ALSO PUBLISHED ONLINE:
JUNE2016
www.highfrequencyelectronics.com
Design Guidelines for
Metallic Enclosures for
RF Circuits
IN THIS ISSUE:
Harmonic Balance Simulation
Algorithm: The Basics
Featured Products
New Products
Guest Editorial: Orwill Hawkins
on the Value of Attending the
IMS Show
IMS Product Wrap-Up
Ideas for today’s engineers: Analog · Digital · RF · Microwave · mm-wave · Lightwave
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ALSO PUBLISHED ONLINE AT: www.highfrequencyelectronics.com
22
30
16
Feature Article
Feature Article
Featured Products
Design Guidelines for
Metallic Enclosures for
RF Circuits
By Bill Garner, Steve
Rosasco, Larry Burgess
An important
consideration is the effect
the enclosure has on RF
circuit performance.
4
JUNE2016
Vol. 15 No. 6
Harmonic Balance
Simulation Algorithm:
The Basics
By Ain Rehman
Explaining the HB
technique as it is applied
to circuit simulation.
Including Guerrilla
RF, Withwave,
SRTechnology, Innertron,
Triad RF, Knowles
Capacitors, and more.
38
60
6
Product Highlights
Guest Editorial
Editorial
Including Richardson
Electronics, Spectrum
Elektrotechnic, MiniCircuits, Keysight
Technologies, Rohde &
Schwarz, Exodus Advanced
Communications, and
more.
LadyBug Technologies’
Orwill Hawkins on the
value of attending IMS.
Scott Spencer on the
game-changing potential
of graphene.
6 Editorial
12 In the News
16 Featured Products
8 Meetings & Events
38 Product Highlights
64 Advertiser Index
High Frequency Electronics
Editorial
Vol. 15 No. 6 June 2016
Publisher
Scott Spencer
scott@highfrequencyelectronics.com
Tel: 603-472-8261
Associate Publisher/Managing Editor
Tim Burkhard
tim@highfrequencyelectronics.com
Tel: 707-544-9977
Senior Technical Editor
Tom Perkins
tom@highfrequencyelectronics.com
Tel: 603-472-8261
Vice President, Sales
Gary Rhodes
grhodes@highfrequencyelectronics.com
Tel: 631-274-9530
Editorial Advisors:
Ali Abedi, Ph.D.
Candice Brittain
Paul Carr, Ph.D.
Alen Fezjuli
Roland Gilbert, Ph.D.
Sherry Hess
Thomas Lambalot
John Morelli
Karen Panetta, Ph.D.
Jeffrey Pawlan, Ph.D.
Business Office
Summit Technical Media, LLC
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Also Published Online at
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www.pefc.org
Copyright © 2016, Summit Technical Media, LLC
6
High Frequency Electronics
Graphene:
Game-Changing
Technology Potential
Scott L. Spencer
Publisher
What if there were a material that served as an excellent conductor of heat and electricity, was the lightest and
strongest material available, was just one atom thick, and
could create a seal not even helium could pass through?
Thanks to a 2004 Nobel Prize-winning discovery at the
University of Manchester, by Professors Andre Geim and Kostya Novoselov,
there is.
Their discovery was that of a revolutionary and relatively new material:
graphene. Although scientists knew that one-atom-thick, 2D crystal graphene
existed, no one had determined how to extract it from graphite. While removing some flakes from a lump of bulk graphite, researchers observed that the
flakes varied in thickness. By separating the graphite fragments recurrently
they were able to obtain flakes just one atom thick. For the first time they had
isolated graphene, the world’s first 2D material. Graphene is a single atomic
layer of carbon atoms bound in a hexagonal network. Think atomic scale
chicken wire made of carbon atoms and their bonds. Notwithstanding mass
manufacturing and defect-control challenges, graphene promises to dramatically change semiconductor, sensor, and display technology, and could also
lead to discoveries in quantum physics research.
Materials Drive Innovation
Throughout history, advances in materials technology have driven innovation. Graphene could likely be the next disruptive force enabling outcomes
never before seen nor imagined. We might be on the brink of the next alteration in this type of technology, enabling products and functions we never
believed possible.
There are many areas of technology where graphene might play a future
role. For example, it can be used as a coating to improve touchscreens for
mobile devices. It has the potential to make the circuitry for computers
exceedingly fast. Graphene is already being planned to be used on a wristwearable smart phone. The Chinese company Moxi is developing a flexible
phone using graphene to create the screens. Graphene’s pliable nature and
good conducting characteristics give it advantages over the brittle Indium-tin
oxide commonly used for touchscreen applications. This makes graphenebased circuits desirable for use in flexible and wearable electronics.
Even though the isolation of graphene is a relatively recent event, university researchers and financial speculators are investing heavily in the prospect of graphene revolutionizing the electronics industry. A few graphene-
based electronic devices are currently
on the market. They include graphene field effect transistors
(GFETs), ultra-capacitors, security
tags, biosensors, cables, and more.
Now comes word from the Moscow
Institute of Physics and Technology
(MIPT) that scientists have designed
a graphene-based transistor featuring ultra-low power consumption,
and the potential to dramatically
increase the clock speed of processors.
Operating on less power than
standard transistors, graphene “tunnel transistors” allow electrons to
pass through the energy barrier by
quantum tunneling. Until now, the
problem has been that the current
coming through is too small to be
practical. Now, the MIPT scientists
have found a way to use graphene to
increase the tunneling current. Thus
the transistor requires a much smaller voltage, like 150 mV compared to
500 mV in equivalent silicon transistors. Less energy equates to less heat
and lower junction temperatures,
affording significant increases in
clock speeds—perhaps even to 100
GHz and higher.
IMS2017 Takes Hawaiian
Vacation
By most accounts, IMS2016 was a
success. Technical paper presentations, workshops, and tutorials were
well attended. With the exception of a
poorly timed fire alarm, the plenary
sessions went well with excellent
keynote presentations.
The exhibition floor was active
and there was a large group of new
exhibitors, mostly from Asia. As the
week ended I heard some disappointment expressed surrounding the
location of IMS2017: Honolulu,
Hawaii. The concerns came mostly
from the companies that support the
event through the exhibition. The
significant cost increase to transport
personnel and displays to a place
where most companies would not
normally send a salesperson is a
legitimate concern for those with
tight budgets. In 2007 some participants were told that attendees from
Asia and the Pacific Rim would prove
Honolulu a worthy venue. If you were
there in 2007, you know that did not
happen. My guess is that conference
registration will be down for Hawaii,
and that what are normally 30- and
40-foot exhibition booths will shrink
down to 10 or 20 feet instead. Like us
at HFE, most will embrace the event
and look for the positives. Still others
will wait it out until 2018, when the
industry’s most important event
returns to Philadelphia.
