: Our employee base has been through a lot, given the double sale of our busi-
including President and now ness during last year’s economic-meltdown period (which in itself negatively
CEO. Throughout his career, impacted all companies). But we have very resilient employees. We’ve begun
to re-invigorate our employees through a series of efforts—the most important
Joe has led growth teams
of which is the ability to communicate a solid future. We’ve done a better job
addressing markets from
of communicating our near-term goals and getting employees involved with
consumer-entertainment to many improvement projects. We have informal, focused employee meetings
strategic defense applica- and have instituted multiple employee recognition vehicles, such as a service
tions. His product knowl- awards program—tapping back into many things that have done well for us in
edge includes expertise in our 60-year history when we were a standalone company. Our financial perfor- r
RF interconnects, semicon- mance has improved—not to where I want us to eventually be, but the cash our
ductors, components, sub- business generates from operations allows us to increase our investment levels
systems, and system-level for future growth. The evolving market recovery is also helping us—having any
solutions. Joe holds a Bach- uncertainty regarding the spin-off activity well behind us at this point.
elor of Science in Electrical NF: What is the company culture like today at M/A-COM Technology
Engineering from the Uni- Solutions?
JT: The biggest shifts are very much a “can-do” attitude and the ability to
versity of Massachusetts.
move faster as a private standalone company. Also, we’re a much smaller
company compared to when we were part of some larger corporations. So
today, every employee has the ability to make a noticeable impact as well as
really be heard.
NF: Can you tell me about the company’s history, which goes back more
than 60 years?
JT: Sure, it has been an interesting ride. Having been here for almost 35
years, I’ve seen a lot of changes. To start at the beginning, our company was
founded as Microwave Associates in August of 1950. Our first customer
was the US Army, to which we provided glass tubing for cutting-edge radar
systems. Focused on the rapidly emerging semiconductor business, the
company expanded its horizons in the late 1960s and 1970s through stra-
tegic and extensive R&D investment. The company name was changed to
41&$*':*/("'*-5&3©
the company that delivers innovative
products by innovative people.
NF: Now that M/A-COM Tech is a small-
%0/µ5 (0 *5 "-0/&
%0/µ5(0*5"-0/& er, more focused company in terms of
technology, what types of opportunities
will you pursue?
'JMUFSTDBOQMBZBDSVDJBMSPMFJOXIFUIFSBTZTUFNTVDDFFETPS JT: Our predominant growth focus is
GBJMTJOUIFGJFME5IBUµTXIZEFTJHOFSTUVSOUP"OBUFDI&MFDUSPOJDT in the RF semiconductor space. The
GPSTPMVUJPOTUPUIFJSUPVHIFTUGJMUFSJOHDIBMMFOHFT core technology areas are amplification,
switching, and frequency-generation
functions realized with our radio-fre-
8FµMMXPSLXJUIZPVUPEFWFMPQBDVTUPN3'PSNJDSPXBWFGJMUFS
quency integrated circuits (RFICs), tran-
UIBUNFFUTPSFYDFFETZPVSFYQFDUBUJPOT°BOEEFMJWFSJUGBTU
sistors, and diode products for appli-
cations in the radar, communications,
4PXIFUIFSZPVSEFTJHOHPFTJOUPBDPNNFSDJBMPSNJMJUBSZTZTUFN
and industrial, scientific, and medical
ZPVSGJSTUDBMMTIPVMECFUP"OBUFDI&MFDUSPOJDT°UIFMFBEFSJO (ISM) markets. New areas also are being
DVTUPNGJMUFSTGSPN%$UP()[GPSZFBST added. Some are showing rapid results
while others will come on-stream in a
couple of years.
NF: M/A-COM Tech recently released
$0/5"$56450%":"/"5&$)&-&$530/*$4$0. a line of voltage-controlled oscillators
TBMFT!BOBUFDIFMFDUSPOJDTDPN (VCOs) for backhaul. Is infrastructure
your biggest market focus?
0638ᆗ&".$3'$0. JT: It’s a growth area for sure but I
wouldn’t call it our largest. It is off to
a very good start, given the fact that
we introduced the initial products well
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■ Microwaves & RF 49
financialnews
LPKF’s Record Earnings Exceed Forecasts
THE LPKF GROUP, P which is headquar- vious year. Consolidated sales rose by ous year’s level of €48.1 million (approx-
tered in Garbsen, Germany, closed the 12 percent to €50.7 million (approxi- imately $64,713,575). Compared to
2009 financial year with earnings before mately $67,409,973) versus €45.4 mil- the 2008 total of €10.3 million, orders
interest and tax (EBIT) of €7 million lion for the previous year. Incoming in hand rose to €14.7 million (roughly
(approximately $9,437,396 US dollars) orders at €56 million (approximately $18,874,792). The performance was
compared to €3.1 million for the pre- $75,499,170) were well up on the previ- positively influenced by the changed
product mix and cost reductions.
In addition, the return on capital
employed (ROCE) climbed from 7.4
to 15.7 percent. Profit per share rose
®
to €0.43 versus €0.17 for the previous
year. Compared to the same quarter
in 2008, turnover in the fourth quar-
Microwave Components & Instruments
ter of 2009 climbed by 16 percent
DC to 67 GHz
to €16 million while EBIT rose from
€1.2 to €2 million. Growth was attri-
butable to the cutting and structuring
laser segment—especially the unin-
terrupted demand for laser-direct-
structuring (LDS) systems used in the
production of molded interconnect
Directional Detectors
Directional Couplers
to 50 GHz
devices (MIDs).
3 dB 90° Hybrid Couplers
to 67 GHz Currently, LPKF forecasts potential
to 40 GHz
for growth in almost all of its divi-
sions. The prospects for further growth
are particularly good in the LDS busi-
ness. Tangible signs of recovery in the
markets also have been seen in other
Detectors segments since the end of 2009. At
Zero Bias the moment, the company notes that
Schottky macroeconomic development is very
Double Arrow 3 dB 180° Planar Doped difficult to predict. Nevertheless, LPKF
Hybrid Couplers to 26.5 GHz Barrier Planar MLDD Power Divider/
Tunnel Diode is expecting to do increased business
Combiner to 40GHz
Threshold Detectors in the 2010 financial year. It forecasts
to 40 GHz growth in sales to exceed 10 percent
while its EBIT margin will likely remain
in double figures.
If the global economy stabilizes dur-
ing the course of the year, the Board of
Adapters: DC to 50 GHz Managing Directors expects sales and
In Series: SMA, 2.92 mm, 2.4 mm Coaxial
RF & Microwave profits to grow further in the 2011
Between Series: 2.29 mm to 2.4 mm Terminations
Power Meter to 50 GHz financial year.
100 KHz to 40 GHz At the supervisory board meeting
Broadband Limiters
Pin-Pin Diode on March 26, the board adopted a
Pin-Schottky Diode to 18 GHz resolution to appoint CEO Dr. Ingo
Bretthauer to the position of Chairman
MIL Qualified Components Available of the Board of Managing Directors,
effective immediately. Because of the
®
1288 Anvilwood Ave. Sunnyvale, CA 94089 positive development in business in
2009, the Board of Managing Directors
Toll Free: (877) 734-5999 • Fax: (408) 734-3017 • sales@krytar.com and the Supervisory Board will pose a
www.krytar.com lists complete specitications
resolution at the annual general meeting
and application ideas for all products
on June 10, 2010 to pay a dividend of
20 cents per share.
,
"
%
"
.
/0(# 1022334
5*
companynews
existing customers and distributors.
CONTRACTS Mentor Graphics Corp.—Freescale Semiconductor has selected
Mentor as a partner in the silicon-test, yield-analysis, physical-
Northrop Grumman Corp.—Has been awarded a contract by verification, and design-for-fabrication-and-manufacturability
the Ministry of Defence of Brunei Darussalam to provide (DFM) technology areas. This collaboration enables Free-
Joint Operations Centre (JOC) command and control scale’s deployment of Mentor’s Tessen and Calibre technolo-
capability for the Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF). The gies covering design for test (DFT), physical verification and
contract, which will be undertaken by Northrop Grumman analysis, advanced resolution-enhancement technologies
UK, will include the supply of an integrated Command, (RETs), and pre- and post-tapeout DFM. The new tech-
Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Sur- nologies expand on the work of an existing collaboration
veillance, and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) headquarter system between Freescale and Mentor for developing design flows
and a deployable JOC with the provision of training and and methods to improve design for manufacturing and
in-country support. The JOC will provide the RBAF with a silicon test capabilities.
facility that will deliver command and control capability for Microchip Technology, Inc.—Has acquired Sunnyvale-based
military commands and civil organizations at the national ZeroG Wireless, Inc., which specializes in low-power embed-
and international level. It will be interoperable with NATO ded WiFi solutions. ZeroG is a privately held, fabless-
and ASEAN allies as well as coalition partners. semiconductor developer of WiFi-certified transceivers
Hughes Network Systems—Has been selected by the State and FCC-certified modules. This acquisition is expected to
of New York to provide a suite of managed services and strengthen Microchip’s wireless offerings by enabling embed-
connectivity under the Comprehensive Telecommunica- ded designers to easily connect to this ubiquitous networking
tions Services contract, Group 77017, Award 20268. The protocol with any 8-, 16-, or 32-bit PIC microcontroller.
indefinite-delivery indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract is for Cree, Inc.—Has announced a distribution agreement with
a term of seven years. It enables authorized users, such as Arrow Electronics, Inc. for Cree silicon-carbide (SiC) power
statewide agencies, local governments, and eligible nonprofit, products. This agreement gives Arrow’s customers access to
educational, and charitable organizations, to purchase tele- the firm’s latest commercially available SiC junction-barrier-
communications services provided by Hughes. Schottky (JBS) products. Among the Cree products available
Bridgewater Systems—Has announced that MetroPCS Com- through Arrow will be the Z-REC series of 600-V Schottky
munications, Inc. has selected its Long-Term Evolution (LTE) diodes and the 1200-V Schottky-diode line.
product suite including the Bridgewater Home Subscriber AT4 wireless—Has appointed HCT Korea as its official
Server and Policy Controller. Both are anchored by Bridge- calibration laboratory, offering local, KOLAS-accredited
water’s Subscriber Data Broker for its fourth-generation calibration services in South Korea.
