RF & Microwave Industry News

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A considerable research effort has been invested to optimize the efficiency of high frequency power amplifiers. The work has been focused on output load network design for high frequency active devices. However, the attention received by the driving waveforms and input circuits has been quite low compared to that...

Microwave oscillators form an important part of all microwave systems, such as those used in radar, communication links, navigation and electronic warfare. 1 Oscillators are required to have excellent frequency stability against variations in temperature, power supply voltage and oscillator loading (load pulling). They also need a power output...

The reliability of GaAs power FETs used in solid-state power amplifiers (SSPA) is adversely affected when operated in an overdrive (excess input power) condition for a long time due to excess gate current. Manufacturers of SSPAs use different schemes to protect the FET power devices from overdrive conditions. One...

OEMs, operators and manufacturers of base station RF power amplifiers are constantly striving for greater efficiency, whether it be in the number of connections (calls) that can be made via a base station or the amount of DC power needed to make those calls. For both scenarios, the RF...

Thunderline MultiPins™ address the many space and time saving issues facing today’s high frequency designers. In addition to being more compact than individual feedthrus, the use of MultiPins saves installation time and automatically maintains critical pitch and spacing dimensions. They are available in a variety of styles from 2...

Most VNA measurements require the use of extension cables as part of the test set-up. Measurement accuracy can be severely degraded if these cables are not stable over time and flexure. Thus, the choice of measurement cables is as important as the instrument itself. The MegaPhase® VN series are...

Since the mid-1940s, there have been requirements for test sources above 50 GHz. Magnetrons were first pressed into this application during the early to mid-50s, and by the middle of the decade, some manufacturers, such as Demornay Bonardi, were constructing multipliers using a cartridge diode with a window milled...

A spectrum analyzer is an important instrument for all RF/microwave engineers. Measurements of spectral purity, phase noise and spurious signals are everyday tasks for which a spectrum analyzer is the instrument of choice. Additionally, in today’s world of digitally modulated signals, modulation accuracy is a significant category of measurements...

In developing microwave models, real-time verification of characterization data should be considered a priority to ensure its integrity. Sound models must be built upon accurate measurement data, and, as is generally the case, the ‘garbage in – garbage out’ principle applies to model extraction. Even if an instrument calibration...

The recent proliferation of new RF applications has brought about a dramatic increase in spectrum usage, particularly in the unlicensed bands used by many of the new devices. Crowding virtually guarantees the presence of RF interference. This has led to adaptive techniques that can change power, data rate and...