eBooks

There have a been a lot of developments in the Electronic Warfare (EW) and Signals Intelligence markets in the last few years as higher power, wideband hardware has become more mainstream and artificial intelligence (AI)/machine learning (ML) have advanced on the software side. This eBook reviews some of the recent advances in smarter, more flexible hardware to gather and jam signals from these emerging threats. The first couple of articles review the state of EW and how AI and ML are enabling new solutions. The next article covers open system architectures for military applications and how they are enabling next generation defense systems. The next two articles cover drone detection and defeat technologies starting with systems that can adapt to their environment followed by an article about emerging drone technologies. The last article briefly covers the RTX 2684 26 GHz RF Sentinel™ Intelligent Signal Scanning small form factor recorder.

Whether prompted by the convenience of small size, the fuel savings from lighter weight or the smaller wavelengths of higher frequencies, size is on an inexorable decline. Moore’s Law is the archetype defining the shrinking of semiconductor technology, yet it would not be possible without other components following the same trend, particularly the passive devices that filter and route the signals processed by the ICs. This eBook compiled by Knowles explores some of the market and technology trends driving the demand for higher frequencies and smaller size. Beginning with an overview of the classic Wilkinson power divider and combiner designs, it also covers various other SATCOM related component technologies ranging from PCBs to high speed converters to phased arrays plus test challenges in this area.

This eBook explores several topics relevant to radar performance, beginning with an article describing a radar architecture enabled by improved processing: the “holographic” or staring radar. The second article discusses how the performance of radars with complex waveforms can be assessed using sophisticated power measurement to characterize pulse operation and using noise signals with statistical power measurement to identify nonlinearities in the signal chain. Moving to the benefits of GaN on radar performance, Qorvo describes how increasing the operating voltage to 65 V increases device power density and power-added efficiency, to 9 W/mm and 80 percent, respectively. A second article from Qorvo compares the additive phase noise of linear and saturated amplifiers and between PHEMT and HBT processes. The eBook concludes with an interview with Dean White, director of Qorvo’s defense and aerospace segment, who shares his perspective of market needs and how Qorvo is aligning its process and product roadmaps to serve them.

There really is not a home for articles dealing with the challenges of the highest volume chips and their testing for high volume ATE. To serve this market, ATE companies, like industry microwave/millimeter wave instrument leader Teradyne, have developed instrumentation with features that create stability and repeatability at very high channel counts with reduced user complexity. But for this eBook, we did pull together some of the “best of MWJ articles” that talk about similar issues for you to whet your appetite including: • Navigating the 5G NR Standards, by Sheri DeTomasi, Keysight Technologies • Challenges for Effective and Realistic 5G OTA Testing, by Miguel Á. García-Fernández, EMITE Ingeniería S.L. and David A. Sánchez-Hernández, Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena • Significant Test Time Reduction and Equipment Utilization in 5G RF Production Testing, by Sascha Laumann, Rohde & Schwarz • The Phase Noise Challenge Pacing the Race to 5G, by Bill Linstrom, Ron Parrott and Allen Sweet, VIDA Products • Evaluating PCB Plated Through Holes for 5G Applications, by John Coonrod, Rogers Corp.

The articles in this eBook make the case for GaN for cellular applications. It begins with two views of the market trends and how these translate into forecasts, from Yole Développement and Strategy Analytics. Since efficiency is so important to power amplifiers, a foundational article by Rohde & Schwarz reviews the fundamental mechanisms that can improve PA efficiency: waveform engineering, supply modulation and load modulation. Illustrating waveform engineering, an article from researchers at Huazhong University of Science and Technology describe the design of a dual-band, continuous inverse class F PA. The following article examines the topology options for mMIMO PAs. Looking to the future, it concludes with an article describing development of a 28 GHz, ½ W linear, asymmetric Doherty PA MMIC.

This eBook covers the fundamentals of radar technology and RF power generation theory. The first article covers the military radar market and outlook through 2025 followed by an extensive article that takes a comprehensive look at the many aspects of radar technology including the basics of radar operation, how radar works and various types of radar systems. The next two articles review the theory of operation for receiver protectors and magnetrons. The last article covers the underlying concepts of receiver protector life and how they apply to actual performance. This is a very good guide to the basics of radar and the theory of operation of the key components that generate high power RF signals for radar systems.

This eBook takes a look at new measurement tools, connectors and components that will help in modernizing your measurements for accurate higher frequency characterization. After an overview of mmWave markets and challenges for EMC, the following articles cover accurate VNA measurements made when the DUT needs to be far from the instrument like a far-field antenna, vehicle or propagation measurement. The next article surveys waveguide antennas for mmWave use so that you can understand the basic performance of waveguide antennas when choosing an antenna for a mmWave system or test setup. Then a traceable K connector for measurements to 43.5 GHz is described. The last article is about 110 GHz coaxial components for the mmWave market, including bias tees, DC blocks and directional couplers. These components are metrology-grade, with excellent electrical and environmental performance, designed to be used with any measurement equipment that provides coverage to 110 GHz. Learn how to modernize your measurement and testing systems to accurately support higher frequency measurements.

This eBook looks at a new antenna design that can connect to any mmWave module and provide better efficiency than patch antennas yet still fit into the compact size form factor for smartphones and other mobile devices. The first article covers the design requirements and challenges for mmWave 5G compact smartphone antennas. The need for mmWaves is outlined followed by a contrast of 4G and 5G architectures highlighting the differences in their antenna designs. Case studies of deployment scenarios for outdoor and indoor links are presented. A detailed set of requirements for antenna designs of future smartphones is discussed. Some previously reported candidate antenna designs are also reviewed. The second article provides specific compact wideband design examples and the third includes several pattern diversity architecture examples.

This eBook addresses many design issues with PCBs for high power GaN devices, higher frequency mmWave circuits, thermal expansion effects, heat sinking, extending operating temperatures, reducing circuit size, copper surface roughness effects, interface materials and connector launch methods. The first two articles deal with high power GaN devices addressing some of the design challenges for high voltage and high frequency designs. The next article looks at PCB materials to reduce circuit size and the one after addresses thermal power handling in space applications. The next article looks at environmental effects on circuit performance and how to test them while the last two articles address designing PCB mmWave circuits including amplifiers.

The expansion of activities in the areas of SATCOM, automotive radar, 5G, security and others are pushing semiconductor technologies higher in frequency. The design of mmWave MMICs is much more difficult that those at lower frequencies as everything becomes much more sensitive in the design tradeoffs that affect performance. In this eBook we have collected some of the latest information on testing and designing mmWave MMICs to help in your selection and understanding of these devices.