(4G) LTE network. Conexant Systems, Inc.—Has agreed to sell property adjacent
Vincotech—Has signed a distribution contract with Atlantik to its Newport Beach headquarters to City Ventures LLC for
Elektronik, a full-service electronics distributor and market- $26.1 million. City Ventures is a residential and mixed-use
trend analyst for global technologies. Atlantik Elektronik, a developer of urban projects throughout California. The prop-
partner of CSR, and Vincotech, the European GPS module erty, located on Jamboree Road in Newport Beach, consists of
partner of SiRF (a CSR company), will market the latest GPS approximately 25 acres and includes two leased buildings.
modules and telematics solutions. The primary focus of this Exalt Communications—Has announced that the South Metro
partnership is on promoting Vincotech’s SiRFstarIV-based Fire Rescue Authority in Colorado has upgraded its mobile
technology and telematics product solution while continuing emergency-communications network with Exalt EX-4.9i
the design-in support of Vincotech’s SiRFstarIII portfolio. microwave radio systems. South Metro provides fire and
emergency services over 176 square miles in Douglas and
F R E S H S TA R T S Arapahoe counties. The organization deployed Exalt EX-4-
.9i radio systems to increase bandwidth and reduce inter-
Diagnosys Systems—Has launched a new web site (www. ference issues, which it had faced with legacy WiFi-based
diagnosys.com) that coincides with a change to the Diag- radio systems.
nosys logo and overall corporate identity. In addition to test Avery Dennison Corp.—Has announced that its radio-frequency-
equipment, Diagnosys offers a complete suite of testers and identification (RFID) inlays have passed the specs and system
test services to assist customers in effectively using diagnostic tests and met the performance requirements established by
tools as a way to return faulty boards to service more rapidly. the International Air Transport Association (IATA) for the
The new web site allows prospects to move directly to pages tagging of luggage at airports. The Avery Dennison RFID
covering functional test (go/no go), circuit-card diagnostics, technology has been successfully deployed in tagging solutions
high-performance testing, boundary scan, conformal coat- at Las Vegas and Hong Kong airports. Through its partner-
ing removal, test services, or turnkey and custom design ship with Motorola and Print-O-Tape, Avery Dennison will
applications. General information on training and support supply Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) with inlays
are available along with a secure section of the web site for for up to 70 million RFID-enabled baggage-tracking tags.
LTC
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Sabritec Appoints
Pianalto President
SCOTT PIANALTO has been appointed President of
Sabritec, a Smiths Interconnect business that provides
interconnect solutions for military, aerospace, tele-
com, space, test and measurement, and commercial
PIANALTO
NAME applications. He has over 20 years of experience
in the connector industry and most recently served as the Director
of Marketing and Operations for a major connector manufacturer
within the military aerospace market. In this new role, Pianolto will
focus on implementing an accelerated growth strategy to strengthen
and expand the company’s position in the marketplace. He holds a
BS in chemistry from the University of California and an MBA from
Pepperdine University.
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Lens Features FOR WIRELESS-COMMUNICATIONS applications like phase variation is echoed on the lens depth.
base stations, sectorial radiation patterns are The researchers fabricated two lenses: one with
77-GHz frequently used. Yet such antennas also have polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and the other with
Sectorial proven themselves adept at handling measurement polyurethane. For the polyurethane lens, which
Radiation system applications like in a lens-based compact
antenna test range (CATR). Some recent work
was the preferred choice, less than 0.2 dB ripple
was obtained in the central beam. Relatively high
Pattern covers the design, fabrication, and measurements secondary lobes did occur at 11 deg., however.
of an axisymmetric dielectric lens that features a To simulate the stepped lens, France Telecom
sectorial radiation pattern at 77 GHz. This antenna Orange Labs’ SRSRD software was used. The lens
was developed by M. Multari, J. Lanteri, J.L. Le was then measured in an anechoic chamber at 77
Sonn, L. Brochier, C. Pichot, and C. Migliaccio GHz. Using numerical simulations, comparisons
from France’s University of Nice-Sophia Antipolis were conducted between the near field of a CATR
together with J.L. Desvilles from Orange Labs and illuminated by a small horn providing a uniform
P. Feil from German’s University of Ulm. amplitude taper and the sectorial lens. On-axis
For W-band measurements, this lens-based oscillations went from 6 to 1 dB with the sectorial
CATR provides an output plane wave that is 25 lens. See “77 GHz Stepped Lens with Sectorial
cm in
in di
diam
amet
eter
er. Th
Than
anks
ks tto
o th
thee sy
symm
mmet
etry
ry o
off re
revo
vo-- Radi
Ra diat
atio
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n Pa
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n as P
Pri
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mary
ry F
Fee
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d of a Len
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Base
sed
d
lution, the sectorial lens profile can be designed CATR,” IEEE Transactions On Antennas And
in one dimension using phase-only control. The Propagation, January 2010, p. 207.
150-GHz A NUMBER OF RADIO APPLICATIONS are starting microstrip lines serve as a compact, density-rule-
to reach beyond 100 GHz. These systems are compliant matching element. These lines enable
Amplifier looking to leverage silicon technologies for their explicit yet efficient dummy modeling.At 150 GHz,
Is Formed high yield, high levels of integration, and co-inte- the transistor layout with parallel gate feed yields
By 65-nm gration with analog and digital signal-processing
blocks. Because they can take advantage of con-
5.7 dB of maximum saturated gain. The amplifier
exhibits 8.2 dB of gain while delivering +6.3 dBm
Digital CMOS tinued device scaling, millimeter-wave systems of saturated output power, +1.5 dBm output power
in complementary-metal-oxide-semiconductor at 1-dB compression, and a 3-dB bandwidth of
(CMOS) technologies are particularly garnering 27 GHz. It consumes 25.5 mW at 1.1 V.
interest. Recently, a 150-GHz amplifier in digital The researchers chose a simple amplifier
65-nm CMOS was presented by Munkyo Seo topology to reduce matching loss and modeling
from Teledyne Scientific and Imaging, Basanth uncertainties. They also chose a FET layout that
Jagannathan from IBM SRDC, John Pekarik from minimizes extrinsic gate resistance. This work
STMicroelectronics, and Mark J.W. Rodwell from suggests that dummy-prefilled lines can be used
the University of Santa Barbara. beyond 200 GHz. See “A 150 GHz Amplifier
To reduce
d matchi hing lloss and
d extend
dbband
dwid
idth,
h wiith
h8d dB
B Gaiin and d +6
6 dB
dBm PSAT
T iin Digital
i l 65
a simple topology was used for this amplifier. It nm CMOS Using Dummy-Prefilled Microstrip
has no DC-block capacitor, shunt-only tuning, Lines,” IEEE Journal Of Solid-State Circuits,
and radial stubs for AC ground. Dummy-prefilled December 2009, p. 3410.
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FR GAIN POUT NOISE FIG. PRICE
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RFIN
IF
IF IFOUT
LO2
0dBm LO Drive LO
LO
LO1 9.66dB NF
LTC5541
www.linear.com/554X
Parameters LTC5540 LTC5541 LTC5542 LTC5543
1-800-4-LINEAR
600MHz to 1.3GHz to 1.6GHz to 2.3GHz to
Operating Frequency
1.3GHz 2.3GHz 2.7GHz 4.0GHz
DesignFeature
R
eceiver front ends 1. This simple block diagram shows a receiver of the system. A variation involves
for mobile television front end with variable-gain LNA stage. connecting the damping element to
must provide the sen- the high-impedance or “hot” end of
sitivity needed to op- presence of large signals. Varying RF the LNA’s parallel resonant network,
erate at far distances signal gain eases the linearity require- although this sacrifices RF selectiv-
from a transmitter, ments for the mixer stage3, allowing ity prior to the LNA for the sake of a
but must provide the use of low-cost radio-frequency larger gain-control range.6
overload tolerance integrated circuits (RFICs) to create Alternately, it is possible to by-
when in the presence of large signals. the receiver module. In the cascade pass the LNA stage with a pair of RF
Mobile television receive capability, analysis of a receiver front end with switches when a received signal over-
which will be integrated into a large switchable or adjustable gain (Fig. 1, loads stages following the LNA, such
number of portable electronic devic- Table 1), the input third-order inter- as a mixer or intermediate-frequency
es, including cellular handsets, por- cept (IIP3) improves as a function of (IF) amplifier. During bypass opera-
table digital assistants (PDAs), laptop the gain change. A receiver with ad- tion, input signals are directly routed
computers, and in-car-entertainment justable gain handles large signals bet- to the frequency downconverter IC
(ICE) systems,1,2 must provide good ter than a receiver with fixed gain. [Fig. 2(b)]. As long as the compo-
performance even as a user’s distance Automatic-gain-control (AGC) nents in the bypass signal path are
between the transmitter and receiver circuitry is also used to vary LNA matched to the characteristic imped-
changes with travel, unlike tradition- gain,4,5 and because it is typically ance (75 Ohms in mobile television),
al broadcast television. A low-cost implemented prior to the channel fil- mismatches will be minimized. Of
solution to achieving high front-end ters, it can respond to overloads from course, adding the switches also adds
mobile television receiver sensitiv- adjacent-channel transmissions. to the circuit complexity.
ity with overload protection In yet another approach,
Table 1. Gain and IP3 values for
combines a high-gain low- RF gain is lowered by de-
the receiver front-end in Fig. 1
noise amplifier (LNA) with a creasing the quiescent cur-
PIN diode bypass switch. Input LNA gain Total gain Total out- Total input rent to the LNA’s active de-
signal (dB) (dB) put IP3 IP3 (dBm)
Most practical approach- (dBm) vice [Fig. 2(c)].7,8 Amplifiers
es to implementing mobile and devices based on this
20 30 -5 -25
television receivers rely on technique, such as dual-gate
Strong 0 10 -5 -5
reducing receiver gain in the MOSFETs, use additional
DesignFeature
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b ti mode
d ( good d output
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q Package
RoHs
H
compliant
DesignFeature
Working with customer feedback, longer switched in or out, the LNA impedances of the unbiased FET.
a simpler double-pole, single-throw supply (Vdd) must be turned off dur- In normal operation, the supply to
(DPST) switch arrangement was de- ing bypass mode to make use of the the PIN diodes is turned off (VSW W = 0
veloped [Fig 5(b)] in which only the intrinsic isolation of an unbiased FET. V) and the supply to the LNA is re-
bypass path is connected or discon- This approach degrades the return loss stored to 3 V. But these zero-biased
nected from the input and output of the bypass path, due to this path PIN diodes suffer some parasitic ca-
ports. Because the LNA path is no having the shunt finite gate and drain pacitance that allows higher frequen-
cies to pass. As a result, the LNA gain
and return loss are degraded by in-
complete isolation of the bypass path
from the input and output ports.