HFE
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Get info at www.HFeLink.com
Meetings and Events
Conferences & Meetings
IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Workshop
Series on “Advanced Materials and Processes for RF
and THz Applications”
Jul 20 - 22, 2016
Chengdu (China)
International Conference on Numerical Electromagnetic Modeling and Optimization for RF, Microwave,
and Terahertz Applications
Jul 27 - 29, 2016
Beijing
http://nemo-ieee.org/
2016 IEEE International Symposium on Phased Array
Systems & Technologies
Oct 18 - 21, 2016
Waltham, MA
http://www.array2016.org/
IEEE MTT-S Latin America Microwave Conference
Dec 08 - 10, 2016
Puerto Vallarta
lamc-ieee.org
Company-Sponsored
Training & Tools
NIWeek
August 1 - 4, 2016
Austin, TX
http://www.ni.com/niweek/
Analog Devices
Training, tutorials and seminars.
http://www.analog.com/en/training-tutorials-seminars/resources/index.html
International Symposium on Radio-Frequency Integration Technology
Aug 24 - 26, 2016
Taipei
http://www.rfit2016.org/
NI AWR
On-site and online training, and open training courses on
design software.
http://www.awrcorp.com/news/trainings
EDI CON 2016
Sep 20 - 22, 2016
Boston
ediconusa.com
2016 Bipolar/BiCMOS Circuits Technology Meeting
Sep 25 - 27, 2016
New Brunswick, NJ
http://ieee-bctm.org/
National Instruments
LabVIEW Core 1
Online
http://sine.ni.com/tacs/app/fp/p/ap/ov/pg/1/
LabVIEW Core 2
Online
http://sine.ni.com/tacs/app/fp/p/ap/ov/pg/1/
Object-Oriented Design and Programming in LabVIEW
Online
http://sine.ni.com/tacs/app/fp/p/ap/ov/pg/1/
Free, online LabVIEW training for students and teachers.
http://sine.ni.com/nievents/app/results/p/country/
us/type/webcasts/
HFE’s July Issue
Connectors
Antennas
Passives
CONTACT YOUR SALES REP TODAY!
8
High Frequency Electronics
Tunable Low Noise Oscillator Solutions
600 MHz to 40 GHz!
MLTO-Series. Permanent magnet
designs available covering the 2 to 16 GHz
frequency range. Units provide +8 dBm
power levels and operate without a heater.
TO-8 packages are provided with three
height variations available depending on
frequency coverage.
MLMB/MLMY-Series. Electromagnetic
PCB mount and Mini designs are available
covering 700 MHz to 12 GHz frequency
range. Phase noise of -130 dBc/Hz is
provided with output power levels to
+16 dBm. Commercial and extended
temperature units are available throughout
the product line.
MLOS-Series. Units cover 600 MHz
to 40 GHz in bands. Standard 1.75”
or 2” cylinder packages are provided.
Millimeter wave units are available in
wide band configurations covering
18 to 26.5 GHz, 18 to 40 GHz and 26.5
to 40 GHz. Commercial and extended
temperature units are available
throughout the product line.
MLSMO-Series. Permanent magnet
based surface mount units are available
covering the 2 to 16 GHz frequency
range. A test fixture is available for
evaluation and test. Units provide very
low phase noise of -128 dBc/Hz at 10
GHz. Low prime power inputs of +8 Vdc
and -5 Vdc are utilized and no heater
power is required.
MLPB/MLMY-Series. Permanent
MLX-Series. Electromagnetic units
that cover 6 to 22 GHz. Extremely low
noise versions providing phase noise
performance between -125 dBc/Hz to
-130 dBc/Hz @ 100 kHz offset. Power
output levels of +14 and +15 dBm are
standard. Package sizes of 1” cube,
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user flexibility in mechanical design.
Commercial and extended temperature
range units are available. All standard
driver interfaces are available from
analog, 12 bit TTL and 16 Bit serial.
Magnet based PCB mount and Mini
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20 GHz frequency range. Output power
levels up to +16dBm are provided along
with low phase noise between -124
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frequency. Commercial and extended
temperature units are available
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See our complete line of low noise frequency synthesizers
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MLSP-series
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MLSN-series
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Market Reports
Macrocell Base Station Spending Falls Short
of $50 Billion for Second Year in a Row
ABI Research forecasts 2016 macrocell base station
spending will decline for the second year in a row, reaching
US$48 billion, as operators shift CAPEX to network densification. Worldwide base station spending will decline by
two percent in 2016 and then by double digits each year
thereafter.
“The base station spending decline means that
CAPEX is shifting to less capital intensive solutions,
including small cells, DAS, and Wi-Fi for densification,” says Nick Marshall, Research Director at ABI
Research. “While India will dominate spending in AsiaPacific over the next few years, North America’s 4G coverage is virtually complete as the region prepares for 5G
along with Japan and South Korea.”
The Asia-Pacific region is still the largest base station
market in 2016, but down from its 2015 peak as China
completes its LTE rollout. North America will see the biggest declines as deployments for LTE coverage diminish. In
2015, Ericsson led the overall base station market,
followed by Huawei, Nokia Networks, AlcatelLucent, and ZTE. But those same companies will face
challenges in the months ahead.
“As the 5G technology cycle gets underway, base station
vendors including Ericsson, Huawei, and Nokia will face
the challenge of replacing lost revenue in the short term,”
concludes Marshall. “While the early commercialization of
5G will certainly help to replace this lost revenue, it is not
until well after 2020 that this contribution becomes meaningful. Base station vendors must diversity to make up for
this shortfall.”
—ABI Research
abiresearch.com
IoT 2016 Merger & Acquisition Activity Off
to Fast Start
Strategy Analytics finds that there were nearly two
dozen major mergers and acquisitions in the Internet
of Things (IoT) and related market segments including Big Data Analytics, connectivity and wireless markets
in the first four months of 2016.
Research indicates the 2016 M&A activity may eclipse
the pace set in 2015, which was a record breaking year
both in terms of the number and value of acquisitions.
“At the end of 2010, there were a scant one dozen
acquisitions in the then fledgling IoT market. By the
end of 2015, SA estimates there were 81 mergers and
acquisitions; that is a nearly seven-fold increase in
five years,” noted Laura DiDio, SA’s Director of IoT
Research and author of the Report.
“Also notable is the increase in the worth of the companies being acquired,” said Andrew Brown, Executive
Director of the IoT Strategies Service. While vendors are
10 High Frequency Electronics
still acquiring companies for $50, $100 and $200 million
(US dollars), billion dollar acquisitions, such as Cisco’s $1.4
billion purchase of Jasper Technologies IoT services’ platform in February and even multi-billion deals – are no
longer rarities.
Strategy Analytics M&A Report indicates the most
desirable acquisition targets are companies whose core
competencies revolve around analytics, security, connectivity platform capabilities and services. And within those
product categories IoT vendors are especially eager to
acquire companies in hot vertical segments including:
Automotive, Consumer wearables, Healthcare, Industrial
IoT (IIoT), Manufacturing, Retail, Smart Home,
Transportation and Weather.
—Strategy Analytics
strategyanalytics.com
IoT to Account for 28% of Wireless
Connectivity IC Market by 2021
Smart home, beacon, wearable, and other nascent
IoT applications including energy management and
smart cities continue to propel the wireless IoT connectivity market forward. The market’s trend toward
multi-protocol connectivity IC adoption will ease development time, boost scale, and reduce complexity and cost for
manufacturers across these different sectors in the years
ahead.
“2015 witnessed a growing trend toward the development of multiprotocol connectivity SoCs for the IoT, some
of which support both Bluetooth Smart and 802.15.4,” says
Andrew Zignani, Industry Analyst at ABI Research.
“Devices that incorporate multiprotocol chipsets will be
more futureproof. While a product might utilize Bluetooth
in the short term, a device manufacturer may want to
switch to Thread in the future or have the ability to talk to
multiple connectivity protocols once deployed.”
Moving forward, it might not be a case of either
Bluetooth or ZigBee or Thread, but rather utilizing
a combination of these technologies in a single
device. The recently announced acquisition of
GreenPeak by Qorvo and the resulting expansion in
their RF portfolio with low-power SoCs, 802.15.4,
and Bluetooth solutions, illustrates the growing
importance of both of these technologies for the IoT.
ABI Research also expects to see a growing presence of
smart home hubs that incorporate multiple connectivity
solutions such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth Smart, Z-Wave and
802.15.4 (ZigBee/Thread). These solutions will have a significant role to play in the development and consolidation
of wireless connectivity solutions for the smart home.
These hubs are already being already offered by the likes
of Google, Samsung, and Huawei.
