Components

Voltage-variable Attenuators
The models AV109-73 and AV110-73 GaAs IC FET voltage-variable attenuators provide greater than 30 dB of relative attenuation range at 900 and 1900 MHz, respectively. Both voltage-variable attenuators feature good linearity performance with a linear transfer curve of 10 dB/V slope and input/output SWR of less than 2 over all states. Operating with a supply voltage of +3 V and control voltage of 0 to +3 V, the attenuators are housed in a small SOT-6 lead package. Price: $2.15 (10,000).
Alpha Industries, Woburn, MA (800) 290-7200 or (508) 894-1904.

High Isolation SP3T Switch
The model SWN-1140-3DT Options 205F, AGAR1PD, SSH is an absorptive/nonreflective SP3T simultaneous sample and hold switch with very low power consumption (51 mA positive, 48 mA negative). Amplitude is ±0.25 dB and phase deviation is ±3° between ports from 0.5 to 18 GHz. Insertion loss is < 3.2 dB, SWR is 1.95 and isolation is > 85 dB at 500 MHz, > 100 dB at 6 GHz and > 90 dB at 18 GHz. Switching speed is < 40 ns delay on/and 40 ns delay off. Supply voltages are +5 and -5 V. (Other supply voltages also are available.) Weight: less than 2 oz (typ). Size: 1.25" x 1.25" x 0.40".
American Microwave Corp., Frederick, MD (301) 662-4700.

Surface-mount Power Inductors
The LPO2506 series Power Wafer™ surface-mount power inductors offer inductance values ranging from 4.7 to 1000 mH and can handle currents up to 1.9 A (rms). Designed specifically for pick-and-place operations with a ceramic body and a large flat top, the inductors have an above-board height of just 1.19 mm and a footprint of 7.87 mm x 9.14 mm. This low height is achieved by dropping the inductor core through a hole in the circuit board. (Custom designs can further reduce the height to as low as 0.9 mm, depending on board thickness.) Price: 75¢ (10,000). Delivery: stock.
Coilcraft, Cary, IL (847) 639-6400.

Coaxial Remote Terminations
The model 12-5019 coaxial remote terminations are designed for applications where a high power termination is required to be remotely located and connected to an RF system via a coaxial cable assembly. The remote terminations feature integral cable inputs, a temperature coefficient of less than 200 ppm and DC resistance of 50 W at ±5 percent. Average power handling is 60 W and operating temperature range is -55° to +100°C. The units decrease the number of interconnections in systems at reduced costs over a discrete cable and termination approach.
Florida RF Labs Inc., Stuart, FL (800) 544-5594 or (561) 286-9300.

Double-balanced Mixer
The model HMC220MS8 ultraminiature double-balanced mixer is housed in an eight-lead plastic surface-mount mini-small outline package (MSOP-8) with a footprint of just 3.0 mm x 4.9 mm. Constructed of GaAs Schottky diodes and novel planar transformer baluns on the chip, the mixer can be used as an up- or downconverter, biphase (de)modulator or phase comparator. Designed specifically for 5.9 to 11.7 GHz microwave radio and very small aperture terminal applications, the unit has a high dynamic input signal range, small size and zero DC bias requirement. Electrical performance is guaranteed over the -40° to +85°C temperature range.
Hittite Microwave Corp., Chelmsford, MA (978) 250-3343.

PCS A/D-band Duplexer
The model WSD-00123 high performance compact PCS A/D-band duplexer is configured with a receive passband of 1850 to 1870 MHz and a transmit passband of 1930 to 1950 MHz. Designed specifically for micro- or picocell PCS base station transceiver (BST), wireless local loop master BST, and test equipment and system applications, the unit offers good passband to passband isolation of 85 dB (min) with antenna to receive rejection of 85 dB (min) from DC to 1790 MHz and 1930 to 2500 MHz. Transmit antenna rejection is 85 dB (min) from DC to 1870 MHz. Maximum power handling is rated at 15 W CW and 75 W peak instantaneous. Operating temperature range is -10° to +70°C. Connectors are TNC female at the antenna port and SMA female at the receive and transmit ports. Size: 3.11" x 2.45" x 1.50", excluding connectors.
K&L Microwave Inc., Salisbury, MD (410) 749-2424.

Passive Attenuators
The step-rotary attenuators (SRA), continuously variable attenuators (CVA) and fixed-type attenuators cover the DC to 3 GHz, DC to 3 GHz and DC to 18 GHz frequency ranges, respectively. The SRA offers attenuation of 0.2 dB or 1 dB and SWR of 1.15; the CVA offers attenuation of 13 dB at 2 GHz and SWR of 1.25. SRAs employ a thin-film attenuator that utilizes a thin-film microstrip fabrication for good RF performance and are available in break-before-make and make-before-break configurations with maximum power handling of 2 W at 2 GHz. Fixed-types attenuators can be customized to meet individual requirements.
KMW Inc., Cerritos, CA (562) 926-2033.