In the LNA/switch, inductors L1
and L2 are ferrite beads that present
high impedances over the full range of
the biasing networks for the MMIC
and diodes [Fig. 5(b)]. Without L1
as a choke, part of the input signal
will be shunted to ground via resistor
R3’s parallel-connected parasitic ca-
pacitance.11 Measurements made on
a prototype without L1 verify that the
inductor prevents degradation in the
LNA’s noise figure. Capacitors C3,
C4, and C5 decouple RF signals from
the DC supply and are sized for low
reactance (X c ≤5 Ohms at the low-
est operating frequency. Capacitors
C1 and C2 provide DC blocking at
12.5
30 mA
12.0
Return loss—dB
11.5
20 mA
11.0
10.5
10.0
10 mA
9.5
9.0
100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900
(a) Frequency—MHz
2800
2600
2400
2200
2000
1800
R bias—Ohms
1600
1400
1200
1000
800
600
400
200
0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
(b) Id—mA
64
L N A / S W I TC H D E S I G N
DesignFeature
VSW1 LNA, 0 V
Bypass, 3 V
LNA
To evaluate the LNA/switch performance, a prototype
R1 C3
was assembled on a printed-circuit board (PCB) previously (b) L1 R2
designed for a non-bypassed LNA application.13 The PCB
LNA, 3 V
consists of 10-ml-thick RO4350B laminate material from Bypass, 0 V
Vdd
C4
1,239 ,580
Filters
Bandpass Filters100Hz to 40GHz
Lowpass Filters 10Hz to 25GHz
Highpass Filters 50Hz to 18GHz
Band Rejection Filters 25Hz to 25GHz
Diplexers and Multiplexers from 10kHz to 30GHz
Active filters 0.1Hz to 1MHz
.TTE.com
DesignFeature
attached to the PCB by directly solder- diode pair (model HSMP-3893/E).16 sponse from small-valued DC-block-
ing them to the leads/pads of the ear- The LNA’s median gain is 19.8 ing capacitor C2. The gain rolloff at
lier components. Two 1N5719 axial- dB with a 1.3 dB variation within the the upper frequency end is consistent
lead glass diodes15 were used as the frequency range of interest [Fig. 6(a)]. with the MMIC’s characteristics and
switching elements for D1. In a later The frequency response is flattened possibly due to negative feedback
PCB layout iteration, these diodes will by gently attenuating signals below through the unbiased PIN diodes’
be replaced by an SOT-packaged PIN 200 MHz by merit of the highpass re- parasitic capacitance.
In bypass mode, the circuit exhibits
3.8 to 4.5 dB attenuation over the fre-
quency range [Fig. 6(a)]. Loss in this
mode is mainly caused by the parasitic
series inductance of the PIN diodes.
To a smaller extent, the loss in bypass
mode is also affected by PCB dissipa-
tion, the FET terminal impedances of
the FETs, and the parasitic parallel
capacitance of resistor R4. Still, by-
pass mode losses were well within the
customer’s -5-dB specification limit,
so now attempts were made to reduce
bypass losses further.
Both input and output return loss
were consistently good (better than 17
dB) in bypass mode when evaluated
across the specified frequency range.
Return loss is primarily affected by
how closely the unbiased FET gate
and drain approximate open circuits.
The return-loss performance is not
22.0 –3.0
21.5 Bypass mode –3.5
21.0 –4.0
LNA mode
20.5 –4.5
20.0 –5.0
19.5 –5.5
19.0 –6.0
18.5 –6.5
18.0 –7.0
17.5 –7.5
17.0 –8.0
50 100 200 300 400 500 700 900
Frequency—MHz
(a)
0
5
10
Return loss—dB
15
20
25
30 Output return loss (LNA mode)
Output return loss (bypass mode)
35
Input return loss (LNA mode)
40 Input return loss (bypass mode)
45
50
ww phaa sematrix.com
www.ph 50 Frequency—MHz 1000
(b)
8777 - 44
87 447-
7-27366 oor 408-428-1000
6. These test results show (a) gain versus fre-
quency and (b) input and output return loss.
DesignFeature
+22.5
Gain-dB
7. The design was tested for (a) noise figure The author would like to thank M. Sharifah for assem-
bling the prototypes, Ray Waugh for the mentoring on
and (b) input third-order intercept point. PIN diodes, S. A. Asrul for reviewing the paper, and the
management of Avago Technologies for approving the
publication of this work.
as good during LNA operation with REFERENCES
worst-case performance of 7 dB at the 1. “Mobile TV,” Internet: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Mobile_TV.
lowest frequencies for output return 2. “In car entertainment,” Internet: http://en.wikipedia.
loss. Poor output return loss below org/wiki/In_car_entertainment.
3. C. Baringer and C. Hull, “Amplifiers for Wireless Com-
70 MHz is caused by the small-valued munications,” in RF and Microwave Circuit Design for Wire-
less Communications, L. E. Larson, Editor, Artech House,
capacitance C2 and is a tradeoff for a Norwood, MA, 1997, pp. 369.
flatter frequency response. 4. Philips product specification, “FM1236 Desktop video
and FM radio module,” February 1997.
Figure 7(a) compares LNA noise 5. L. Federspiel, “Clear RF reception on mobile TV Technol-
figure with and without ferrite bead ogy,” EE Times-India, February 2008, pp. 1.
6. D. M. Duncan, “AGC in Transistor Broadcast Receivers,”
inductor L1. The target noise figure IRE Transactions on Broadcast and Television Receivers, July
specification (1.3 dB or less) cannot 1962, pp. 125-134.
7. Ulrich L. Rohde and T. T. N. Bucher, “Amplifiers and Gain
be met without L1. By comparing the Control,” in Communication Receivers, International edi-
traces, it can be surmised that signal tion, McGraw-Hill, Singapore, 1994, pp. 235-237.
8. C. L. Lim, “Adjustable Gain Cascode Low Noise Ampli-
loss attributed to the parasitic capaci- fier,” High Frequency Electronics, July 2009, Internet:
http://www.highfrequencyelectronics.com/Archives/
tance of resistor R3 is in the range of Jul09/0709_Lim.pdf.
0.3 to 0.6 dB, increasing the noise 9. W. Hayward and D. DeMaw, “Receiver Design Basics” in
Solid State Designs for the Radio Amateur, r ARRL, Newing-
figure by the same amount. With L1, ton, CT, 1986, pp. 88-89.
there is more in-band variation in 10. Avago Technologies product specification,
“MGA-68563 Current-Adjustable, Low Noise Amplifier,”
noise figure (0.5 dB versus 0.2 dB), Internet: www.avagotech.com.
but this is not critical. The increased 11. Vishay Intertechnology, Inc., Application Note AP0010,
“Resistors in Microwave Applications,” Internet: www.
variation is likely caused by the ferrite vishay.com.
bead’s progressively reduced choking 12. Avago Technologies application note 1049, “A Low
Distortion PIN Diode Switch Using Surface Mount Devic-
capability with increasing frequency, es,” Internet: www.avagotech.com.
13. Avago Technologies application note 5011,
especially above the 100 MHz or so “MGA-62563 High Performance GaAs MMIC Amplifi-
self-resonant frequency (SRF) estimat- er,” Internet: www.avagotech.com.
14. Rogers Corporation product specification, “RO4000
ed from the manufacturer-provided Series High Frequency Circuit Materials,” Internet: www.
performance graphs.17 rogerscorp.com.
15. Avago Technologies product specification, “1N5719,
The LNA’s output third-order in- 1N5767, 5082-3001, 5082-3039, 5082-3077, 5082-3080/81,
5082-3188, 5082-3379 PIN Diodes for RF Switching and
tercept point was measured as several Attenuating,” Internet: www.avagotech.com.
evenly spaced frequency points within 16. Avago Technologies product specification, “HSMP-
389x Series Surface Mount RF PIN Switch Diodes,” Internet:
the mobile television frequency band www.avagotech.com.
using a two-tone input power level of 17. Murata product specification, “BLM18R Series (0603
Size),” Internet: www.murata.com.
-20 dBm. The input third-order inter-
DesignFeature
Design MMICs
On A Budget
Computer-aided-engineering (CAE) tools can be pricey,
but it is still possible to design a low-noise amplifier at a commercial
foundry using low-cost, open-source software simulators.
JOHN PENN
Professor
Johns Hopkins University
Electronics Engineer
Army Research Laboratory (ARL)
2800 Powder Mill Road, Adelphi, MD 20783-1197.
D
esigning a monolithic microwave integrated
circuit (MMIC) implies million-dollar mask
sets and expensive computer-aided-engineer-
ing (CAE) software. But for those on a budget,
is it possible to be fiscally responsible and still
create a MMIC? To explore the possibilities,
a GaAs low-noise amplifier (LNA) was chosen as an ex-
ample target design, since it can be created by means of a
linear circuit simulator and an S-parameter file, including
noise data, as supplied by the device foundry.
Although this example relies on a CAE program used
by students at Johns Hopkins University (JHU, www.
jhu.edu), such a design can also be accomplished with a 1. This Smith chart compares the S-parameters for the E-mode pHEMT at
number of free or low-cost design tools. A separate open- 3 V and 4.4 mA and at 3 V and 8.8 mA.
source CAE tool, ICED from IC Editors (www.iceditors.
com), was used for MMIC layout and design verification.
Of course, the design power of a full-featured suite of
programs, such as the Advanced Design System (ADS)
from Agilent Technologies (www.agilent.com) or Micro-
wave Office from Applied Wave Research (AWR Corp.,
www.awrcorp.com), should not be easily dismissed. Still,
it is feasible to accomplish an effective MMIC design
with far less.
The example circuit is an LNA designed for use from
1800 to 2400 MHz, ideal for a variety of wireless applica-
tions. It is based on the TQPED 0.5-μm pseudomorphic
high-electron-mobility-transistor (pHEMT) process and
design library from GaAs foundry TriQuint Semiconductor 2. This block diagram represents the nonlinear TOM3 TriQuint model
(www.triquint.com). The free ICED program was used for for the 300-μm E-mode pHEMT device used in the LNA design.
ERA
PSA
Gali,
GVA, PHA LEE
AVA, PMA
NF
Ffrom 0.5 dB IP3 to + 48 dBm
0 5 dB, dBm, Gain
n10 dB, Poutt to + 30 dBm
10 to 30 dB
Mini-Circuits offers one of the industry’s broadest selections of low-cost, MMIC Amplifiers up to 20 GHz.
These ultra-broadband InGaP HBT and PHEMT amplifiers satisfy a wide range of commercial, industrial and military
applications with a variety of gain, low noise and high IP3 performance to address the most difficult specifications.