—ABI Research
abiresearch.com
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In the News
Accelerating Complex Computer
Simulations: Thinking Beyond Ones and
Zeros
Whether designed to predict the spread of an epidemic,
understand the potential impacts of climate change, or
model the acoustical signature of a newly designed ship
hull, computer simulations are an essential tool of scientific discovery. By using mathematical models that capture the complex physical phenomena of the real world,
scientists and engineers can validate theories and explore
system dynamics that are too costly to test experimentally and too complicated to analyze theoretically. Over
the past half century, as supercomputers got faster
and more powerful, such simulations became ever
more accurate and useful. But in recent years even
the best computer architectures haven’t been able
to keep up with demand for the kind of simulation
processing power needed to handle exceedingly
complex design optimization and related problems.
To address this challenge, DARPA has announced
its Accelerated Computation for Efficient Scientific
Simulation (ACCESS) program. The program builds on
inputs from a request for information issued in 2015 for
novel hybrid computing concepts.
A standard computer cluster is equipped with multiple
central processing units (CPUs), each programmed to
tackle a particular piece of a problem. This conventional
design is not suited to solve the kinds of equations at the
core of large-scale simulations, such as those describing
complex fluid dynamics and plasmas. These critical equations, known as partial differential equations, describe
fundamental physical principles like motion, diffusion,
and equilibrium. But because they involve dynamics
over a large range of physical parameters and spatial
scales relating to the problems of interest, they do not
lend themselves to being easily broken up and solved in
discrete pieces by individual CPUs. A processor specially
designed for such systems of equations may enable revolutionary new simulation capabilities for design, prediction, and discovery. But what might that processor look
like?
12
High Frequency Electronics
“Supercomputers today face bottlenecks in converting
physical systems into and out of binary form. We are
going to explore if there are fundamentally better ways
to solve multi-scale partial differential equations that
describe complex physical systems, such as those encountered in plasmas and fluid dynamics,” said Vincent
Tang, DARPA program manager. “The goal is to develop
new hybrid computational architectures for scalable
approaches to simulating these complex systems, in order
to allow the equivalent of petaflops or more of computational power to be effectively applied across a simulation,
all on a benchtop form factor.”
As part of the new program, DARPA is interested
in pursuing the somewhat counterintuitive premise that “old fashioned” analog approaches may be
part of the solution. Analog computers, which solve
equations by manipulating continuously changing values instead of discrete measurements, have
been around for more than a century. But in the
1950s and 1960s, as transistor-based digital computers proved more efficient for most kinds of
problems, analog methods fell into disuse. They
haven’t been forgotten however. And their potential to
excel at dynamical problems too challenging for today’s
digital processors may today be bolstered by other
recent breakthroughs, including advances in microelectromechanical systems, optical engineering, microfluidics,
metamaterials and even approaches to using DNA as a
computational platform. It is conceivable, according to
Tang, that novel computational substrates could vastly
exceed the performance of modern CPUs for certain specialized problems, if they can be scaled and integrated
into modern computer architectures.
“Today, we need a room full of supercomputers to handle
the simulations, which can take weeks or months for
results,” Tang said. “With ACCESS, we’re aiming for a
benchtop set-up that can solve large problems of complex
physical systems in a matter of hours.”
* * *
GXV-T Revs up Research into Nimbler,
Faster, Smarter Armored Ground Vehicles
Today’s ground-based armored fighting vehicles are better
protected than ever, but face a constantly evolving threat:
weapons increasingly effective at piercing armor. While
adding more armor has provided incremental increases
in protection, it has also hobbled vehicle speed and mobility and ballooned development and deployment costs. To
help reverse this trend, DARPA’s Ground X-Vehicle
Technology (GXV-T) program recently awarded contracts to eight organizations.
In the News
IMS announced four recent promotions:
Barry Black was named Sr. Manager of Sales and
Marketing. He will be responsible for worldwide sales
operations including overall direction and strategy of
IMS’s global sales initiative.
Dale Azuma was named Regional Sales Manager. He
will be responsible for day to day sales operations in the
Western territory.
“We’re exploring a variety of potentially groundbreaking
technologies, all of which are designed to improve vehicle
mobility, vehicle survivability and crew safety and performance without piling on armor,” said Maj. Christopher
Orlowski, DARPA program manager. “DARPA’s performers for GXV-T are helping defy the ‘more
armor equals better protection’ axiom that has
constrained armored ground vehicle design for
the past 100 years, and are paving the way toward
innovative, disruptive vehicles for the 21st Century
and beyond.”
DARPA has awarded contracts for GXV-T to the following
organizations:
• Carnegie Mellon University (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
• Honeywell International Inc. (Phoenix, Ariz.)
• Leidos (San Diego, Calif.)
• Pratt & Miller (New Hudson, Mich.)
•
QinetiQ Inc. (QinetiQ UK, Farnborough, United
Kingdom)
• Raytheon BBN (Cambridge, Mass.)
• Southwest Research Institute (San Antonio, Tex.)
• SRI International (Menlo Park, Calif.)
Black
Azuma
Davoll
Leary
Jodie Davoll was named Marketing Coordinator. She
will focus on maintaining the IMS website and marketing
communications programs.
Peter Leary was appointed Sales Applications Engineer.
Peter’s expertise is in the mechanical engineering field.
Since 1974, IMS has been supplying the electronics
manufacturing industries with highest quality thick
and thin film chip resistors, terminations, attenuators,
couplers, thermal management devices and other RF and
Microwave components.
* * *
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14 High Frequency Electronics
Radio tower image courtesy
of Tom Rauch, W8JI
Features:
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Applications:
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Case R (0.070'' x 0.090'')
Case C (0.250'' x 0.250'')
Case E (0.380'' x 0.380'')
• Advanced Engineered Silver
Electrode System for Lowest ESR
• HF/RF PowerAmplifiers
and Transmitters
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in High RF Power Applications
• Proprietary Dielectric Material
Technical
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Ceramics
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SSPA
Exodus introduced the ultra-wide
band AMP1074 compact SSPA covering the full 2 - 20GHz frequency
band at 10W Min. It uses C&W hybrid GaN devices and operates from
a 32VDC supply at 4.5A with gain
flatness of 5.0dB max peak to peak.
Covering multi-bands, it is suitable
for use with all modulation standards and features a small form
factor, lightweight construction and
high reliability. Typical applications
include EMI/RFI testing, EW, and
communications systems.
power of +10 dBm. The DC power
requirement is +8 VDC/70 mA. The
input and output port configurations are both WR-12 waveguides
with UG-387/U flanges. Mechanical configuration is a right angle
structure. Other configurations are
available.
MECA Electronics
e-meca.com
Power Amp
Model SBP-6339031009-1212-S1 is
a power amplifier with a minimum
small signal gain of 10 dB and a
nominal P1dB of +8.5 dBm in the
frequency range of 63 to 90 GHz.
It has a typical saturated output
16 High Frequency Electronics
Guerrilla RF
guerrilla-rf.com
SAGE Millimeter
sagemillimeter.com
Exodus Advanced
Communications
exoduscomm.com
DC Blocking Power Dividers
MECA offers a full line of DC blocking power dividers. Ideal for GPS,
in-building, 5G and backhaul upgrade applications. Available in;
2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 12 & 16 way configurations in N, SMA, BNC & TNC
connector styles covering 800 MHz
to 2.200GHz with expanded models coming soon covering 698MHz
to 2.700 GHz. Made in USA and
36-month warranty.
other GRF devices including the
GRF400X and GRF201X device
families.
Coupler
Mini-Circuits’
MBDA-30-451HP
high-power bi-directional coupler
provides high power handling up
to 200W and mainline loss of 0.15
dB. Covering frequencies from 225
to 450 MHz, it supports a variety of
applications from power amplifiers
and antenna feeds to military applications and more. High directivity of 28 dB provides accurate sampling from the coupled port, and 30
dB typical input/output return loss
provides excellent matching over
full frequency range.
