IMS2017 Exhibition Preview

The IMS2017 exhibition will feature about 500 companies from around the world displaying products from test/measurement equipment to software to devices/components to cable/connectors to PCB/materials. The exhibition also includes the MicroApps Theater and Exhibitor Workshops presented by IMS exhibitors addressing state-of-the-art products, processes, and applications of interest to the microwave community. The exhibition is open Tuesday, 6 June from 09:30 to 17:00; Wednesday, 7 June from 09:30 to 17:00 with an Industry Hosted Reception from 17:00 to 18:00; and Thursday, 8 June 09:30 to 15:00. Here are product exhibitor previews from some of the leaders in the industry.

Analog Devices
Booth 1032
Communications systems manufacturers are facing more challenges than ever before with faster time-to-market demands, shrinking BOM costs and tighter engineering resources. Choosing the right components is still important, but choosing a partner can do even more for your designs. ADI can help with complete RF signal chains, easy-to-implement reference designs, and deep engineering co-development expertise – across every vertical market. Learn more about 1,000+ products, chipsets, and full signal chain solutions addressing the toughest technology challenges across a range of industries (see Figure 1), including:

• Communications – 5G and DPD signal chain solutions, and a complete 26 to 44 GHz solution that combines CMOS and SiGe for highly integrated radio products
• Aerospace & Defense – Phased-Array Radar and L- and S-Band Radar
• Industrial – DemoRad, a low-cost, out of the box demonstration platform for 24 GHz radar sensors to prove concepts and act as a reference design
• Healthcare – RF Vital Signs Monitoring using 24 GHz radar and software
• Test & Measurement – In-Line Power Measurement
• Transceivers – Analog Devices’ RadioVerse development platform and ecosystem that can reduce RF design complexity, SWaP, and time to market.
• Technology Exhibits – GaN, SOI, SiGe, CMOS, wideband products, and more.

Anritsu Company
Booth 1116
Anritsu will be showing its VectorStar® MS4647B 4-port differential system with new Universal Fixture Extraction (UFX) software for de-embedding user-customized test fixtures for accurate DUT characterization. Also on display will be the VectorStar ME7838A broadband system that can conduct sweeps from 70 kHz to 110 GHz in an on-wafer environment. On the same probe setup will be the new 110 GHz Spectrum Master™ MS2760A ultraportable spectrum analyzer directly connected to an on-wafer probe. The combined on-wafer station will display 110 GHz S-parameter measurements and 110 GHz spectral analysis for thorough device characterization.

The MS2760A (see Figure 2) will be shown at IMS for the first time in Honolulu. It is the first handheld mmWave spectrum analyzer to provide continuous coverage from 9 kHz up to 110 GHz, positioning it perfectly for growing mmWave applications such as 5G, 802.11ad, satellite communications, and automotive radar. It is USB-powered and controlled from a Windows-based PC, laptop, or tablet, making it uniquely flexible for the lab, manufacturing floor, or field. Its ultraportable size enables a direct connection to almost any DUT, eliminating the need for lossy, expensive cables or antennas. Another ultraportable solution, the new Power Master™ MA24507A frequency selectable mmWave power analyzer, will also be shown at IMS.

The ShockLine™ MS46522B E-band VNA will highlight economical 60 to 90 GHz measurement capability in a production-ready, compact and easy-to-setup package. With integrated tethered measure modules, the MS46522B offers a unique solution for E-band component testing.

AR
Booth 1014
AR will be displaying 9 new solid-state pulse amplifiers that have been added to their comprehensive product line with output powers up to 6000 W over the 1 to 4 GHz frequency range. In addition, AR also has developed four new CW solid state microwave amplifiers: 60S1G6 & 500S1G6 (60 & 500 respectively over the 0.7 to 6 GHz frequency range) for wireless, EW, and EMC applications, and completely redesigned versions of our 20S6G18A, and 40S6G18B amplifiers (20 & 40 W from 6 to 18 GHz) for EW and EMC requirements.

There are other updated RF amplifiers such as the 100A250B, 100A400A and 50W1000D which utilize a common design approach with size, weight and low cost as driving factors with the benefit of improved reliability. They will also feature their new ATT700M12G antenna that provides frequency coverage from 700 MHz to 12 GHz, a wide beam width, and excellent power handling capabilities which are a match for their .7 to 6 GHz amplifiers.