Tight process controls produce consistent performance across multiple production runs, ensuring repeatability
and confidence with every unit. In fact, cascading multiple amplifiers often produce less than 1dB total gain variation at
any given frequency. Operating from supply voltages as low as 2.8V, current consumption down to 20 mA and packages
as small as our SOT-363, these MMIC amplifiers can meet critical size and power consumption system requirements.
Visit our website to locate the amplifier that meets your specific needs. Each model includes full electrical,
mechanical and environmental specifications and a full set of characterization data including S-Parameters.
Also - look for our application notes that provide characterization of our MMICs for complex modulation such as
WCDMA, LTE, QAM and other digital standards. All models are in stock for immediate shipment.
DesignFeature
DesignFeature
This simple linear simulator employs cludes all interconnects as well as un-
a text-based netlist much like the orig- intended layout parasitics that could
inal Touchstone program from EEsof, be missed in the linear simulations. A
or the original Spice programs from simple model for interconnection that
the University of California at Berke- could be easily added is to approxi-
ley. For graphic illustration of the am- mate a typical 10-μm-wide microstrip
plifier design, the schematic diagram trace on 100-μm-thick GaAs substrate
is included rather than the netlist. using the rule of 1 pH inductance per
After the initial ideal element de- 1 μm of microstrip trace length. Due
sign, the inductor program from to the small circuit size of approxi-
6. This layout was created using the open- TriQuint was
source ICED software. used to calculate
Table 1. Comparing PHEMT models.
“lossy” spiral in- Frequency Noise figure Noise figure Noise figure
(GHz) (min) (dB) circle circle (angle)
to provide DC voltages to the gate ductor models. (magnitude)
and drain of the pHEMT. Large ca- Capacitors and
2.100 0.461 0.75 24.9
pacitors were added to provide a short thin-film resis- 2.100 0.732 0.60 27.2
circuit match at RF while decoupling tors were treated 2.100 0.753 0.60 26.3
the DC bias. The original simulations as ideal elements 2.100 0.734 0.60 27.3
used the Generic computer-aided- while interconnect Notes:
design (GeeCAD) program created by was ignored for 1. Noise figure of the unstablized pHEMT device (.s2p file).
Dr. Lee Edwards and Sheng Cheng all linear simula- 2. Stabilized pHEMT device with ideal source inductor (1 nH).
and used by students in the JHU RF tions. The Sonnet 3. Stabilized pHEMT with lossy source inductor (TriQuint).
4. Stabilized pHEMT with lossy source inductor (MW Office).
& Microwave I and II design classes. EM simulation in-
!
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Features Typical Applications
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LOW PASS
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Range (GHz) Loss (dB) Range (GHz) (Rej. >20 dB) Response (ns) Code Number
DC - 4.0 10 2.2 - 4.0 1.25 x Fcutoff 150 LP5 EAR99 HMC881LP5E
DC - 7.6 10 4.5 - 7.6 1.23 x Fcutoff 150 LP5 EAR99 HMC882LP5E
DesignFeature 20
15
X: 2.1
Y: 10.23
0 10
Gain—dB
–5 5
–20 –10
0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2 1.4 1.6 1.8 2.0 2.2 2.4 2.6
Frequency—GHz
–25
8. These plots compare simulated pHEMT LNA return loss using Gee-
–30 CAD, ADS, and Microwave Office CAE simulation software.
0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2 1.4 1.6 1.8 2.0 2.2 2.4 2.6
Frequency—GHz
take in the netlist or in the layout that could cause a sig-
dB S11 lnaq (GeeCAD) dB S22 lna18 24mwo s2p (MW Office) nificant mismatch between the simulation and the layout.
dB S22 lnaq (GeeCAD) dB S11 lna18 24ads s2p (ADS)
dB S11 lna18 24mwo s2p dB S22 lna18 24ads s2p (ADS) This kind of mistake can be missed by even the better CAE
(MW Office) tools, so special care is required in verifying the layout and
schematic diagram when using separate tools for simula-
7. These plots compare simulated pHEMT LNA gain using GeeCAD, ADS, tion and layout.
and Microwave Office CAE simulation software. A standard E-mode pHEMT device with dimensions of
6 x 50 μm was chosen as the active device for the LNA
mately 1.2 x 0.8 mm, interconnects were ignored since at design, with the added goal of minimizing power consump-
these frequencies any modeling errors introduced by inter- tion. The E-mode pHEMT has more gain and slightly bet-
connection parasitics should be minimal. After replacing ter noise figure than the depletion-mode (D-mode) pHEMT
the ideal inductors with “lossy” inductor models, the LNA devices in the TriQuint TQPED GaAs process.1 Also, the
design was re-tuned to optimize performance. positive E-mode gate threshold tends to simplify the DC
The layout was created using ICED and standard cells bias for a single positive battery supply, although nega-
from the TriQuint TQPED library. Layouts were created tive threshold D-mode pHEMTs can also be designed for
for the capacitors, resistors, and spiral inductors by modi- a single positive supply by using a resistor in parallel with
fying existing standard cells. Bond pads were added to a large bypass capacitor at the source. Noise-figure data at
provide DC bias inputs and contact points for ground-sig-
nal-ground (GSG) probe-station measurements. For LVS 3.0
checking, a netlist was generated manually—fortunately,
2.5
the design was simple. It would be easy to make a mis-
Amplifier stability—magnitude
2.0 2.0
1.8
X: 2.4 1.5
1.6
X: 2.1 Y: 1.238
1.4 X: 1.8 Y: 1.175
Y: 1.143 1.0
Noise figure—dB
1.2
1.0 0.5
0.8 dB NF lnaq (GeeCAD)
dB NFmin lnaq (GeeCAD) 0
0.6 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2 1.4 1.6 1.8 2.0 2.2 2.4 2.6
dB NF lna18 24mwo s2p (MW Office)
0.4 Frequency—GHz
dB NF lna18 24ads s2p (ADS)
0.2 Mag Re Mu1 lnaq (GeeCAD) Mag Re Mu2 lna18 24mwos s2p
Mag Re Mu2 lnaq (GeeCAD) (MW Office)
0 Mag Re Mu1 lna18 24mwos s2p Mag Re Mu1 lna18 24ads s2p (ADS)
0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2 1.4 1.6 1.8 2.0 2.2 2.4 2.6 (MW Office) Mag Re Mu2 lna18 24ads s2p (ADS)
Frequency—GHz
9. These plots compare simulated pHEMT LNA noise figure using Gee- 10. These plots compare simulated pHEMT LNA stability using GeeCAD,
CAD, ADS, and Microwave Office CAE simulation software. ADS, and Microwave Office CAE simulation software.
DesignFeature
Table 2. Comparing simulated and measured
(in parentheses) results for the LNA design.
tween the linear Frequency 1.8 GHz 2.1 GHz 2.4 GHz
S-parameter file Noise figure (dB) 1.14 (1.7) 1.18 (1.4) 1.24 (1.4)
and the non-linear Gain, S21 (dB) 11.2 (10.4) 10.20 (9.3) 9.2 (8.2)
model, version Return loss, S11 (dB) 5.9 (6.2) 6.1 (6.2) 6.5 (6.4)
3 of TriQuint’s Return loss, S22 (dB) 12.0 (18.9) 15.0 (20.5) 21.0 (17.4)
Own Model
(TOM3), using Microwave Office at 1 GHz prior to adding the matching
the 3 V and 4.5 mA DC bias setting circuits.
(Figs. 2 and 3). Table 1 shows the minimum noise
In trying to optimize overall per- figure and optimal match at 2.1 GHz
11. This layout was used to simulate pHEMT formance, there are tradeoffs among for the pHEMT S-parameter file (1),
LNA performance using the Sonnet EM simu- stability, gain, noise figure, and return the stabilized pHEMT with an ideal
lation software. loss. A small 1-nH source inductor 1-nH source inductor (2), the stabi-
improved the input match with mini- lized pHEMT with the lossy lumped
3 V and 4.4 mA bias as well as 3 V and mal penalty to the noise figure. Shunt element inductor model (TriQuint
8 mA bias were used for the design and series stabilizing resistors were inductor program) (3), and the sta-
and comparison of performance while added to the drain (i.e., output) caus- bilized pHEMT with a rectangular
maintaining low DC power consump- ing a small increase in noise figure, spiral inductor model in Microwave
tion. A comparison of S-parameters but their impact is minimal compared Office using the TQPED_MRIND2
of the PHEMT plotted on the Smith to stabilizing resistors at the LNA in- element (4). As can be seen, stabilizing
chart shows negligible differences for put. The stabilized pHEMT is uncon- the pHEMT added about 0.3 dB to the
the two DC bias points (Fig. 1). A sec- ditionally stable at 1 GHz and above, noise figure and changed the optimal
ond plot shows good agreement be- but only conditionally stable below match point. As Table 1 shows, there
Linear Voltage Regulator for Demanding Low Phase Noise VCO / PLL Applications!
Gain—dB
inductor (2) versus the two lossy in- 5
Return loss—dB
the input and output matching circuits
No Filter
Notch were used to provide an RF ground –15
X: 1.8
SMA
MA Connectors
Conn 3-pole Ceramic Filter gain at midband with a good noise 5 Y: 11.34
SMT Connections
nnection figure of about 1 dB. Table 2 provides
0 dB S21 lnaq (GeeCAD)
a summary of the simulated and mea- dB S21 lna18 24mwos s2p (MW Office)
dB S21 lna18 24ads s2p (ADS)
sured performance for the LNA from –5 dB S21 lna son2 (Sonnet)
dB S21 lna son2 (Sonnet)
Lowpass Filter 1.8 to 2.4 GHz, with measured results –10
BNC Connectorsrs in parentheses. 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0
Frequency—GHz
Any unexpected parasitic elements
can be found by performing an EM 14. The predicted gain performance from the
simulation of the layout. If the layout GeeCAD, ADS, Microwave Office, and Sonnet
is particularly dense, there may be EM software simulators is compared to actual
unintentional coupling not reflected measurements (the solid red trace).
in the linear simulations. While the
Sonnet Professional EM simulator ports replacing the gate, drain, and
is not inexpensive, an EM simula- source of the PHEMT device. Figure
tor can be a valuable addition to the 11 shows the Sonnet layout used to
800-642-2587 www.diplexers.com design process. The LNA layout was generate S-parameters of the physical
MADE IN USA filters@diplexers.com imported into Sonnet with internal layout by means of a 2.5D EM field
4
SPI Data Ref REF
R
Register Counter Buffer
LD_SDO
LOOP FILTER
Phase
Modulator Freq. Charge LO
Detector Pump
N
Counter
÷2
Rx IF
DesignFeature
Return loss—dB
CAD simulations (Figs. 12 and 13).
