Technical Articles

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There is an interesting interaction between complex mixers, zero-IF architecture, and advanced algorithm development. The objective of this article is to establish the basic fundamentals of each: the principles of operation and the value they deliver in terms of system design, and then to discuss the interdependability of the three.

The first cable systems in the US started to appear in the early fifties. Even with the rapid changes in technology and distribution methods, cable has maintained a prominent position as a conduit for the distribution of data.  New technologies have ‘layered’ themselves on the existing cable network. This article focuses on one aspect of that evolution; Power Amplifier (PA) Digital Pre-Distortion (DPD), it’s a term that many involved in cellular system networks will be familiar with. Transitioning the technology to cable brings substantial benefits in terms of power efficiency and performance. With these benefits come substantial challenges; this article does a deep dive into some of these challenges and provides an overview as to how they may be solved.

Bottom termination components (BTCs) have become one of the most common packages with the highest growth rate. Typical assemblies now have many of these components, often with varying types of BTCs on one assembly. What can be done when one or more BTCs start to show increased variation within the same process? Investigations have been conducted to find materials that offer the lowest voiding in large ground plane solder joints. In addition, process modifications have continually been proposed to help alleviate voiding in BTC components. These include but are not limited to: pad design, pad patterning, stencil design, via positioning, solid solder addition, and reflow profile optimization.