GSM/DCS Dual-band Diplexer
The GSM/DCS dual-band diplexer has bandwidths from 890 to 950 MHz and 1710 to 1890 MHz, and exhibits less than 0.5 dB of insertion loss across the bandwidths while providing greater than 80 dB of co-channel isolation. SWR is better than 1.25 through the passbands. Size: 8.00" x 3.30" x 2.25".
Lorch Microwave, Salisbury, MD (800) 780-2169.

Digital GaAs Attenuator
The model AT-266 one-bit, 10 dB GaAs MMIC digital attenuator is designed to adjust RF signal levels in wireless systems and products requiring high attenuation accuracy, very low power consumption and low intermodulation distortion. Housed in a low cost SOT-25 surface-mount plastic package, the AT-266 is well suited for use in gain and level control circuits in wireless telephony, wireless local area network equipment and GPS receivers. Other features of the attenuator include positive or negative voltages, good device-to-device consistency and high attenuation accuracy.
M/A-COM, a division of AMP Inc., Lowell, MA (800) 366-2266.

470 - 860 MHz Single Circulator
The model 9C83-41 single circulator covers the full digital TV band of 470 to 860 MHz. Return loss is 13 dB (min), insertion loss is 1.0 dB (max) and power input is 100 W CW. Connectors are type-N female. (Isolator versions also are available.) Size: 3.50" x 3.50" x 1.02", excluding connectors. Delivery: two to four weeks (ARO).
Alcatel Ferrocom Ferrite Products, San Jose, CA (408) 229-8171.

High Power SPDT Coaxial Switch
This high power A-B switch is rated from DC to 6 GHz with power handling capability of 1 kW CW at 1 GHz and 600 W CW at 3 GHz. Insertion loss is £ 0.15 dB, SWR is 1.15 (max) and isolation is 90 dB (min) at 3 GHz. The switch is available in 12, 15, 24 and 28 V DC or special voltage options, including AC. Connectors are 50 W type N. (Pricing is lower than conventional broadband switches.)
DB Products, Pasadena, CA (626) 449-3790.

Subminiature Connectors
These drop-in replacements for HD 20 size D subminiature connectors provide more than 100,000 mating cycles with good electrical repeatability. Signal models are available with 9, 15, 25, 37 and 50 contacts, and receptacles include the Hypertac” hyperboloid wire basket system, which offers an average insertion force of one ounce per contact under five milliohms of contact resistance and virtual immunity to shock and vibration. Connectors are compatible with all standard mounting hardware, back shells and cable attachments per MIL-C-24308; receptacles will mate with standard pin contacts. Price: from $14 (1000). Delivery: three to four weeks.
Hypertronics Corp., Hudson, MA (888) 497-3782 or (978) 568-0451.

Waferbump Stencils
The LPFK TurboCut II waferbump stencils can archive up to 25,000 holes per hour with diameters of 80 to 800 µm. Circular accuracy is 96 percent. The stencils can be ordered with all LPKF StencilLasers directly and also can be integrated into existing LPKF systems.
LPKF Laser & Electronics AG, Garbsen, Germany +49 (0) 5131 7095 0.

Q-band Microstrip Isolators
The models 2W9NT and 2W9NR Q-band microstrip isolators for local multipoint distribution system applications cover the 34 to 36 GHz and 37 to 39.5 GHz frequency ranges, respectively. The 2 GHz bandwidth isolators feature wide temperature stability from -30° to +60°C, forward power handling capability of 0.5 W, SWR of 1.3 (max) and metallized ground planes. Isolation is > 20 dB and insertion loss is 0.9 dB (max), 0.8 dB (typ). All features are packaged into the smallest dimensions possible.
Renaissance Electronics Corp., Boxborough, MA (978) 263-4994.

LMDS Transceiver Diplexer
The model 13110 diplexer combines the local multipoint distribution system transmit band of 22.150 GHz and the receive band of 23.158 GHz to allow simultaneous transmission and reception. (Similar diplexers are available for any frequencies up to 50 GHz.) Insertion loss is 1.5 dB (max) with a return loss of greater than 15 dB in both operating frequency bands. The unit offers greater than 45 dB mutual isolation at the center frequency ±858 MHz, assuring optimal diplexing. Bandwidth is 300 MHz, but other units are available with different bandwidths. WR-42 cover flanges are included, but other connectors are available upon request. Operating temperature range is -30° to +70°C.
Microwave Filter Company Inc. (MFC), East Syracuse, NY (800) 448-1666 or (315) 438-4747.

75 W Power Splitter/Combiner
The model ZFSC-3-4-75 power splitter/combiner operates in 75 W circuits within the 1 to 1000 MHz frequency range with midband insertion loss of 0.4 dB (above 4.8 dB (typ)). Midband isolation is 27 dB and input/output SWR is 1.2/1.3 (typ). Maximum midband amplitude is 0.7 dB and phase unbalance is 6°. Maximum input power is 1 W as a splitter and internal dissipation is 0.5 W as a combiner. BNC female connectors are included. Price: $59.95 (1-9). Delivery: stock.
Mini-Circuits, Brooklyn, NY (718) 934-4500.