–15
There does not appear to be any un-
expected parasitics in the layout that –20
were uncovered in this EM simula-
–25
tion. Careful layout and spacing of
the elements along with verification –30
0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0
of the MMIC layout are key factors in equency—GHz
a successful design. dB S11 lnaq (GeeCAD) dB S11 lna18 24ads s2p (ADS)
After the LNA was fabricated by dB S22 lnaq (GeeCAD)
dB S11 lna18 24mwo s2p
dB S22 lna18 24ads s2p (ADS)
dB S11 lna son2 (Sonnet)
TriQuint, it was probe tested at the (MW Office) dB S22 lna son2 (Sonnet)
dB S22 lna18 24mwo s2p dB S11 LNA18B36 (measured)
Dorsey campus of JHU. The mea- (MW Office) dB S22 LNA18B36 (measured)
sured results compare favorably to
simulations from GeeCAD, ADS, Mi- 15. The predicted return-loss performance
crowave Office, and Sonnet. Figure 14 levels from the GeeCAD, ADS, Microwave
shows very similar gain response for Office, and Sonnet EM software simulators
all of the simulations compared to the are compared here to actual measurements
actual measured data (the solid red (the solid red trace).
trace) with the amplifier biased at 3.6
LNA18_24 3.6V
V and 6 mA. Return-loss results in 13
12
Fig. 15 show good agreement between 11
10
measured data and all simulations Noise figure—dB 9
8
with some subtle differences in S22 7
NFGCAD
GainGCAD
values. Finally, a noise figure meter 6
5
NFCorr
GainCorr
was used to measure the noise figure 4
3
at a respectable value of 1.4 dB versus 2
1
the simulated 1.2-dB value shown in 0
1.6 1.8 2.0 2.2 2.4 2.6
Fig. 16. Since individual probe-testable Frequency—GHz
pHEMT devices were included in the
fabrication, a final comparison be- 16. The pHEMT LNA’s noise figure as simulat-
tween measured S-parameters and ed by the GeeCAD software is compared here
simulations using measured pHEMT to actual measurements with a noise-figure
device data from the same wafer may meter. The measured value of 1.4 dB com-
explain the minor differences in out- pares well with the simulated noise-figure
put return loss. value of 1.2 dB.
In short, it is possible to design a
GaAs MMIC LNA with a low-cost possible to design MMICs on a low
microwave simulator and open- CAE budget with good results.
source layout tool, achieving good ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
DesignFeature
JOHN HOWARD
President
ET Industries, 50 Intervale Road, Boonton, NJ 07005;
(973) 394-1719, FAX: (973) 394-1710, e-mail: sales@
etiworld.com, Internet: www.etiworld.com. x ddvv
S
catterers such as rainfall y
can impose hard-to-predict
effects on the propagation
of electromagnetic (EM) z = z1 z z = z2
waves, often making anal- Antenna 2
Antenna 1
ysis of the near-field and
far-field antenna patterns and perfor- 3. The rainfall scatterers are distributed in an area bounded by the plane z = z1{} and z = z2.
mance difficult. In order to provide
a more meaningful approach to un- When no precipitation is present,
derstanding the effects of scatterers E3H3 is identical to E1H1. But when (20)
on EM propagation, last month Part precipitation is present, E3 and E1 are
1 of this study explored the influence related by the effective complex re-
of distributed scatterers on nearfield fractive index, m^ ,of the precipitation
DesignFeature
SEE EQUATION 28
(29)
where vol indicates integration
over the precipitation volume, i.e., the
region between z = z1 and z = z2. Be-
(30) cause the beamwidth of the transmit
and receive antennas is very small,
the volume integral in Eq. 28 may be
written
SEE EQUATION 29
SEE EQUATION 30
(31)
(3
36)
SEE EQUATION 32
SEE EQUATION 33
DesignFeature
can be written as
(34)
Comparing Eqs. 33 and 34 yields ∫∫A E1E2 dS,
REFERENCES
1. B. J. Easterbrook and D. Turner, “Prediction of Attenuation by Rainfall in the 10.7-11.7
GHz Communications Band, Proceedings of the IEEE, E Vol. 114, 1967, p. 557.
2. L. C. Tillotson, “A Model of a Domestic Satellite Communication System,” Bell System
Technical Journal,l Vol. 47, 1968, p. 2111.
(I)) 3. D. C. Hogg and T. S. Chu, “The Role of Rain in Satellite Communications,” Proceedings of
the IEEE,
E Vol. 63, No. 9, 1975, p. 1308.
4. D. C. Hogg and T. S. Chu, “Propagation of Radio Waves at Frequencies Above 10 GHz,”
IEE Conference Publication 98, 1973.
(40) 5. W. E. Lothalier, “System Considerations for European Communication Satellites,” IEEE
International Conference o Communication, Philadelphia, PA, 1972, pp. 2-1 to 2-7.
6. J. W. Ryde, “Attenuation of Centimetre Waves by Rain, Hail, and Clouds,” Report 8516,
General Electric Company Research Labs, Wembley, England, 1944.
7. H. C. Van de Hulst, Light-Scattering by Small Particles, Wiley, New York, 1957, p. 28.
8. R. G. Medhurst, “Rainfall Attenuation of Centimeter Waves: Comparison of Theory and
(41) Measurement,” IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation, Vol. AP-13, 1965, p. 55.
9. J. W. Mink, “Rain-Attenuation Measurements of Millimeter Waves Over Short Paths,”
Electron Letters, Vol. 9, No. 10, 1973, p. 198.
10. R. K. Crane, “The Rain Range Experiment—Propagation Through a Simulated Rain Envi-
ronment,” IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation, Vol. AP-22, 1974, p. 321.
(42) 11. D. P. Haworth, N. J. McEwan, and P. A. Watson, “Effect of Rain in the Near Field of an
Antenna,” Electron Letters, Vol. 14, No. 4, 1978, p. 94.
12. J. Van Bladel, Electromagnetic Fields, McGraw-Hill, New York, 1964, p. 254.
DesignFeature
Powers TV Transmitters
By combining asymmetrical and symmetrical power divider
structures into a single microstrip implementation, it is possible to
create a power divider for use from 470 to 806 MHz.
A
Zd
s digital technology infil- dividers are passive devices used to re-
trates an increasing num- alize this task, delivering in-phase sig- 1. The proposed Wilkinson design consists of
ber of applications, RF/ nals for each power amplifier in the two different power divider sections.
microwave components transmitter signal chain. Power divid-
are handling more band- ers can be realized as different types A Wilkinson power divider can be
width to keep pace. For of components, including directional implemented with transmission lines,
broadcast UHF television, for ex- couplers and resistive power divid- including coaxial lines, stripline, and
ample, a power divider must handle ers, which contain lumped elements microstrip.1 The Wilkinson power
the entire frequency range from 470 only, and Wilkinson power dividers. divider design presented here pro-
to 806 MHz with relative
low loss and good amplitude
and phase characteristics to
ensure the integrity of the
transmitted digital signals.
For this purpose, a three-way
Wilkinson power divider was
developed based exclusively
on microstrip lines. Two
prototypes will be presented,
showing good performance
with respect to essential pa-
rameters, including insertion
loss and return loss.
In a UHF broadcast tele-
vision application, signals
must be split at the transmit-
ter input to feed every power 2. These simulations show predicted performance for the first part of the power divider, the 1:3 Wilkinson
amplifier accordingly. Power divider.
DesignFeature
for the asymmetrical 1:2 Wilkinson power
divider.
6. These measured data show the S21 values
for the 1:2 asymmetrical Wilkinson power
divider.
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DesignFeature
DesignFeature
power division. The new divider has of S22. The impedance match is better
four ports, an input and three out- than 23 dB across the UHF band.
puts, all designed for similar levels Next, measurements for the 1:3
of output power and phase. Figure 5 symmetrical Wilkinson power divider
shows the constructed 1:3 Wilkinson were performed. Figure 8 shows S41 for
power divider. one output port, with the other two
The 1:2 asymmetrical Wilkin- ports bearing similar results. The new
son divider and the 1:3 symmetrical Wilkinson divider showed good sym-
Wilkinson divider were simulated metry among ports.
and designed for optimal results in The insertion loss was close to the
both prototypes. Measurements were theoretical value, with a small imbal-
made with the Agilent E5062A vector 9. These plots show the measured S44 perfor- ance between ports. Figure 9 shows the
network analyzer (VNA) from Agi- mance for the symmetrical Wilkinson divider. matching of this port, for S44. Phase
lent Technologies across the full UHF imbalances among ports are minimal.
band. The results displayed in Fig. 6 port were close to the theoretical value Table 1 shows experimental data, while
show the S21 values for the 1:2 asym- of 4.8 dB, corresponding to one-third Table 2 presents results of Sij param-
metrical Wilkinson power divider. of the input power. Figure 7 shows eters for 1 ≤ i,j ≤ 4 corresponding to
The S21 results for the asymmetrical port isolation based on measurements the symmetrical 1:3 Wilkinson power
divider over the UHF band.
Table 2. Summarizing measurements REFERENCES
for the 1:3 Wilkinson power divider. 1. E. Wilkinson, “An N-Way Hybrid Power Divider,” IRE Transac-
tions on Microwave Theory and Techniques, Vol. MTT-8, January
S-parameter 1960, pp. 116-118.
S21 S31 S41 S11 S22 S33 S44 2. J. A. Justino Ribeiro, Engenharia de Microondas – Fundamen-
Frequency (dB) (dB) (dB) (dB) (dB) (dB) (dB) tos e Aplicações, First Edition, Érica, Sao Paolo, Brazil, 2008.
(MHz) 3. David M. Pozar, Microwave Engineering, 2nd Ed., Wiley, New
York, 1998.
470 -5.0 -4.9 -4.8 -29.2 -28.5 -28.8 -25.3 4. K. C. Gupta, R. Garg, I. J. Bahl, and P. Bhatia, Microstrip Lines
and Slotline, Artech House, Norwood, MA, 1996.
570 -4.9 -5.0 -4.8 -22.9 -22.0 -22.2 -21.9
5. Q. Guo, Y. Ma, and J. Ju, “A Novel Broadband High-Power
Combiner,” in the Proceedings of the 2005 IEEE Asia Pacific
640 -5.0 -5.0 -4.8 -23.2 -23.4 -23.8 -23.6 Microwave Conference, Sushou, December, 2005.
730 -5.1 -5.0 -4.9 -26.4 -25.3 -25.8 -24.3 6. S. Horst, R. Bairavasubramanian, M. M. Tentzeris, and J.