Chip Capacitors
Knowles Capacitor brands Novacap and Syfer Technology launched
a range of high temperature MLC
chip capacitors. The HiT range of
MLCCs has an operating temperature range of -55 to +200ºC and are
suitable for a variety of high temperature applications and offer tin
over nickel terminations – not previously available. Wide capacitance
range of 4.7pF to 3.3uF, over the
rated voltage spread 16 to 630V dc.
Stable and ultra-stable dielectric
options available.
Knowles Capacitors
knowlescapacitors.com
Mini-Circuits
minicircuits.com
LNA
Guerrilla RF introduced the
GRF2105 – a new addition to the
company’s broadband, linear LNA
devices. This LNA is targeted at
small cells, cellular boosters and
other broadband, high performance
applications offering broadband
frequency coverage with a minimal
number of external components.
Offered in an ultra-small, 1.5 x 1.5
mm DFN-6 package thus sharing
a common pin out with numerous
Calibration Kit
Withwave's compact 3.5 mm Calibration Kits offer excellent performance characteristics for finetuning in production environments
and quality testing facilities, using
50 ohm 3.5 mm connectors from
DC to 9 GHz. This Cal Kit includes
Featured Products: IMS
all needed calibration standards
(Open, Short, Load) in one unit. It
is the best solution available for
ease of use in VNA calibration, especially in the field.
Withwave
with-wave.com
Termination
SRTechnology designs and manufactures a comprehensive line
of terminations, including this
SMA(M) 2 WATT, 3 GHz termination. It features reliable VSWR,
easy maintenance, and a wide
range of broadband frequency applications. SRTechnology specializes in designing and manufacturing passive devices to serve a
worldwide customer base. Contact
us today to fill your passive device
requirements.
SRTechnology
srtechnology.com
5-Plexer
Innertron’s 5-plexer for Macro
Base Transceiver Station applications features a modem coupler,
low insertion loss, and excellent
group delay variation. Innertron’s
mission is to provide customers
with reliable, consistent RF and
Microwave components. It specializes in providing products to serve
the wireless infrastructure market.
Innertron
innertron.com
Get info at www.HFeLink.com
18 High Frequency Electronics
SSPA
The TA1167 is a compact 5W amplifier suitable for COFDM video
links in the UAS and DTV broadcast space. It's compact, efficient,
design allows for camera‐back installations or other applications
that are SWaP constrained. The
amplifier is capable of 1W COFDM
meeting ‐30 dB ACPR.
Triad RF Systems
triadrf.com
Chokes
Coilcraft’s new 0805USBN Series
common mode chokes measure
just 2.0 x 1.2 mm, with a maximum height of 0.93 mm, making
them the lowest profile 0805 common mode chokes available. They
offer up to 6.5 GHz differential
mode 3 dB cutoff frequency and up
to 35 dB common mode noise attenuation across a wide frequency
range up to GHz band, making
them ideal for noise suppression
in super high speed signal lines
such as USB 3.x, HDMI 2.0, HDBaseT™, DisplayPort, and DVI.
Coilcraft
coilcraft.com
Terminations
RLC Electronics' High Frequency,
50 ohm Coaxial Terminations provide low VSWR over a frequency
range of DC to 40 GHz (2.92mm
termination). These compact units
utilize precisely matched resistors, resulting in a VSWR of less
The Right RF Parts.
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dBc/Hz. The PLO has an external
reference of 100 MHz at a typical
power of +0 dBm.
SAGE Millimeter
sagemillimeter.com
than 1.2:1. These terminations can
handle up to 2 Watts at 40 GHz.
RLC Electronics
rlcelectronics.com
Right Angle Adapters
SGMC Microwave has an extensive
line of 2.4mm, 2.92mm, 3.5mm, and
SMA Precision Right Angle In-Series and Between-Series adapters.
All right angle connectors are internally swept and mode free through
their respective frequencies. Body
components are manufactured from
corrosion-resistant Type 303 stainless steel, passivated and our one
piece center contacts are manufactured from beryllium copper, gold
plated. Shippable today from stocking distributor C.W. Swift & Associ-
ates: sales@cwswift.com; 818-9891133.
SGMC Microwave
sgmcmicrowave.com
Limiter
Mini-Circuits’ RLM-33H+ is a
broadband surface-mount limiter,
ideal for protecting sensitive receiver circuitry from high-power signals
while allowing low-scattered signals to be received.
PLO
Model SOP-34210117-SF-E2 is a
phase locked oscillator with a typical output frequency of 3.4 GHz and
a typical output power of +17 dBm.
The phase noise at 10 kHz is -120
Get info at www.HFeLink.com
20 High Frequency Electronics
Mini-Circuits
minicircuits.com
HFE
photo courtesy of the
U.S. Military & NASA
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(dB) (dBm) (dBm) (dB) (V) (qty 20)
10
15
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15
20
15
18
32
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17
19.5
20
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38
42
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33
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37
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30
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7.5
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5.5
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RoHS compliant
Mini-Circuits
®
www.minicircuits.com
P.O. Box 350166, Brooklyn, NY 11235-0003 (718) 934-4500 sales@minicircuits.com
503 Rev H
Metallic Enclosures
Design Guidelines for Metallic
Enclosures for RF Circuits
By Bill Garner, Steve Rosasco, and Larry Burgess RF circuits with operating frequencies from MHz to GHz constructed using lumped or distributed technologies almost always require an enclosure for mechanical and electrical integrity. The foremost electrical criteria are grounding and shielding – shielding to contain radiation from the circuit or to prevent external signals from interfering with
the circuit.
An important
Another important consideration, however, is the effect the enclosure
consideration is the
has on RF circuit performance. An improperly dimensioned enclosure may
effect the enclosure
permit the propagation of RF energy coupled into the enclosure from the
has on RF circuit
circuit which can cause oscillation or amplitude or phase response vs. freperformance.
quency perturbations. In the following, waveguide theory is applied to
select the enclosure dimensions to avoid this problem and to predict the
attenuation that can be achieved for coupled fields. This approach may avoid the need for the
inclusion of RF absorber material to prevent propagation of energy at the circuit operating
frequency and its low order harmonics. The design method is demonstrated with a practical RF
amplifier example.
Waveguide Theory
Considering the interior of the enclosure as a waveguide allows the selection of enclosure
cross-guide dimensions to prevent energy propagation along the length of the enclosure at frequencies below a selectable cutoff frequency. By selecting the cutoff frequency to be above the
maximum circuit operating frequency, the enclosure will not propagate energy within the circuit operating frequency band. The enclosure acts as a high pass filter for fields coupled into
the enclosure by attenuating fields at frequencies below the enclosure high pass band edge as
defined by the cutoff frequency. The enclosure is modeled as a rectangular waveguide with the
larger cross-guide dimension (broad wall) denoted by a, and the shorter dimension by b. The RF
circuit is typically mounted on the broad-wall surface.
The waveguide propagation mode with the lowest cutoff frequency (longest cutoff wavelength) is the first-order TE10 (transverse electric) mode. The cutoff wavelength λ1 for a general
TEmn mode is given by [1]
λ1 = 2a/[m2 + (an/b)2]1/2
where m and n are the first and second subscripts describing the propagation mode using
the TEmn notation and a and b are the longer and shorter cross-guide dimensions respectively.
Using the TE10 m and n subscripts in the above equation yields λ1 = 2a which is independent
of dimension b because n = 0. Since λ1 = c/f1
f1 = c/2a
(1)
where c = speed of light in air (for a in inches use c = 1.1811x10 in/sec) and cutoff wavelength and frequency are denoted by λ1 and f1 respectively. Equation (1) allows the cutoff frequency f1 to be set by selection of a.