As in previous years, products from AR Modular will also be on display. To complement the family of commercial rack mountable amplifiers and modules, AR Modular offers a robust line of military amplifier systems and accessories, that include booster amplifiers and embedded modules for tactical military radios covering the HF, VHF, UHF and SHF bands. Rounding out the field is the addition of Sunar rf motion, AR’s newest division, and their high-quality EMC antennas, turntables, reverberation chamber tuners, antenna positioners, system controller, and distributed antenna systems (DAS).

CST
Booth 1332
CST will be previewing the latest version of their 3D electromagnetic simulation software, CST STUDIO SUITE®. The software suite includes our 3D EM simulation tools as well as a number of related products dedicated to more specific design areas, like PCBs (CST PCB STUDIO® and CST BOARDCHECK ™), cable harnesses (CST CABLE STUDIO®) and EM/circuit co-simulation (CST EMC STUDIO®). Filter Designer 3D (FD3D) can automatically synthesize cross-coupled and diplexer filter designs to meet the specifications, including transmission zeroes, Q-factor, and equiripple. The complex and sensitive nature of these filters makes them challenging to design and tune with traditional methods. Coupling matrix extraction with FD3D offers an efficient way to fine-tune 3D filter structures. The Interference Task provides a straightforward approach for investigating potential EMI issues using coupling data from simulations. The Interference Task shows at a glance which combinations of RF systems can potentially lead to co-site interference problems, allowing mitigation approaches to be tested on a virtual prototype. The ray-tracing Asymptotic Solver in CST STUDIO SUITE can now directly calculate the coupling between antennas. The Asymptotic Solver can simulate extremely large platforms such as aircraft, ships, and buildings very efficiently, making it well suited to many kinds of antenna placement scenarios. This can be combined with the Interference Task for detailed co-site analysis of vehicles, vessels, and aircraft. Stop by our booth to explore these and the many other exciting features of CST STUDIO SUITE®.

HUBER+SUHNER
Booth 1207
Global connectivity manufacturer HUBER+SUHNER will be showcasing the company’s new line of high-end test assemblies: SUCOFLEX 500. When it comes to test and measurement, the SUCOFLEX 500V series guarantee the highest level of satisfaction. It offers the best-in-class phase and amplitude stability with flexure, movement, temperature (<50 ppm) and tensile stress. SUCOFLEX 500V guarantees accurate measurements with longer calibration intervals. HUBER+SUHNER has recently extended its assemblies portfolio with the SUCOFLEX 500S series offering low insertion loss, outstanding return loss and excellent phase stability, making it the recommended assembly for high performance, high quality applications.

Alongside these products will be displayed the Microbend L that provides the best loss performance in a small form factor cable solution. Performance combines superior flexibility with the unique bend-to-end feature. HUBER+SUHNER’s phase invariant over temperature (CT) cable, offering less than 300 ppm phase change over the complete temperature range (-50 to +125 °C), is now also available in hand-formable and semi-rigid assembly styles, completing the existing Minibend CT series.

Additionally, the new NEX10 connector interface (featured in the Microwave Journal Cable and Connector supplement in March), a miniature low PIM coaxial connector for small cells applications, will be on display including its wide portfolio of multicoax solutions (see Figure 3). From MXP and MXPM, the high performing push on solutions for test and measurement, to customized SMPM ganged solutions and the VITA-67, all offered with our bend-to-the-end cable for a user friendly experience.

Dover Corporation, Microwave Products Group
Booth 1401
Dover Corporation’s Microwave Products Group is a comprised of four business units in five manufacturing locations. Complementary to the company’s four core design and manufacturing centers at BSC Filters, Dow-Key Microwave, K&L Microwave, and Pole/Zero Corporation, MPG maintains a Dominican Republic facility for high-volume, commercial throughput.

BSC designs and manufactures RF and microwave filters and related products in their new and expanded York, UK facility. Right first time manufacture, fast lead times and technically challenging solutions are underpinned by our world leading design tools, lean manufacturing philosophy and highly skilled teams.

Dow-Key is an established leader in the design and manufacture of products that route RF signals. Dow-Key offers Coaxial and Waveguide Switches, Low PIM (-160 dBc) Products, Integrated Matrix Switching Solutions, and Custom RF Systems. Standard and custom designs are available from DC to 70 GHz with RF power-handling capability to 5kW, including items operating to 5 million switching cycles.

For over 45 years, K&L has proudly offered a wide range of RF and microwave filters for bandpass, lowpass, highpass, notch and tunable requirements, including ceramic, lumped element, cavity and waveguide solutions. We are one of the largest and best-known suppliers of these products, with the technical experience and manufacturing capability to match.