Papapolymerou, “Modified Wilkinson Power Dividers for MM-
806 -5.1 -5.1 dB -5.1 dB -33.6 dB -37.0 dB -37.3 dB -22.01 dB Wave Integrated Circuits,” IEEE Transactions on Microwave
Theory and Techniques, Vol. 55, No. 11, November, 2007.
DesignFeature
J. S. MANDEEP Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia; +6012-5219097, direction. The antenna features eight
Professor e-mail: mandeeps75@yahoo.com. axial dipole elements, with each ele-
N. MISRAN ment formed with half of the dipole
TAN CHIY HOW on the front-side substrate surface
Associate Professor Engineering Student and half on the back side. An SMA
H. ABDULLAH School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Univer-
end-launch connector carries signals
Senior Lecturer siti Sains Malaysia, Engineering Campus, 14300 Nibong
Department of Electrical, Electronic & System Engineer- Tebal, Seberang Perai Selatan, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia; to and from the dipole elements.
ing, Faculty of Engineering & Built Environment, +604-5996001, FAX: +604-5941023, e-mail: chiyhow. The corner reflector patch ar-
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 43600, UKM Bangi, lm08@student.usm.my. ray antenna includes a feed network
printed on the same dielectric sub-
S
atellite communication An optimal antenna for this ap- strate as the radiating elements, and
(satcom) systems employ plication should be small and simple. a corner reflector consisting of two
one or more fixed earth sta- For cost-effectiveness and ease of in- metal plates forming an 180-deg.
tions and a constellation of tegration, an ideal antenna would be angle (Fig. 1).3,4 A suitable distance
earth-orbiting satellites to based on a planar printed structure must be maintained between the di-
provide transmission/recep- that can be realized with microstrip.2 poles. Too little spacing between ad-
tion of voice, video, and data as well A proposed solution is a corner reflec- jacent elements can lead to adverse
as position information.1 A satcom tor patch array antenna that is driven effects of mutual coupling. But too
system is typically configured with a by a microstrip line feed. The anten- large a spacing between adjacent ele-
directive antenna, which will follow na is comprised of metallic reflectors ments will cause grating lobes in the
the motion of an object relative to a arranged for a desired beamwidth radiation pattern.
given satellite. When the position of
the object changes, the azimuth angle Bottom side of the arrayy TTop side of the array
from the object relative to the satel-
lite will change. What follows are de- 0.75 λ 0.4 λ
tails on the design of a microstrip-fed Corner edge
patch array antenna that can meet the
requirements of these systems.
For such satcom applications, the
antenna beamwidth should be rela-
tively narrow in the azimuth plane, Balun
with wide beamwidth in the elevation
plane. A number of different anten-
nas can meet these requirements, but
typically in too bulky or complex a Coaxial connector
configuration for integration into a
satcom earth terminal. 1. This layout represents the printed patch array antenna with feed network and balun.
DesignFeature
0 4. These plots show the simu- 5. These plots show the simu-
lated and measured return loss lated and measured radiation
of the patch array antenna. patterns in the azimuth plane.
–10 25
Return loss—dB
20 Simulated
15
Measured
10
Gain—dB
5
–20 0
–5
Simulated –10
Measured –15
–20
–30 –25
10 11 12 13 14 –90 –70 –50 –30 –10 +10 +30 +50 +70 +90
Frequency—GHz θ—deg.
DesignFeature
is rotated from 0 to 10
360 deg. in 10-deg.
5 Simulated
steps, with the spec-
0 Measured
trum analyzer used to
measure power levels –5
in dBm. An alternate –90 –70 –50 –30 –10 +10 +30 +50 +70 +90
θ—deg.
approach to the ra-
diation pattern mea- 6. These plots show the simulated and measured radiation patterns.
surement setup is to
replace the transmit antenna with a ment, the SMA connector is disposed
horn and parabolic antenna. inside the antenna substrate, making
The gain measurement setup is the actual transmission line shorter
similar to the setup used to measure than the transmission-line model
the radiation pattern of the patch ar- used in the simulation. Figures 5 and 6
ray antenna. From the Friss transmis- show antenna beamwidth results. The
sion formula, the transmit and receive beamwidth in the elevation plane (Fig.
antennas, which are identical, will 6) is relatively wide compared with
have same gain based on calculations the beamwidth in the azimuth plane
made by means of Eq. 1: (Fig. 5). This wide antenna beamwidth
in the elevation plane allows the an-
G0t = G0r = 0.5[20log10}(4π r/λ
/ ) tenna to receive signal sources at wide
+ 10log10(Precc/Pt)] (1) elevation angles without rotating the
antenna in the elevation plane. The
where differences between the simulated and
G0t = transmit antenna gain (in dB); measure radiation patterns are due to
G0r = receive antenna gain (in dB); some interference and obstructions
Pt = the transmitted power (in W); between the proposed antenna and
Prec = the received power (in W); the transmitter during the radiation-
λ = operating wavelength (in m); and pattern measurements, since the mea-
r = the separation distance between surements were not made in a room
antennas (in m). with adequate free space.
Figures 4 through 6 and the table REFERENCES
1. Klein S. Gilhousen, Franklin P. Antonio, Irwin M. Jacobs,
show the simulated and measured re- and Lindsay A. Weaver, Jr., “Alternating Sequential Half
sults. Figure 4 shows return loss. Dif- Duplex Communication System,” United States Patent No.
4979170, issued December 18, 1990.
ferences in the two plots could be due 2. David M. Pozar and G. I Costache, Microstrip Antennas,
IEEE Press, New York, 1995.
to mismatches between the transmis- 3. A. Nesic, I. Radnovic, and Z. Micic, “Printed Antenna
sion line and the coaxial connector Arrays with High Side Lobe Suppression,” Hindawi Pub-
lishing Corporation, Active and Passive Electronic Compo-
since this was not taken into account nents, Vol. 2008, Article ID 542929.
4. D. G. Laramie, “Printed Circuit Antenna Array Using Cor-
during the simulations. The input port ner Reflector,” United States Patent No. 5708446, issued
is at the edge of the substrate during January 13, 1998.
5. Momentum planar EM simulator, ADS 2005, Agilent
simulation; in the actual measure- Technologies (www.agilent.com).
BY STANDARDIZING AND EXTENDING local-area net- all of the mandatory rules specified in the LXI
Achieve LXI works (LANs), the LXI standard vows to put the standard for Class C, B, and A devices.
Certification In power of the Ethernet and the Web inside test Conformance testing can be performed at
Just Five Steps systems. For test systems, the resulting possibilities either a PlugFest or with an approved, privately
include local, remote, distributed, and time-aware arranged testing house. For products that have
design.To provide best practices for integrating LXI failed, details are provided to explain what must
instruments into a system, the LXI Consortium has be done for the product to pass. For products that
released a three-page white paper titled, “How to have passed, the next step is to submit the “Appli-
Get a Product LXI Certified in Five Steps.” cation for LXI Conformance Certification” with
To manufacture test equipment with benefits the conformance documentation and CoTS XML
like interoperability, the first step to becoming LXI file with test results. The board of directors will
certified is to become a member of the consortium. approve/deny the application within two weeks.
Membership classes range from informational This white paper includes more details on each
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guidance and additional information will then standard compliance know precisely what to
be available. Members also have access to an expect from this process.
anno
an nota
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tedd ve
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background information. The conformance test LXI Consortium, P.O. Box 1016, Niwot, CO 80544-
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FAX: (303) 652-1444, Internet:
from the web site. This automated test covers www.lxistandard.org.
Baseband I/Q analysis can be performed early in analog baseband development using a
general-purpose signal analyzer.
RF OR BASEBAND ENGINEERS often need fast, accu- feature of the baseband I/Q inputs, these capa-
Better Signal rate, and cost-effective signal-analysis measure- bilities can be extended to baseband signals.
Quality Begins ments in the spectral and time domains. They By just switching the input channels on the
At Baseband also need to perform digital-modulation analysis.
Such measurements may be made with an oscil-
signal analyzer, any unexpected degradation in
baseband signal quality can be investigated at
loscope and a spectrum analyzer. Using two both RF and baseband. The engineer also can
instruments can introduce errors while raising the perform complex spectrum and I/Q waveform
cost of test, however. Although single-instrument, measurements during analog baseband signal
higher-end solutions are available, they come at analysis. With complex spectrum, sampled com-
a higher cost. These issues are compounded by plex data can be shown in the frequency domain.
the
h fact thhat new, more compact, and d economical
i l In add
ddiitiion, th
he mark
ker functions
i avail
ilabl
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he
radio-communications devices with higher data analyzer allow channel power, intermodulation
rates are constantly being developed. Agilent distortion (IMD), and spurious signal measure-
Technologies, Inc. illustrates how quick, accurate, ments to be made. If the signal analyzer offers
and cost-effective baseband in-phase/quadrature more sophisticated capabilities like noise and
(I/Q) analysis of radio-communications devices band/interval markers, baseband signals can
can be performed in “Baseband IQ Analysis.” even be fully characterized.
This four-page application note discusses As an example, the note points to the firm’s
how baseband I/Q analysis can be performed MXA signal analyzer with option BBA for base-
early in analog baseband development using a band analysis. Different aspects like the software
general-purpose signal analyzer. Of course, that and probe are recommended and detailed. A
signal analyzer must support multiple band- two-channel analysis example also is included.
widths and be equipped with analog baseband The note emphasizes that the successful operation
I/Q inputs. Such analyzers allow engineers to of a radio-communications device depends on
use a range of standard-based measurements signal quality at the baseband as well as RF.
like spectrum emission mask and local-oscillator
phase noise. In addition, modulation analysis Agilent Technologies,
T Inc., 5301 Stevens Creek
allows the designer to detect, demodulate, and Blvd., Santa Clara, CA 95051; (408) 345-8886, FAX
F :
troubleshoot digital signals. With the added (408) 345-8474, Internet: www.agilent.com.
W
NO
UP TO
SIM
0.1 M
Hz -
20 G
Hz
Active Inductors
Tune Low-Noise VCOs
ULRICH L. ROHDE
Chairman
Dynamic-phase-injection techniques help
AJAY K. PODDAR to tame tunable active inductors for use in
Chief Scientist
Synergy Microwave Corp., 202 McLean Boulevard,
miniature monolithic VCOs that provide
Paterson, NJ 07504; +1-973-881-8800; low phase noise while operating with low
I
FAX: +1-973-881-8361, e-mail: akpoddar@
synergymwave.com, Internet: www.synergymwave.com power consumption.