High Frequency Active Filter
This high frequency active filter is a leaded surface-mount device that creates a high per-formance filtering solution for use in next-generation electronics products. The filter employs patented, high speed operational amplifiers and advanced thick-film technology that allows flexibility in design, fast turnaround of new engineering samples and ease of smooth migration from simulation to product. Typical bandpass ripple is 0.3 dB, intermodulation suppression is +28 dBm IP3 with no insertion loss.
Murata Electronics North America Inc. (MENA), Smyrna, GA (770) 436-1300 .

High Power Wireless Isolator
The model CIC01A8010 high power wireless isolator for amplifier output-stage protection operates over the 800 to 1000 MHz frequency range with insertion loss of 0.4 dB (max). Isolation is 20 dB (min) and SWR is 1.25 (max). Power is rated at 100 W CW, and the unit operates over the -20° to +65°C temperature range. Delivery: stock.
Narda Microwave-West, a division of L-3 Communications, Folsom, CA (916) 351-4500.

Drop-in Isolator
The model 1360IED high frequency drop-in isolator provides 22 dB of isolation with insertion loss of 0.35 dB over the 12.7 to 14.5 GHz frequency bandwidth. SWR over the frequency bandwidth is 1.25. The circuit tabs are designed to provide good assembly yield during system integration. (Isolators and circulators in other frequency bands are available in similar packages.) The unit can be optimized for solder reflow assembly when required for system integration. Operating temperature range is -40° to +85°C and storage temperature range is -50° to +125°C. Size: 0.35" x 0.50" x 0.25". Delivery: stock.
Nova Microwave, Morgan Hill, CA (408) 778-2746.

Coaxial Isolator
The model RADI-LB-3.9-4.2-S1-B-0.25W long barrel isolator operates in the 3.9 to 4.2 GHz frequency range. (Stripline models are available for more than 30 GHz.) Designed with the lowest possible insertion loss and at a low cost, the unit is offered with SMA connectors, but type-N connectors for lower frequencies and type-K connectors for higher frequencies are available.
RADITEK, San Jose, CA (408) 266-7404.

Right-angle Crimp Connectors
The model RFM-9010-1B MMCX right-angle crimp plug connectors feature one of the smallest coaxial connector interfaces used to terminate standard coaxial cables. The snap-in, slotless interface offers rotation capability with a controlled 50 W impedance and SWR up to 6 GHz. Approximately 45 percent smaller than SMB connectors, the connectors are specifically designed for RG-174/U, RG-188/U and RG-316/U cables and applications where space requirements demand smaller components. All of the connectors are gold-plated machined brass bodies with Teflon® dielectric material for performance and durability. Straight and right-angle styles are available in printed circuit board and crimp plug and jack configurations.
RF Connectors, a division of RF Industries, San Diego, CA (800) 233-1728 or (858) 549-6340.

2 GHz Highpass Filter
This highpass filter offers low loss and flat amplitude response in the passband in a package size less than one inch. Insertion loss is < 3.0 dB from 2 to 16 GHz, SWR is 2.0 (max) and rejection is 30 dB at 1.9 GHz. Power handling is rated at 1 W (max). Size: 0.89" x 0.50" x 0.39", including standard SMA connectors.
Sage Laboratories Inc., Natick, MA (508) 653-0844.

DC - 2 GHz SPDT Switch
The model IS-9220 high performance single-pole double-throw (SPDT) switch features 1.0 and 1.4 dB of typical insertion loss at 1000 and 2000 MHz, respectively. (Isolation range is from 35 to 26 dB at similar frequencies.) SWR is 1.2 and 1.3 at 1000 and 2000 MHz, respectively. Input power is 36 dBm (typ) at 1.0 dB compression point (-8 V control voltage > 100 MHz) and the required supply voltage is +5 V. Designed for many general-purpose switching applications, the broadband switch offers a nominal impedance of 50 W and an operating control current of 200 mA. Operating temperature range is -35° to +85°C. Housed in a SOIC-8 surface-mount package, the units are available on tape-and-reel for automated assembly. Price: $1.58 (1000-2499).
Signal Technology Corp., Olektron Operation, Beverly, MA (978) 524-7444.

Broadband Resistive Power Dividers
The model 1549R broadband resistive power dividers operate over the DC to 4 GHz frequency band and offer amplitude and phase tracking of ±2.0 dB and ±4.0° between ports, respectively. Designed specifically for use in the wireless communications bands, the power dividers have an insertion loss of 6.5 dB (max) and input power of 1.0 W CW (max). Input/output SWR is 1.25 (max). SMA female connectors are included for all ports.
Weinschel Corp., Frederick, MD (800) 638-2048 or (301) 846-9222.

Surface-mount Thermistors
These surface-mount thermistors offer rugged plastic packaging that can withstand rough handling and leach-proof electrodes. The units are surface mountable via a die bond or reflow soldering process. Standard resistance tolerances are ±5, ±10 and ±15 percent at 25°C and operating temperature range is -50° to +125°C. The thermistors are well suited for recharging battery packs, temperature measurement and compensation, medical and automotive electronics, and crystal oscillators. Other resistance and beta values are available.
Sensor Scientific Inc., Fairfield, NJ (973) 227-7790.