Pole/Zero is a premier provider of solutions for communication problems arising from RF interference. Catalog products include embedded agile tunable filters, as well as complex Integrated Cosite Equipment (ICE) designed to operate in conjunction with transceivers in more challenging cosite situations. The user gains the benefit of deploying systems at full performance, notably communication range and improved receive sensitivity.

Keysight Technologies
Booth 1526
Keysight Technologies will showcase their latest design, simulation, and characterization test solutions for wireless communications (5G, IoT, WLAN) and aerospace/defense (Radar, EW, Satellite) – see Figure 4. Visitors can meet Keysight’s application experts and evaluate a range of solutions in various form factors from benchtop to modular to handheld.

Keysight will also be involved in various exhibitor keynotes, workshops, and technical programs including: Microwave Application Seminars (MicroApps), 5G Summit, RF Boot Camp, and the Student Competition.

MACOM
Booth 1312
MACOM is leveraging over 65 years of design and application expertise, and is delivering industry leading design and applications specific solutions for their customers worldwide. MACOM will showcase its industry leading GaN, MMICs, Space & Hi-Rel and Diodes based devices at IMS. Their design and application engineers are committed to continuing their legacy and market leadership with next-gen wideband RF solutions for mission-critical applications. Their expert RF team leverages the latest semiconductor technologies and state-of-the-art foundry processes to reach new levels of performance in bandwidth, power, packaging and reliability. MACOM’s booth will feature these new product solutions optimized for commercial, industrial, scientific and medical RF applications.

National Instruments/AWR
Booth 740
National Instruments will be demonstrating its latest innovations for smarter microwave design and test. Wireless test demonstrations will feature NI’s latest advancements in test technology for 802.11ax, LTE Advance Pro, and 5G. Demonstrations include a technology demonstration for 5G RFICs based on the second-generation Vector Signal Transceiver (see Figure 5) in conjunction specialized software for generation and analysis of Verizon 5G and New Radio (NR) waveforms. Additional wireless test demonstrations include a 73 GHz channel sounder, 802.11ax test system, and wideband DPD test system.

In addition, NI accelerates product development with RF/microwave circuit and system design using the latest release of NI AWR Design Environment, version 13 (V13). V13 offers new technology for design automation, circuit and system simulation, and design assistance. Enhancements to the design environment UI include new capabilities to automate PCB, MMIC and module design flows, design synthesis, addressing file format standards for import/export support, and third-party links. V13 also features speed and functionality improvements to simulation engines, including harmonic balance, system-level, and planar and arbitrary 3D EM solver improvements.

Pasternack
Booth 514
Pasternack will be featuring new waveguide products including waveguide direct read attenuators, waveguide directional couplers, waveguide bends and transitions. Additionally they will be showing some of our new active products including USB Controlled PLL Synthesizers (see Figure 6), high power GaN amps, active frequency multipliers, analog phase shifters and our 2.4 GHz Radar Demonstration Kit which is an innovative tool that can be used to study and learn about the principles of microwave radar object detection, motion detection, and determine the range of objects.

In addition to their new products that will be on display, they will offer a demo of Pasternack’s Cable Creator ™ that allows customers to quickly design and order over 250,000 possible cable assembly configurations. This easy to use tool provides instant pricing, detailed datasheets and online ordering with same day shipping on any cable assembly built from its inventory of 1,300 connectors and 120 cable types. Be sure to stop by to meet our RF experts, view our new products and learn more about Pasternack’s 40,000+ RF, Microwave and Millimeter Wave products.

Rohde & Schwarz
Booth 1348
The Rohde & Schwarz display will focus on how to ride the 5G wave with “Ultimate Precision in RF and Microwave Analysis”. They will showcase new products to be unveiled and feature the latest solutions for Radar, EW, 5G, IoT and wideband measurements (802.11xx). Displays include capabilities for the R&S®SMW200A vector signal generator, offering an internal modulation bandwidth of 2 GHz with a frequency range all the way up to 40 GHz and the R&S®FSW signal and spectrum analyzer which is the first offering frequency ranges up to 85 GHz, an analysis bandwidth up to 2 GHz, and a real time bandwidth of up to 512 MHz. Other displays will cover solutions for phase coherent measurements, group delay, envelop tracking and phase noise with the R&S®FSWP phase noise analyzer and VCO tester that combines low noise internal sources and cross correlation technology, delivering extremely high sensitivity for phase noise measurements up to 50 GHz.

