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In today's fast paced semiconductor industry making accurate and reliable measurements at microwave frequencies is critical to successful product development operations. Microwave measurements enable engineers to characterize both the linear and nonlinear behavior of devices, providing critical performance information. Precise probe contact is a necessity to obtain accurate test...

Due to the fast growing demand for broadband wireless communications, the operating frequency is moving toward the 5 GHz U-NII band. With a maximum data rate of 54 Mbps, the IEEE 802.11a wireless LAN (WLAN) standard specifies a 300 MHz allocation of spectrum in the 5 GHz range that...

There are many ways of characterizing W-CDMA transmitter performance. However, the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) specifications require two measurements to verify the in-channel modulation quality of W-CDMA transmitters - error vector magnitude (EVM) and peak code domain power (peak CDE). This article explores the purpose behind these key...

The prime requirements of a handheld spectrum analyzer are for it to be lightweight, compact, but with as large a display as possible, and exhibit low power consumption - all within a sturdy housing. These criteria are not easy to fulfill in themselves, so it is an even greater...

Modern frequency synthesis uses a combination of frequency multiplication and frequency division to generate the required data and carrier signals for microwave radio and radar applications. Frequency multiplication increases the carrier frequency while increasing the phase noise of the carrier by 20log(N), where N is the multiplication factor. Conversely,...

With the continually increasing complexity of digital modulation techniques employed in wireless and satellite communications systems, instruments that accurately generate and maintain a set level of bit energy-to-noise density ratio (E b /N o ) have become valued tools in optimizing bit-error rate (BER) performance. These instruments have been...

The humble signal generator has come out of its modest, functional shell and taken on a streamlined, compact, state-of-the-art persona with the development of the 3410 series. This family of digital RF signal generators has evolved in response to the worldwide growth of second- and third-generation wireless communications systems...

Test applications that require microwave power from 1 to 18 GHz are usually addressed by two amplifiers, a solid-state unit to cover the low frequency range and a traveling-wave tube amplifier (TWTA) for the higher range. The input signal must be switched between the two amplifiers and, if there...

Voltage-controlled surface acoustic wave (SAW) oscillators (VCSO) have been used for many years in both commercial and military applications. The low phase noise allows frequency multiplication to higher frequencies for use as sources, such as local oscillators in radar and other microwave systems. The excellent tuning linearity provides outstanding...

As the complexity of wireless systems grows and requirements become more demanding, the task facing analog/RF engineers is not getting any easier. In today's rapid-paced working environment, time-to-market demands accurate and fast results from device simulations. To meet these demands for the effective management and analysis of design data...