If energy from the RF circuit or its input or output couple into the enclosure volume and
propagate along the length of the enclosure, perturbations of the circuit amplitude or phase vs
10
22 High Frequency Electronics
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frequency response or circuit oscillation may occur. To prevent this the enclosure should be designed so the enclosure cutoff frequency f1 is above the circuit
maximum operating frequency thereby preventing propagation at frequencies
in the circuit operating band. Under this condition E and H fields set up
within the enclosure do not propagate as a traveling wave, do not transfer
power along the length of the enclosure and are attenuated exponentially with
distance along the length of the enclosure from the point where they are coupled into the enclosure in accordance with the relation [2]
α(dB/unit length) = (54.6/λ1)[1 –( λ1/λ)2]1/2(2)
where λ is the operating wavelength with f = c/λ the corresponding operating frequency.
The length units are the same as the units of dimension a. Since λ1 = 2a for
the TE10 mode, equation (2) becomes
α(dB/unit length) = (27.3/a)[1 – (2a/λ)2]1/2(3)
Expressing this in terms of frequency results in
in.
1.0mm (W) DC to 110 GHz
Connectors offer superior
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24 High Frequency Electronics
α(dB/unit length) = (27.3/a)[1 – ( f/f1)2]1/2(4)
When f = f1, α = 0 dB/unit length and for f << f1 and a = 1 inch, α= 27.3 dB/
The equations above allow the calculation of attenuation once the dimension a and the cutoff wavelength or frequency is known; for enclosure design it
is convenient to have an expression that allows direct computation of a for the
desired attenuation α(dB/in). Such a formula can be found from equation (4) by
substituting f1 = c/2a and manipulating to isolate a. This yields
a(in) = 1/[(2f/c)2 + (α/27.3)2]1/2(5)
where the units of a are inches if the units of α are dB/in and c are in/sec.
Practical Application
The signal attenuation of equations (2), (3) or (4) is experienced by E and H
fields coupled into the enclosure at circuit frequencies below f1. Because the
frequency is below f1, no traveling wave in either direction along the length of
the enclosure will be set up from the point where the fields are coupled into the
enclosure. Most RF circuits mounted in an enclosure obtain their external signals from coaxial connectors mounted in an end wall. The center pin of the
connector is either hard-wired to a lumped circuit element or mates to a microstrip line (printed line on a PC board) and if these connections are short with
good RF return to the shield of the connector, the RF energy coupled into the
enclosure volume is significantly attenuated. RF lumped elements such as air
inductors, however, can inject or intercept fields in the enclosure volume, therefore for design margin and simplicity it is advisable to assume 100% coupling.
The following example illustrates how equations (4) and (5) are used in the
design of the enclosure.
A 500 MHz, four stage, 60 dB gain amplifier is to be housed in an enclosure
6 inches long. Designing for 90 dB attenuation over the 6 inch length of the
circuit provides sufficient reduction of high level amplifier output signals from
coupling to the circuit input at a level that could cause circuit oscillation or
frequency response perturbation. (Additional attenuation is provided by the
expected less than 100% efficient coupling between the circuit and the enclosure.) Over the 6 inch length of the enclosure this requires attenuation of 15
dB/in. Using equation (5) with attenuation, α = 15 (dB/in), maximum circuit
operating frequency f = 500 MHz, and c = 1.1811x1010 in/sec yields the cross-
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guide width a = 1.799 in. The attenuation can be checked
by using equation (4) and inserting the cutoff frequency f1
= c/2a = 3.283 GHz, f = 500 MHz and a = 1.799 in which
verifies the desired attenuation.
The attenuation of E and H fields coupled into the
enclosure from RF circuit harmonics below cutoff for this
example can be calculated by use of (4) and are shown in
the table below. It is assumed that the fundamental frequency is 0.5 GHz. Note that equation (4) can only be
used for frequencies below the enclosure cutoff frequency.
Harmonic no.
Harmonic
frequency (GHz)
Attenuation
(dB/in)
2
1.0
14.5
3
1.5
13.5
4
2.0
12
5
2.5
9.8
Figure 1 • Table of Harmonic Attenuation for
Amplifier Example.
The table below contains data for enclosure dimension
a and cutoff frequency f1 for a set of 3 desired attenuations at four operating frequencies. Note that as dimension a is reduced for a selected operating frequency the
attenuation increases. Conversely dimension a must be
reduced in order to obtain the same attenuation as the
operating frequency is increased.
The reduction in cross-guide dimension a for increasing attenuation or frequency may be a problem since it
will limit the area available to mount the circuit. If a
minimum total attenuation over the circuit length is
required as in the example above, some increase in a may
be achieved by increasing the length of the enclosure to
reduce the required attenuation per unit length which
will provide some increase in enclosure width a.
Evaluation of equation (5) can readily be automated in a
spread sheet to compute the increase of a.
If it is not possible to increase the enclosure length to
increase cross-guide width as described above, the
required α(dB/in) provided by the waveguide cutoff effect
can be reduced by adding RF absorber within the enclosure. Absorber materials are available in sheets of various thicknesses with adhesive backing that permit permanent attachment to enclosure interior walls or the lid.
Absorbers with a wide range of attenuation characteristics are available. Generally the attenuation of these
materials increases with frequency and thickness.
Alternate approaches include the use of partitions or
shields mounted on the circuit board where good grounding can be arranged. This approach may be appropriate
for components or circuits that efficiently couple energy
into the enclosure or are highly susceptible to fields in the
enclosure.
References
[1] Orfanidis, Sophocles J. Electromagnetic Waves and
Antennas, Chapter 9, equation (9.5.8). (Available at http://
www.ece.rutgers.edu/~orfanidi/ewa/orfanidis-ewa-book.
pdf)
Max. operating
frequency f(GHz)
Attenuation
α(dB/in)
Cross-guide
dimension a(in)
Cutoff frequency
f1(GHz)
0.5
0.5
0.5
2
2
2
4
4
4
8
8
8
15
25
35
15
25
35
15
25
35
15
25
35
1.799
1.087
0.778
1.549
1.024
0.754
1.147
0.878
0.690
0.684
0.612
0.536
3.283
5.431
7.588
3.812
5.766
7.831
5.151
6.727
8.563
8.633
9.656
11.015
Figure 2. Table of Enclosure Dimensions a and Cutoff Frequencies f1 for Different Operating
Frequencies f and Attenuations α(dB/in).
26 High Frequency Electronics
Connectors, Components
& Adapters
Connectors
•
•
•
•
•
•
SMA, TNC, Type N, 2.92mm, 2.4mm, ZMA, BNC
Nominal Impedence: 50 ohms
Frequency Range: DC - 50 GHz
Interfaces: IAW M39012
Meet Requirement of M39012
Environmental Standards per MIL-STD-202
Resistive Components
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Attenuators / Terminations
SMA, TNC, Type N, 2.92mm, 2.4mm
Nominal Impedence: 50 ohms
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[2] Terman, F. E. Electronic and Radio Engineering,
McGraw-Hill, New York, 1955, Sec. 5.8 is a reference for
waveguide attenuation below the cutoff frequency.
About the Authors
Bill Garner received a BSEE from Valparaiso
University and did Graduate Studies in Mathematics at
Penn State University.
