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Electromagnetic (EM) simulation is an indispensable tool for characterizing the on-chip passive structures found in radio-frequency integrated circuit (RFIC) designs. However, when it comes to full-chip analysis, the diversity of structure geometries and scale pose a significant challenge for any single EM simulation technology. Successful characterization of an RFIC generally requires three different types of simulators: parasitic extraction, planar EM, and full (arbitrary) 3D solvers.
This paper explains the pulsed RF operation of Microsemi pulsed GaN HEMT RF power transistors using as an example the 1011GN-700ELM 1030 MHz Mode-S Enhanced Message Length (ELM) avionics device. General descriptions are presented detailing both the pulsed gate bias operation and the bias sequencing operation of the pulser circuit used on the Microsemi evaluation test fixtures.
This application note looks at VCO fundamentals, for typical oscillator designs through tuning sensitivity characteristics. Examples of a Colpitts and Clapp circuit are presented.
Dual-polarity supplies are commonly needed to operate
electronics such as op amps, drivers, or sensors,
but there is rarely a dual-polarity supply available at
the point of load. The LTCî3260 is an inverting charge
pump (inductorless) DC/DC converter with dual low
noise LDO regulators that can produce positive and
negative supplies from a single wide input (4.5V to
32V) power source. It can switch between high efficiency
Burst Modeî operation and low noise constant
frequency mode, making it attractive for both portable
and noise-sensitive applications.
The Mini-Circuits family of microwave monolithic integrated circuit (MMIC) Darlington amplifiers offers the RF designer multi-stage performance in packages that look like a discrete transistor.
A system that utilizes OFDM/OFDMA, such as the E-UTRA (LTE) downlink or the IEEE 802.11a/g and the IEEE 802.16 physical
layers, transmits OFDM symbols, each comprising a number of modulated sub-carriers carrying data or pilot symbols, with
inter-subcarrier spacing being equal to or an integer multiple of a fixed frequency. The channel bandwidth (B) is determined by
the number of 'occupied' (modulated) subcarriers and the subcarrier spacing.
The next frequency frontier is the millimeter wave (mm-wave) band, which occupies the 30 GHz to 300 GHz spectrum (wavelengths from 10 to 1 mm). Emerging applications now span radio astronomy, communication, imaging, space research, and homeland security, and are starting to seriously populate this vast spectrum resourse. Market forecast and limited available spectrum suggest that attractive growth is just over the horizon so explorers are naturally migrating to stake their claim in this next frontier.
The small-signal nonlinear distortion of a system can be described with sufficient accuracy using a third order Volterra expansion
of the output in terms of the input. This simple model assumes a memoryless, frequency independent amplifier system, whereby the amplifier characteristics remain constant over the operation bandwidth or, stated equivalently, the operation bandwidth is small compared with the available amplifier system bandwidth....
The LO harmonic effects on I/Q errors and sideband suppression (SBS) in the RF modulator
was analyzed in application report SLWA059. This application report further investigated LO
harmonic effects when attempting to achieve an increased level of SBS performance.
A new family of ultra-reliable mixers, developed by Mini-Circuits, combines low-temperature cofired ceramic (LTCC) circuitry and specially selected semiconductor dice in a hermetically sealed case at 1/10th the price of comparable products on the market. Fully automated, tightly-controlled, and highly repeatable processes ensure excellent performance at temperatures up to 125 degrees C.