+
12-GHz ATI VCO Vcc
certain designs, such as amplifiers and 5. The TAI with
oscillators, especially when fabricated phase-compensat- Vt +
R10
+ C5
P1 R1
on expensive substrate materials such ing network was + C4 R9 R5 L2
VCOs
TM
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A schematic diagram for an active negative, where inductance decreases the widespread use of TAIs in high-
inductor based on silicon germanium with control voltage, or positive, where frequency ICs.
(SiGe) heterojunction-bipolar-transistor inductance increases with control volt- A TAI-based 12-GHz VCO based
(HBT) technology is shown in Fig. 1(a), age, depending upon the TAI topol- on SiGe HBT technology was devel-
along with its tuning characteristic in ogy. Both tuning curves indicate strong oped with an active capacitor in an
Fig. 1(b). The slope of inductance with nonlinearities under large-signal drive attempt to improve noise performance
control voltage and frequency can be conditions, which have long plagued and dynamic range (not shown). For a
high dynamic range, the inductor must
handle relatively high power levels with
low distortion. Most tunable inductors
in the technical literature rely on adjust-
ing the bias point of an active device,
using the device’s transconductance
(gm) as the tuned value. Unfortunately,
transconductance is not linear with bias
under large-signal conditions, making
it almost impossible to achieve good
SMPM DC Blocks linearity with this approach.
The history of the TAI is relatively
long and often based on the use of a gyra-
tor. Early work can be traced to Dutch
theorist B.D.H, Tellegen of Philips. A
basic circuit using a reactance tube was
designed in 1930 for electronic tuning
and FM generation. Earlier researchers
noted that a TAI was subject to large-
signal limitations and other problems.3
An active inductor based on a gyrator
can be realized by connecting inverting
and non-inverting amplifier back-to-
back in parallel.
A schematic diagram for a TAI based
on SiGe HBTs, including the noise
sources associated with the TAI tank
circuit, is shown in Fig. 2. Part of the
negative resistance, [Rv(t)], generated
by the TAI can be used to minimize an
oscillator’s dynamic noise. It can lower
the oscillator’s power consumption by
means of a reduction in the RF output
current duty cycle.
A typical TAI consists of a grounded
active inductor, a cascade grounded
inductor, and a resistive-feedback active
inductor that can be implemented as part
of an RFIC or MMIC. Such a circuit can
be used in power dividers, quadrature
couplers, and oscillators, provided it has
adequate voltage-handling capability
and is not current limited like a passive
An ISO 9001 Certified Company inductor. Unfortunately, this approach
has limited dynamic range and tuning
range resulting in only narrowband
operation.
Active, passive, single, or dual:
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Cover Story
A C T I V E I N D U C TO R S
For oscillator and frequency syn- converts capacitance C(v) into induc- phase-compensating network is shown
thesizer applications, it is critical that tance L(v) as a function of delay (φ) and along with a Smith chart tracing the
a TAI provide a wide tuning range. To control voltage, V1, according to complex impedance in Figs. 4(a) and (b).
achieve this, a modified TAI incorporates The chart indicates inductive behavior
a dynamic phase compensating network L(v) ≈ C(v)/(gm1gm2) (1) from 600 MHz to 30 GHz, although
to achieve broadband operation (Fig. the real part of the input impedances
3). In this modified design, the gyrator A schematic diagram for the TAI and are positive everywhere, indicating lossy
operation. Point 3 in the chart is sensitive
(at 4.3 GHz) and should not be encircled,
which can limit some applications. The
TAI was used in the design of a 12-GHz
VCO (Fig. 5) and its phase noise was
plotted (Fig. 6). The phase noise, of -100
dBc/Hz offset 1 MHz from 12 GHz, is
far from impressive and not as good as
commercially available varactor-tuned
VCOs.9
Several approaches to overcome these
problems have been considered, such
as minimizing the noise introduced by
the active devices in the TAI circuits.1-9
However, even these techniques result in
power-hungry and band-limited charac-
teristics because negative resistance gen-
erated in series with the inductance is not
constant with operating frequency. The
approach of using TAIs with dynamic-
phase-injection techniques, however, can
improve oscillator phase noise without
degrading the linearity.
To demonstrate the effectiveness of
using dynamic-phase-injection tech-
niques with a TAI, a 12-GHz VCO
employing TAIs with dynamic phase
injection was fabricated on a dielectric
circuit board from Rogers Corporation
(www.rogerscorp.com). The substrate
material was 30 mils thick with a dielec-
tric constant of 3.38 in the z-direction
at 10 GHz. The schematic diagram for
this improved TAI-based VCO is shown
in Fig. 7 while a simulated phase-noise
plot is shown in Fig. 8. Compared to the
performance of the unmodified (but
phase compensated) TAI-based VCO of
Fig. 5, this new design shows 10 to 15
dB improvement in phase noise. The use
of dynamic phase injection minimizes
oscillator noise while simultaneously
decreasing the current consumption, so
that users no longer have to balance a
tradeoff between phase noise and power
consumption. Measurements on the
oscillator circuit (Fig. 9) show that the
actual phase noise is within 3 dB of the contributions from base current shot 50
Phase noise plots of 18 GHz active inductor oscillator using bipolar transistor
simulated performance, while achieving noise and base resistance thermal noise Area (1.0:0.5)
0
a tuning range of 200 MHz with only (far from the carrier). The result in the
Phase noise—dBc/Hz
Area (1:1)
12 mA and +3 VDC bias. 18-GHz oscillator design is a typical –50
To further explore the use of TAIs 8-dB degradation in close-in phase
with dynamic phase injection in high- noise (1 kHz offset from the carrier) –100
frequency oscillators, scaling was used with a 5 dB improvement in phase noise
to achieve a higher-frequency oscillator further from the carrier (10 MHz offset –150
0.01 0.1 1 10 100 1000 10000
by increasing the cutoff frequencies from the carrier), using SiGe transistors Offset from carrier—kHz
of the transistors. Based on 1.0:0.5 scaled to one-half their normal size. 10. Device scaling to achieve the higher fre-
device-scaled SiGe HBTs, a TAI-based Still, the results shown for the quency range of the 18-GHz VCO results in
oscillator designed for use at 18 GHz 12-GHz VCO based on TAIs with improved phase noise far from the carrier but
shows a 20-percent tuning range. As dynamic phase injection are promising. degraded performance close to the carrier.
0 indicates, device scaling increases
Fig. 10 Those results indicate that TAIs can be
the noise contribution from 1/f noise applied to the fabrication of miniature
(close to the carrier) while decreasing high-performance monolithic oscilla- 3. Thomas H. Lee, The Design of CMOS Radio-Frequency
Integrated Circuits, Second Edition, Cambridge University
tors to achieve excellent phase-noise Press, New York, 2004, pp. 360, 361.
Top –50 dBc/Hz –83.89 dBc/Hz –110.59 dBc/Hz levels without sacrificing linearity or 4. S. Del Re, G. Leuzzi and V. Stornelli, “A New Approach to
LoopBW the Design of High Dynamic Range Tunable Active Induc-
–70 power consumption. Synergy Micro- tors,” proceedings of Integrated Nonlinear Microwave and
wave Corp., 202 McLean Boulevard, Millimeter-Wave Circuits, 2008, pp. 25-28.
Phase noise—dBc/Hz
–90
5. D. Zito, A. Fonte, and D. Pepe, “ Microwave Active Induc-
–110
2
Paterson, NJ 07504; +1-973-881-8800; tor”, IEEE MWCL, Vol. 19, No. 7, July 2009.
–130
3 FAX: +1-973-881-8361, e-mail: akpod- 6. S. Angkititrakul, H. Hu, and Z. Liang, “Active Inductor
Current Balancing for Interleaving Multi-Phase Buck-
4
–150 dar@synergymwave.com, Internet: Boost Converter,” IEEE APEC 2009, Feb. 15-19, 2009, pp.
527-532.
–170 www.synergymwave.com. 7. E. Sonmez, P. Abele, K.-B. Schad and H. Schumacher, “16
12-GHz phase-injection TAI VCO
REFERENCES GHz Integrated Oscillator Design with Active Elements in a
0.1 1 10 100 Production Ready SiGe HBT MMIC Technology,” European
Offset from carrier—dBc/Hz 1. U. L. Rohde and A. K. Poddar, “Tunable Active Inductor
Offers Integrable and Cost-Effective Alternatives of Varac- Microwave Conference, Paris, France, Oct. 2-6, 2000.
9. The measured performance of the modified tor Tuned VCOs,” 2009 European Frequency & Time Forum 8. R. Kaunisto, “ Monolithic Active Resonator Filters For
& IEEE International Frequency Control Symposium (EFTF- High Frequencies,” Dr. of Science in Tech. Dissertation, H.
VCO with TAIs using dynamic phase injection IFCS 2009), Besançon, France, April 20-24 2009. U. of Technology, Finland, November 2000.
is quite close to the simulated performance 2. U. L. Rohde, A. K. Poddar, and G. Boeck, Modern Micro- 9. U. L. Rohde and A. K. Poddar, “Miniaturized VCOs Arm
wave Oscillators for Wireless Applications: Theory and Configurable Synthesizers.” IEEE International Microwave
shown in Fig. 8. Optimization, Wiley, New York, 2005. Symposium Boston, MA, June 7-12, 2009, pp. 1281-1284.
Nano Series
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ProductTechnology
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C
ables and connectors are the RF and microwave market. Our cus-
usually only noticed when tomers will appreciate the opportunity
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ly to a system or a circuit These high-performance flexible cable matched cables and connectors for their
but, at their worst, they can assemblies are suitable for test applications most demanding applications.”
degrade amplitude and phase perfor- through 20 GHz. (Photo courtesy of EAM.) Crystek Corp. (www.crystek.com), a
mance. Recent developments in these company perhaps better known for its
interconnection components have been pylene (FEP) jacket. The cables can be crystal oscillators, introduced a line of
aimed at making them as electrically terminated with a variety of connectors, low-loss flexible coaxial cable assem-
“invisible” as possible, with low loss including SMA, BNC, 7/16, SMP, and blies with stainless-steel solder-clamp
and the best possible impedance match TNC connectors. construction. The LL142 series cables
to a 50-Ohm system. Response Microwave (www.respon- (Fig. 2) offer a minimum bend radius of
For example, coaxial cable assembly semicrowave.com) is now offering its 0.8 in. with better than 110 dB shield-
supplier Electronic Assembly Manufac- TESTCABLZ family of cable assemblies ing effectiveness (SE) and attenuation
turing, Inc. (EAM, www.eamcableas- for production test applications through of 0.36 dB/ft. at 18 GHz. The cable
semblies.com) recently announced that 18 GHz. The flexible cable assemblies assemblies are available with SMA,
it was offering high-performance flex- include 0.163-in.-outside-diameter or Type N, and TNC connectors.
ible cable assemblies for applications 0.104-in.-outside-diameter cables with Micro-Coax (www.micro-coax.
through 20 GHz (see figure). Based choice of male and/or female SMA, com) weighed in with its new UTi-
on T-Flex cables from Times Micro- push-on SMA, Type N, TNC, BNC, FLEX MCJ185A space-grade cable for
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from 45 MHz to 18 GHz. The 50-Ohm leakage of -110 dB. The cables have requirements of MIL-DTL-M17. The
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over time, meet all MIL-C-17 require- copper-clad steel center conductor. at 32 GHz, are low outgassing and
ments. The cables feature polytetra- Dynawave (www.dynawave.com) radiation-resistance cables that have
fluoroethylene (PTFE) dielectric with recently added low-loss bulk cables to passed the full qualification require-
silver-plated copper tape and braid its product lines, covering applications ments of MIL-DTL-39012. They weigh
shield and fluorinated ethylene pro- from DC to 65 GHz. According to only 12.4 g/ft.