Publications:
1. Designing Antennas for Cellular Phones, Microwaves
& RF, May 1999
2. Bit Error Probabilities Relate to Data-Link
S/N, Microwaves & RF Nov. 1987
3. Quick Design of Symmetrical ‘T’ and ‘H’ Pads, EDN,
July 1968
4. Nomograph: Designs Resistive Pi Networks, EDN,
Nov. 1967
Patents:
1. Mobile telephony standards converter—US06181951
2. Low voltage variable gain amplifier with feedback—US06052030
3. Dual band cellular/PCS antenna—US05974302
4. Fixed dual frequency band
antenna—US05963170
5. Channel usage monitoring
arrangement for base station—
US05890056
6. Dual frequency band antenna
system—US05717409
7. Band-pass filter and support
structure
therefor—
US04940956
Steve Rosasco received a BSEE
from Villanova University, an MSEE
from New York University and a Ph.D.
in Electrical Engineering from the
University of Pennsylvania. He has
been involved in the design, development and test of EW, communication,
adaptive array, interference cancelation and radar systems covering frequencies from DC to Ku band.
Larry Burgess received a BS and
MS from MIT and a Ph.D. from
University of Pennsylvania, all in
Electrical Engineering. He has
designed and evaluated antennas,
transmitters, and receivers at frequencies from 2 MHz to 6 GHz for
both military and commercial applications. After working at large companies and startups for several decades,
he resides in Silicon Valley and is the
Principal at Wireless Consulting
Services.
Get info at www.HFeLink.com
28 High Frequency Electronics
Planar Monolithics Industries, Inc.
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DTOs, VCOs, PLO, DROs,
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IQ Vector Modulators
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Log Amplifiers
Millimeter Wave
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Miscellaneous Products
Multifunction Integrated
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Phase Shifters & Bi-Phase
Modulators
Power Dividers/Combiners
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PMI offers a full line of RF and Microwave, Solid-State Switches that
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Model P20T-4G8G-80-T-515-SFF
Absorptive, SP20T PIN Diode Switch
Frequency
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Isolation
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- Measured 83.3 dB
Insertion Loss
4.0 dB Max
- Measured 3.95 dB
VSWR In/Out
2.0:1 Max, 1.8:1 Typ
Input Power
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(Hot Switchable)
• Package Size:
4.0” sq x 0.63”
• DC Voltage:
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+15 VDC @ 160 mA
• Switching Speed:
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Model P32T-0R5G18G-60-T-SFF
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Frequency
0.5 to 18.0 GHz
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SDLVAs, ERDLVAs
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Rack & Chassis Mount
Products
Single Side Band
Modulators
SMT & QFN Products
Switch Matrices
Switched Filter Banks
Switches – Solid State
Systems – Fly Eye Radars
Threshold Detectors
USB Products
Switch Matrix
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El Dorado Hills, CA 95762 USA
Tel: 916-542-1401, Fax: 916-265-2597
• Package Size:
8.0” x 3.5” x 1.0”
• DC Voltage:
+5 VDC @ 1470 mA
-5 VDC @ 100 mA
• Switching Speed:
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East Coast Operation:
7311-F Grove Road
Frederick, MD 21704 USA
Tel: 301-662-5019, Fax: 301-662-1731
sales@pmi-rf.com • www.pmi-rf.com
ISO9001-2008 REGISTERED
Harmonic Balance
Harmonic Balance Simulation
Algorithm: The Basics
By Ain Rehman
Ever had the error message “Transient time step too small” come up during your transient
simulations? We have. Many times. One of the most common reasons for this is that our circuit
contains two widely separated time constants. So if we constrain the simulator to follow the fast time constant (by setting the timestep to be small,
Explaining the HB
thereby following the faster time constant), it cannot follow the slower one,
technique as it is
and vice versa. End result in a majority of cases: “Transient time step too
applied to circuit
small”!
simulation.
Well, the algorithm gurus came up with a technique that can put an
end to this extremely annoying problem. The answer is an algorithm (that
works in a majority of cases) called the “Harmonic Balance” algorithm. We can become effective
users of this algorithm and the simulator which it is implemented in, if we understand it and
its limits.
This brief article is an attempt to explain the HB technique as it is applied to our favorite
kind of activity: circuit simulation.
HB Algorithm
The HB algorithm is very efficient and flexible and actually calculates the steady state solution directly. It does this by using the Fourier series philosophy. HB is a pure frequency domain
technique. We all know how the ac frequency domain runs get done with a minimum of fuss,
and relatively quickly.
Well, HB does this first on small signal frequency domain components and then on larger
signals which generate many new frequency components (Harmonics). It does sufficient small
signal steady state calculations on the harmonics so that the shape of the final transient signal
is produced to within an extremely small error tolerance.
Prime candidates for the use of HB are:
(1) Circuits with widely separated time constants as indicated above.
(2)Mixers.
(3)Oscillators.
(4) Frequency multipliers.
(5) Frequency dividers.
(6) Power amplifiers.
(7)Modulators.
(8) Computation of P1 dB.
(9) Computation of IP3.
(10) Computation of total harmonic distortion.
(11) Computation of IM components.
(12) Analysis of Power amplifier load – pull.
(13) Nonlinear noise analysis.
(14) Simulation of oscillator harmonics.
(15) Simulation of oscillator phase noise.
(16) Simulation of amplifier amplitude limits.
(17) Dispersive transmission lines.
(1) Circuits with a lot of reactive components.
30 High Frequency Electronics
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428 rev L
Harmonic Balance
Figure 1 • Linear and non-linear sections.
Note in each case HB is used when the circuit exploits
non-linearity in some form to get the performance required
in the circuit design.
For the more analytically minded, the following explanation of the basics of HB is in order.
With reference to Figure 1, note that the entire circuit
to be simulated is first separated into its linear and non
linear sections as shown. The interface is a set of voltages
and currents as indicated.
Two transadmittance matrices are defined; Y, that
maps the signal voltages VsM to the interconnection currents iN and Y1 that maps the voltages vN to the currents iN. Thus the composite current is:
I = YMXN Vs + Y1NXN V = Is + Y1NXN V
Eqn (1).
Since Vsi are known and constant the current Is
(input linear region currents) can be readily computed.
The non-linear section is modeled first by a current
transient solution i(t) = f1(v1, …..vk) and by a transient
32 High Frequency Electronics
charge function q(t) = f2(v1,…..vq). These functions are
transformed into frequencies by the use of the Fourier
transform and provide frequency domain vectors I1 and
Q1.
A harmonic balance solution is found if the interconnect currents for the linear section are the same as the
interconnect currents for the non-linear section. Therefore
the currents of the linear and the non-linear sections are
balanced at each harmonic frequency. This method is
called Kirchhoff’s current law harmonic balance
(KCL-HB).
This generates a non-linear matrix equation that
leads to the desired solution:
G(V) = Is + Y1.V + j ω.Q + I1 = 0
Eqn (2)
where matrix ω contains the radian frequencies on
the first main diagonal and zeros anywhere else, is the
zero vector.
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34 High Frequency Electronics
Inverse Fourier Transform
The inverse Fourier transform is applied at each iteration to convert to time
domain quantities. Then these time domain solutions ( v1, ……vk) and (v1,……
vq) are inserted into the solution i(t). A further Fourier transform provides the
charge and current vectors as above. After several iterations a solution is found,
i.e., we have the voltages v1, v2 .. etc., at the interconnect points. These provide
the means to calculate the voltages at all the nodes. Inserting current sources at
the interconnect points and doing an AC simulation provides the complete simulation.
In conventional frequency-domain linear analysis, nonlinear devices are represented by linearized equivalent circuit models around the dc operating point.
Typically, the models are extracted from small-signal and/or dc measurements.
Such models can be inadequate or even unsuitable for large-signal simulation.
Using harmonic balance, large-signal nonlinear models can be extracted directly
from power spectrum and/or waveform measurements.
Another significant approach is to combine dc, small signal and large-signal
performance specifications into one unified design optimization problem. This is
possible if the same nonlinear circuit model is used in dc, small-signal and largesignal analyses, providing analytically consistent results. The ability to optimize
different types of responses simultaneously instead of separately brings important benefits to a CAD system, especially when some of the variables affect both
the small- and large-signal performance.