Also in the Rohde & Schwarz booth will be solutions for terahertz applications up to 750 GHz, front-end module testing, semiconductor test, on-waver and multiport measurements. All with the latest vector network analyzers. We will feature solutions including the RS®ZNBT multiport analyzer with up to 24 ports and frequency ranges from 9 kHz all the way to 20 GHz and many more (see Figure 7).

SAGE Millimeter
Booth 640
SAGE Millimeter (SAGE) will showcase a number of projects and developments. Featured among its new products is the E-Band Frequency Extender for 5G and E-Band Communications. This newest addition to their test instrumentation line is a x6 frequency extender that uses an input frequency range of 10 to 15 GHz at +5 dBm along with harmonic generation and filtering to produce a 60 to 90 GHz RF signal at +3 dBm. Equipped inside with SAGE components, the bench top unit is designed to extend the capabilities of low frequency synthesizers while preserving their existing functionality and features. The extender’s adjustable legs and hardy enclosure make it a versatile addition to any lab environment (see Figure 8). Typical applications include test instrumentation, network analyzer systems, and lab test setups. This product is also available up to 170 GHz.

Two other featured projects are the new SAGE product catalog and improved SAGE website. The new catalog will be available at the booth and features a wider product offering including entirely new product families, such as the recently-released VNA extender line. The new website will offer a better user experience and a more streamlined inquiry process. Live walkthroughs and demonstrations of the new website will be hosted at the booth. Finally, SAGE will announce its first facility expansion since inception and the creation of the SAGE Commercial Products group. Details of the second facility as well as the new business initiative will be shared with industry peers at the show.

Skyworks Solutions
Booth 1331
Skyworks Solutions is showcasing its broad portfolio of innovative analog solutions including switches, diodes, front-end modules, low noise amplifiers, power amplifiers, advanced technical ceramics and optoelectronic radiation tolerant components. Skyworks will feature its new family of industry leading power efficient amplifiers that meet stringent data rate and power consumption requirements for indoor and outdoor network systems. The SKY6629X amplifiers support the world’s most popular frequency bands and can be incorporated in FDD and TDD 4G LTE, 4.5G and 5G systems, as well as the recently launched Citizen’s Broadband Radio Service (see Figure 9).

Teledyne Microwave Solutions
Booth 1502
Teledyne Microwave Solutions (TMS), pointing to the increasing integration of engineering operations between its 5 business units, will be featuring some of its expanded MW/RF capabilities, including its larger footprints in the SATCOM and Space sectors. The 5 business units of TMS - Teledyne Cougar, Teledyne MEC, Teledyne Labtech, Teledyne Defence & Space, and Teledyne Paradise Datacom - are collaborating to widen the TMS portfolio in areas like electronic warfare, space payloads, missile, radar, communications, satellite communications and more (see Figure 10).

Last year, the Teledyne Defence business unit changed its corporate name to Teledyne Defence & Space, reflecting its increasing presence in the space market with channelisers/converters, filters, diplexers and more for space payloads. Working with the flagship business unit for SATCOM solutions, Teledyne Paradise Datacom, other TMS business units are aggressively developing complimentary technologies for a wider range of SATCOM applications.

As a “single source” provider for the MW/RF industry’s most complex and demanding requirements, the TMS portfolio includes:

• High power TWTs, amplifiers, SSPAs and TWTAs
• BAW and YIG devices; SATCOM modems, SSPAs, BUCs, LNAs/LNBs and bandwidth management; receivers; synthesizers; transceivers, converters, switched multiplexers and multi-function assemblies; and integrated assemblies and subsystems; attenuators; detectors; frequency doublers; isolators & circulators; linearizers; mixers; phase shifters; power dividers; switches; and VCOs.
• Circuit board & packaging, including MMIC packaging; microwave PCBs such as multi-layer, metal cored, large format and antenna, pre- and post-bonded metalback, flex and flex-rigid PCB and much more.

See the New Products section in this issue for more specific listings of products being featured at IMS2017. They are listed by booth number for easy navigation around the exhibition floor to find the ones of interest. Also, note our MVP from Holzworth - phase noise measurement system; products features from Custom MMIC – low phase noise amplifiers, Pasternack - compact USB-controlled synthesizers, Ingun – Push-on RF probe for SMA connectors and Narda - Real-time handheld analyzer; plus Tech Briefs from Xilinx – programmable mmWave RF SoC, OML - mmWave spectrum analyzer front-end, CEL - High power SPDT RF switch and Synergy - Ultra-low noise, phase-locked oven controlled crystal oscillator – most of which will be on display at IMS 2017.