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ProductTechnology
Product Trends
Math/EM Software
Solves Circuit Problems
The newest versions of popular mathematical and electromagnetic
simulation programs add speed by taking advantage of the latest
memory-packed, multiprocessor-based computers.
JACK BROWNE kit on its web site (upon registration), For those seeking a lower-cost math
Technical Director
with data sheets, customer comments, software, Sage (www.sagemath.org) is
and recorded product presentations. an open-source mathematical modeling
system licensed under the GNU (www.
S
oftware simulation has SOLVING EQUATIONS gnu.org) General Public License (GPL)
largely taken the place of Mathsoft, the developer of Mathcad program. It is an open-source alterna-
“trial-and-error” prototypes software, was acquired by PTC (www. tive to such tools as Maple, MATLAB,
in fine-tuning high-frequency ptc.com) in 2006. Version 14.0 of Math- and Mathematica and is composed of
designs. Two of the types of cad features a long list of improve- nearly 100 open-sourced packages with
software tools often used by ments, including full Unicode support a unified interface.
RF and microwave engineers are math- for displaying worksheets across many
ematical and electromagnetic (EM) field different operating systems and the EM SIMULATION TOOLS
simulators. Although math tools can be capability to perform inline numerical EM simulators can be thought of
applied for analysis in almost all scien- evaluations to simplify substituting as mathematical solvers devoted to
tific fields, they can also be run with values for variables in equations. Maxwell’s equations. Programs such as
electrical engineering modules. And EM Version 13 is the latest iteration of the Sonnet Suite of tools from Sonnet
simulators have leveraged the increased the Maple math software from Maple- Software (www.sonnetsoftware.com)
computing power of improved micro- Soft (www.maplesoft.com). In addition operate with a physical description of
processors to provide greater insight to its powerful equation editors and an antenna or planar circuit and apply
into planar and three-dimensional (3D) equation-solving engines, the program a method-of-moments (MoM) analysis
circuits and structures. can recognize handwritten symbols to based on Maxwell’s equations to devel-
MATLAB from The MathWorks simplify data entry. It supports symbolic op models of those subjects. The models
(www.mathworks.com), one of the best and numeric math operations, linear include all parasitic, cross-coupling,
known math software tools, is used algebra, and provides full connectivity enclosure and package resonance effects
for everything from cancer research to to MATLAB. and can be used to produce S-, Y-, or
waveguide analysis. The software com- Mathematica from Wolfram Z-parameters for the antenna or circuit
bines a powerful numeric engine with Research (www.wolfram.com) is now in for further modeling and analysis. The
a technical programming environment Version 7, with built-in image process- company also offers a feature-limited
and practical visualization capabilities ing, vector and field visualization, dis- version of its planar EM simulation
to serve as a versatile analysis tool. The crete symbolic calculus capabilities, and software called Sonnet Lite for free
firm offers a student version with vari- support for delay differential equations download on its web site.
ous tools from the full-featured version, (DDEs). It is now written for computers The RF Module in the COMSOL
including a symbolic math toolbox, a with parallel processors and can read- Multiphysics suite of programs from
signal-processing toolbox, and an opti- ily handle differential and difference COMSOL (www.comsol.com) also
mization toolbox. In addition, the com- equations, perform Boolean analysis, provides EM simulation capabilities
pany provides a free interactive user’s and analyze integer sequences. for modeling antennas, waveguide,
(877) 7-SONNET
High Frequency Electromagnetic Software www.sonnetsoftware.com/imsclass
© 2010 Sonnet Software, Inc. All rights reserved.
SONNET® is a registered trademark of Sonnet Software, Inc.
M AT H / E M S I M U L ATO R S
ProductTechnology
microwave components, and even high- release 12.1. This version introduces a with the firm’s Microwave Office and
speed optical components. It includes a new integral equation EM solver option Analog Office suites of software tools
host of advanced post-processing capa- based on full-wave MoM computation. and uses advanced hybrid meshing tech-
bilities, including far-field analysis and It is suitable for large-scale radiating and nology and proprietary full-wave planar
S-parameter computation. scattering studies, such as radar-cross- EM solver technology.
Zeland Software, the developer of the section (RCS) and antenna analyses. The latest version of Agilent’s
popular IE3D 3D EM simulator, was In many cases, EM simulation tools Momentum, the second-generation
acquired by Mentor Graphics (www. are included as part of larger software Momentum G2, is seamlessly integrated
mentor.com) earlier this year. Zeland’s suites. CST Microwave Studio from into the firm’s ADS platform, which is
EM simulator is now integrated with Computer Simulation Technology (www. also well integrated with the company’s
Mentor’s HyperLynx product suites and cst.com), for example, is a software suite test equipment. Momentum is a 3D
adds the capability to perform full-wave that includes 3D EM simulation capabil- planar MoM EM simulator with mul-
EM analysis on 3D structures in circuits ity. Two other leading simulation suites, tithreading algorithms that take advan-
and packages, including viaholes, sol- Microwave Office from AWR (www. tage of the processing speed of modern
der bumps, and wire bonds. Last year, awrcorp.com) and the Advanced Design computers and microprocessors.
Zeland had introduced its IE3D-SI ver- System (ADS) from Agilent Technolo- For those looking for low-cost EM
sion for signal integrity (SI) analysis, gies (www.agilent.com), feature power- simulation, Version 0.2 of Arpeggio
which is now also available as part of ful EM simulation tools, AXIEM and (http://www.angelfire.com/ca2/BlueFly-
the Mentor HyperLynx. Momentum, respectively. er/) is a general-purpose EM simulator
One of the standards in EM simula- AWR’s AXIEM handles 3D planar that performs true 3D simulations that
tion, the High-Frequency Structure Sim- applications, including printed-circuit will provide processing speed in propor-
ulation (HFSS) software from ANSYS boards and monolithic microwave inte- tion to the capabilities of a computer’s
(www.ansys.com), is now available as grated circuits (MMICs). It integrates memory and microprocessors.
EGNAHC
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2010
Next generation
3D electromagnetic simulation
The best available tool for 3D EM simulation has evolved into version
2010. With a user friendly interface, easy data exchange to and from
other software tools, a choice of first class solvers and world class
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electromagnetics to bring designs to market faster and with lower risk.
ProductTechnology
T
unable microwave filters quency, with low-side rejection (greater
offer a great deal of ver- than 20 dB) at 0.86 times the center
satility. And when they frequency and below and high-side
are based on monolithic- rejection (greater than 20 dB) at 1.19
microwave-integrated- These tunable lowpass and bandpass filters times the center frequency and beyond.
circuit (MMIC) technol- are varactor-based MMIC designs supplied in Out-of-band rejection drops below 30
ogy and housed within a 32-lead 5 x 5 mm surface-mount packages. dB at 9 GHz. For model HMC890LP5E,
5 x 5 mm surface-mount passband insertion loss is typically 9 dB
package, they can fit almost any appli- the model HMC882LP5E, the stopband with return loss of typically 10 dB.
cation. New families of varactor-tuned frequencies are typically 1.23 times the For the model HMC891LP5E band-
MMIC lowpass and bandpass filters cutoff frequency, with passband inser- pass filter, the 3-dB bandwidth is typi-
from Hittite Microwave Corp. (www. tion loss of typically 2.9 dB and return cally 9 percent of the center frequency,
hittite.com) provide this flexibility with loss of typically 10 dB. with low-side rejection (greater than 20
high stability and fast tuning speeds over For both lowpass models, the tuning dB) at 0.88 times the center frequency
a tuning range of 1.0 to 7.6 GHz. speed is typically 150 ns for a transi- and below and high-side rejection at
Models HMC881LP5E and tion from a 0-percent voltage control 1.15 times the center frequency and
HMC882LP5E are lowpass filters signal to 90 percent of the tuned fre- beyond. Out-of-band rejection drops
that provide stopband rejection of quency. Both lowpass filters are rated below 30 dB at 22 GHz. For model
at least 30 dB through 30 GHz. The for maximum input power of +10 dBm HMC890LP5E, passband insertion
HMC881LP5E filters have adjustable for linear operation. loss is typically 7 dB with return loss of
cutoff frequencies from 2.2 to 4.0 GHz Models HMC890LP5E and 10 dB. For both models, the maximum
while the HMC882LP5E filters provide HMC891LP5E are bandpass filters input power is +10 dBm. For both, the
adjustable cutoff frequencies from 4.5 that use two independent voltage con- tuning speed is typically 200 ns.
to 7.6 GHz. In both, a tuning voltage trols to adjust passband frequency and These tiny MMIC filters (see fig-
of 0 to 14 determines the tuned cutoff bandwidth. Model HMC890LP5E has ure) are housed in RoHS-compliant,
frequency. The stopband frequencies a tunable center frequency from 1 to 32-lead plastic QFN surface-mount
(rejection greater than 20 dB) for the 2 GHz while HMC891LP5E offers a packages that represent considerably
model HMC881LP5E are typically 1.25 tunable center frequency from 2.0 to smaller alternatives to mechanically
times the cutoff frequency, or 5 GHz for 3.9 GHz. As with the lowpass filters, a tuned filters. Hittite Microwave Corp.,
a 4-GHz cutoff frequency. The passband control voltage of 0 to 14 V adjusts the 20 Alpha Rd., Chelmsford, MA 01824;
insertion loss is typically 3.8 dB while center frequency. An additional 0 to 14 (978) 250-3343, FAX: (978) 250-3373,
the return loss is typically 10 dB. For V control voltage tunes the bandwidth Internet: www.hittite.com.
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