Harmonic balance can also be applied to statistical optimization of nonlinear
circuits. In order to reduce the computational effort involved in the Monte Carlo
simulation of a large number of random outcomes (i.e., circuits with statistically
perturbed parameter values), a recent approach applies quadratic approximation not only for the circuit responses but also for their derivatives. Since the
determination of the quadratic model coefficients is independent of the number
of outcomes, we can improve the sampling accuracy using a large number of
outcomes without excessive computational effort.
A thesis from MIT also addresses harmonic balance and is quite useful in
furthering the understanding of the algorithm. It can be found on the web at:
http://www.rle.mit.edu/cpg/publications/nastov.pdf.
Competing Sources
The EDA industry (e.g., Agilent ADS and CADENCE SpectreRF) has come
up with two competing approaches—the harmonic-balance algorithm and the
PSS (Periodic Steady State) algorithm—for simulating RFICs/MMICs, such as
power amplifiers, low-noise amplifiers, mixers, and VCOs. The PSS algorithm is
effectively an RF-simulation extension to a transient-simulation engine, assuming that a periodic signal exists in the system. Cadence Design System’s
SpectreRF simulation implements the PSS algorithm.
The efficiency of each type of simulation (harmonic balance versus PSS)
depends largely on the types of elements in the circuit and the complexity of the
signal at the input. For example, passive elements—such as resistors, inductors,
and capacitors— are linear except in the extremes of their operating ranges.
Diode elements exhibit nonlinear electrical characteristics at large input signals.
Active devices are made up of P-N diode junctions and are, therefore, also nonlinear. Note that both types of simulators first require the calculation of a dc
operating point.
Benchmarking done on these two types of tools came up with the following
conclusions:
Although harmonic-balance simulation suits certain nonlinear RF circuits,
such as the large-signal simulation of power amps, the PSS engine may have
benefits for highly nonlinear circuits and small-signal simulations. The PSS
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36 High Frequency Electronics
CONTACT US
band
• Noise Figure : 4.0 dB (typ)
Harmonic Balance
engine also performed relatively better on VCO circuits. Also, transient simulators can perform well for other types of circuit simulations, such as larger circuits with some custom- or standard-cell digital content. (Reference: http://m.
eet.com/me
http://www.rle.mit.edu/cpg/documents/04167776-1.pdfdia/1140852/18619-238416.pdf)
For an overview of PSS in the SpectreRF program please see the following
link: http://www2.ece.ohio-state.edu/~bibyk/ece822/SpectreRF_0728.pdf.
Another interesting paper on RF simulation algorithms can be found at the
following link: http://www.rle.mit.edu/cpg/documents/04167776-1.pdf
Harmonic balance freeware is also available on the web for those who do
not want to spend the rather large amounts of money for commercial programs
like ADS. One such program is HBfree. It will require some effort to get it
going, but once that is done the program does generate some fairly respectable
results. HBfree is available at the following link. https://sourceforge.net/projects/hbfree/.
About the Author
Ain Rehman is Founder and Chief Engineer at Signal Processing Group,
Chandler, Ariz. His experience on the Harmonic Balance algorithm was
obtained by designing RF/microwave integrated circuits over a significant
length of time. Specifically the Harmonic Balance algorithm as implemented
in Agilent ADS. He has found that although ADS, with its massive (and highly
complex architecture) can sometimes cause issues, it does do the job. (Compared
silicon with simulation and found good agreement). This is not to say that PSS
should be ignored. As noted above, this evaluation has been done and some
results are already quoted.
Get info at www.HFeLink.com
Product Highlights
YIG-Tuned Band Reject Filters
Micro Lambda Wireless announced the production
release of YIG-Tuned band reject filters with 50 dB notch
depths at 500 MHz and 60 dB notch depths starting at 2
GHz. Standard models cover the 500 MHz to 2 GHz, 2 to
6 GHz, 6 to 18 GHz and 2 to 18 GHz.
The standard model operates over the 0 to +65 C temperature range, but Military versions covering -40 to
Phase Shifters Catalog
Spectrum Elektrotechnik’s new catalog features its
Precision Phase Shifters, or Phase Adjusters, which allow
the adjustment of the electrical separation between components. A precision mechanical movement provides for
smooth and accurate adjustment over the entire frequen-
38 High Frequency Electronics
+85C are available on special order. All units are available
with Analog, 12 bit TTL and 16 bit serial drivers.
Applications include Test Instruments, Wide Band
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applications. Availability: 4-6 weeks from receipt of Order.
Micro Lambda Wireless
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cy range. A secure locking mechanism is furnished with
every unit. A wide selection of components is available,
offering different mechanical configuration, frequency
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527 rev. C
Product Focus
40 GHz Power Sensor
“
LadyBug Technologies announced its fully self-contained 9 kHz to 40 GHz Wideband RF and microwave
power sensor. The highly accurate power sensor is suitable for laboratory use, EMC testing, SATCOM, and
defense applications.
When equipped with the optional SPI/I2C interface
as shown, the sensor can be directly controlled using a
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40 High Frequency Electronics
”
Product Highlights
Antenna
Southwest Antennas introduced its new small form
factor “Turbo Cloverleaf” family of circularly polarized
(CP) Omni antennas in 1.98 - 2.2 GHz and 2.3 - 2.5 GHz
frequencies. These new products deliver substantial
increases in high data rate throughput and signal-tonoise ratio (SNR) in a very compact, rugged radome that
Transceiver
Model SSK-SC763863-12-C1 is an E band, FMCW bistatic radar transceiver assembly. The transceiver takes a
9.5 GHz to 10.8 GHz/0 dBm signal to reach 76.0 to 86.4
GHz through an X2 and X4 multiplier for LO and TX signal. The waveguide filter is implemented to clean the
unwanted harmonic and spurious, and a directional coupler is used to separate the transmitter and receiver LO
paths. It includes two rectangular horns with 20 dB typi-
measures two inches or less on each side. Each antenna
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Southwest Antennas
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cal gain. Typical transmitting power is +10 dBm and the
conversion gain and noise figure are 16 dB and 6.0 dB
typically. The transceiver assembly requires +8 VDC/1,000
mA DC bias. It uses SMA (F) connectors for both LO and
IF ports.
SAGE Millimeter
sagemillimeter.com
41
Product Highlights
Edge Launch Connectors
SGMC Microwave now offers Precision Grade Edge
Launch Connectors for use with microwave applications
requiring excellent mode free operation up to 67 GHz.
1.85mm, 2.4mm, 2.92mm, 3.5mmm & SMA Series are
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Our Edge Launch connectors are designed to slide on
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Manufacturing Materials include Beryllium Copper,
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Reflector
Model SAJ-060-S1 is a 6” x 6” x 6” trihedral corner
reflector, featuring a rugged aluminum construction with
a gold chemical film finish. The trihedral reflector simulates radar target precisely and is widely used for Radar
system calibration. With a ¼-20 threaded hole for a built
42 High Frequency Electronics
in mounting bracket, the reflector can be mounted onto a
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SAGE Millimeter
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Product Highlights
Beamforming Kit
Keysight introduced the W1720EP Phased Array Beamforming Kit, a new
add-on software simulation personality for the SystemVue 2016.08 design
environment. The software enables researchers and system architects working on platforms using beamforming algorithms for 5G, satellite, NewSpace,
radar and EW applications, to reduce interference and power consumption,
while increasing physical range. Active electronically-scanned array (AESA)
systems can range from 16 to 256 elements for 5G applications to hundreds
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Keysight Technologies
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LNA
ZX60-83LN+ is a wideband low noise connectorized amplifier providing a
unique combina¬tion of low noise figure, high IP3 and flat gain over a very
wide frequency range, supporting a wide range of sensitive, high-dynamic
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Get info at www.HFeLink.com
43
Product Highlights
Reverse Polarity TNC Components
MECA offers a line of Reverse Polarity TNC Power
Dividers, Attenuators and Terminations. Power Dividers
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ADC
Texas Instruments introduced the highest level of
radio-frequency (RF) sampling performance with the
ADC32RF45, the industry’s fastest 14-bit analog-to-digital converter (ADC). This dual-channel ADC enables
direct RF signal conversion up to 4 GHz, giving engineers
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The ADC32RF45 eliminates up to four intermediate-frequency downconversion stages in multiband receivers,
which simplifies system architecture and reduces board
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Texas Instruments
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Get info at www.HFeLink.com
44 High Frequency Electronics
Product Highlights
Test Cable
MegaPhase LLC has expanded the frequency range in
which its KillerBee™ test cable operates to DC – 40 GHz.
