There’s a ubiquitous and increasing need to switch RF signals ranging into the tens of GHz; four basic switch technologies – electromechanical, PIN diode, analog, and MEMS – are available, each with different features and capabilities. The need to switch RF signals has been a necessary design function since the earliest days of “wireless.” This […]
Wireless
RF switches handle 20 GHz with low insertion loss
Menlo Micro announced that it is sampling their MM51xx series of products. These new products, which operate at high power with ultra-low RF losses, and in a miniaturized surface-mount package, bring significant performance improvements as compared to electromechanical and solid-state RF switches. The MM5130 SP4T switch is designed to handle power levels up to 25W […]
Family of embedded antennas enable configurable IEEE 802.11ax connectivity
Airgain, Inc. announced the release of a toolkit of new embedded antennas solutions designed to provide enhanced performance and reduced time-to-market for Wi-Fi 6 wireless systems. The new antennas leverage Airgain’s over-the-air (OTA) performance validation and optimization, and already substantial expertise in Wi-Fi 6 system integration. In combination, these new products form a comprehensive toolkit […]
High-frequency integrated thin film band-pass filters come in ultraminiature packages
AVX Corporation introduced new 0805-case BP Series multilayer, integrated thin film (ITF) band-pass filters. Designed for broad compatibility with a wide range of high-frequency wireless applications, including mobile communications systems, satellite TV receivers, GPSs, vehicle-locating systems, and wireless LANs, the series is available in five frequency bands spanning 1,308MHz to 4,320MHz with 50Ω characteristic impedance, and is rated for […]
Inside look at a super-narrow band-pass filter-on-a-chip
The days of constructing bandpass filters from discrete components are pretty much over when it comes to the frequencies involved in modern wireless gear. That’s what makes the video we recently did with Alex Rabinovich from AVX interesting. Alex showed us a bandpass filter characteristic that’s super narrow, and the filter that creates also comes […]
High-impedance laminates help reduce antenna size
Rogers Corporation has introduced MAGTREX 555 Laminates, the first product in a new platform of high-impedance laminates featuring a high permeability and permittivity. These high-impedance laminates enable antenna designers to expand the trade-space of their antenna design enabling up to a factor of six reductions in size with minimal impact on bandwidth, up to a factor of […]
On-chip RF transformers could shrink thanks to rolled-up membrane design
Researchers at the University of Illinois say they have devised more efficient RF transformers by depositing conductors on a membrane that, once complete, rolls up to create a high-turns-ratio transformer. The transformers consist of two sets of rolled-up coils deposited on some kind of SiNx material. Researchers say they’ve used the technique to realize up […]
RF power measurement, Part 2: What and how
Part 1 of this FAQ introduced some of the basic issues related to the measurement of RF power, which is a primary parameter in most RF designs. Part 2 continues the discussion, looking at RF waveforms and sensors. Q: The term “power” is fairly broad; what are the specifics? A: There are actually several basic […]
Bulk acoustic wave filters make life easier for Wi-Fi front-end designers
BAW filters help overcome the biggest challenges facing Wi-Fi front-end designs, including thermal management, interference, and RF linearity. Cees Links |Qorvo Wireless Connectivity Smart homes are getting smarter. So they increasingly make heavy demands on their internet routers, so much so that traffic demands are exceeding the capacity of the single-router model. Retailers and businesses […]
RF power measurement, Part 1: Why and where
When the subject is RF design, the word “power” dominates much of the discussion. This FAQ looks at some perspectives related to the measurement of this vital RF parameter. Not only is power and measuring it among the most important RF design considerations, but it is also generally difficult to assess accurately, and it is […]