KillerBee, the test cable that has set a new standard for
phase and amplitude stable performance, will now be
available to more laboratories and production environments for use in an even wider variety of tests.
The KillerBee is lightweight yet extremely rugged and
ultra-flexible. It’s known for dependable, repeatable per-
“
The site contains
a breadth and
depth of resources
for using NI AWR
software.
”
formance, which means fewer calibrations and less downtime. When increased productivity and reduced downtime
are factored into its cost, the KillerBee exemplifies the
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Resource Library
A new resource library has been added to the NI AWR Design
Environment™ website so that visitors can quickly and easily find
and choose the specific/targeted content they need. The site contains
a breadth and depth of resources for using NI AWR software and is
organized by resource type, application, technology, product and
industry. This new resource library can be accessed at awrcorp.com/
resource-library/.
National Instruments
awrcorp.com
45
Product Highlights
Epoxy
Featuring special high thermal conductive fillers,
Master Bond EP48TC is two part epoxy paste that can be
applied in bond lines as thin as 10-15 microns. This material offers exceptionally low thermal resistance of 5-7 x
10-6 K•m2/W, which imparts impressive heat transfer
capabilities and thermal conductivity of 20-25 BTU•in/
Attenuators
Richardson Electronics announced availability of a
selection of wideband attenuators from Integrated Device
Technology (IDT). The F1912, F1950, F1951, F1953 and
F1956 are part of IDT’s family of Glitch-Free digital step
attenuators optimized for the demanding requirements of
base station radio cards and communications infrastruc-
46 High Frequency Electronics
ft2•hr•°F [2.88-3.60 W/(m·K)]. It can be used in applications in the aerospace, electronics, optical, specialty OEM
and many other high-tech industries.
Master Bond
masterbond.com
ture applications. The silicon design results in very low
insertion loss, low distortion and the devices offer pinpoint accuracy with excellent ESD protection.
Richardson Electronics
rellpower.com
Product Highlights
Filter
CBP-1490A+ is a ceramic-coaxial-resonator based
bandpass filter in a shielded package fabricated using
SMT technology. This filter offers outstanding close in
rejection and power handling for use in aeronautical, test
and measurement applications.
Mini-Circuits
minicircuits.com
amcomusa.com
301-353-8400
The RF Power House
Wideband Power
Amplifiers (And More!)
MMIC Amp
AMCOM has all the expertise, manpower, space,
and equipment for manufacturing state-of-the-art
products. Some of our capabilities are: active device
design, MMIC design, and power amplifier module
design. In addition, we are experts in device/MMIC
packaging, module assembly and RF/DC testing. For
active devices, we either procure parts such as silicon
LDMOS, or GaN HEMT, or we use a semiconductor
foundry to fabricate our own proprietary device/
MMIC.
AMCOM
amcomusa.com
Power Device
(GaAs FET, GaAs PHEMT,
GaN/SiC)
MMIC PA
PA Module
Bias T
T/R Switch
Attenuator
Phase Shifter
401 Professional Drive | Suite 140 | Gaithersburg, MD 20879
Get info at www.HFeLink.com
47
Product Highlights
Switches
RLC Electronics introduced Low PIM switches, with
offerings from SP2T to SP12T. Switches are available in
any frequency range from DC up to 65 GHz, and the low
PIM designs offer the customer the ability to reduce intermodulation in active devices in order to reduce system
interference. Typical performance ranges from -160dBc to
SSPA Module
Model AMP1124 provides a typical output power of
100W P1dB and 200W Psat across 0.7-4.2GHz frequency
band. Using the latest GaN devices, gain flatness is 4.0dB
peak to peak and requires 32V at 40A Max. Suitable for
use with all modulations standards requiring high power
and wide band coverage. While having a small form fac-
48 High Frequency Electronics
-175dBc, and the high isolation minimizes cross-talk
between channels to ensure signal integrity. Customer
applications include DAS, Surveillance and Communication
Systems.
RLC Electronics
rlcelectronics.com
tor and lightweight, it has built-in protection circuits,
high reliability and ruggedness. Typical applications
include High Power Testing EMI/RFI, EW and
Communications.
Exodus Advanced Communications
exoduscomm.com
Product Highlights
Detectors
Herotek offers detectors, comb generators, limiters,
switches, GaAsFet amplifiers (broadband, low noise, and
power) and integrated subsystems of many types, including up and down converters, multipliers, harmonic mixers, and transceivers. Herotek has expanded the list of
Receptacles
SGMC Microwave introduced Type N Male and Female
(4) Hole Flange Receptacles with extended pin and dielectrics (epoxy captivated). Electrical: 50 Ohm, Low VSWR,
Low Insertion Loss, Mode Free through 11 GHz (18 GHz
version also available). Materials: Passivated 303
Stainless Steel Housings with Gold plated Center
standard detector, limiter, and comb generator models in
stock for immediate shipment. Now over 60 models in
stock for immediate delivery.
Herotek
herotek.com
Conductors. Brass, Nickel Plated housings are also available. Dielectrics are Virgin PTFE Fluorocarbon. Shippable
today from stocking distributor C.W. Swift & Associates:
sales@cwswift.com; 818-989-1133.
SGMC Microwave
sgmcmicrowave.com
49
Product Highlights
Switches
Pasternack expands its portfolio of in-stock solid state PIN diode
switches covering frequencies from 10 MHz to 67 GHz. 69 unique new
models of 50 ohm PIN diode switches are available in compact connectorized package styles and display impressive isolation, insertion loss,
and switching speed performance. These are used extensively in aerospace, defense, and commercial RF, microwave, and millimeter-wave
communication systems, and much more.
Pasternack
pasternack.com
ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE
COATINGS
Ideal for EMI/RFI Shielding
MB600G
Graphite filler
MB600S
Silver filler
MB600SCN
Silver coated nickel filler
w w w. m a st e r b o n d . co m
SSPA
The TA1164 is a broadband GaN SSPA, designed for general‐purpose RF test and military jamming applications. Internal DC conversion allows for a 12 ‐ 36 Vin supply voltage. CW output power is 10W
min, 20W typical across the band. Triad RF Systems comprises three
partners with over 40 years’ experience in the design, manufacture,
marketing, and servicing of RF/Microwave amplifiers and amplifier
systems.
Triad RF Systems
triadrf.com
50 High Frequency Electronics
Product Showcase
WAVEGUIDE SWITCHES
COAXIAL SWITCHES
DUAL SWITCHES
WE ARE THE WAVEGUIDE & COAXIAL SWITCH EXPERTS
YOUR #1 SOURCE FOR MICROWAVE SWITCHES SINCE 1992
QUALITY, SERVICE & QUICK DELIVERIES UNMATCHED IN THE INDUSTRY
754 Fortune Crescent, Kingston, ON, K7P2T3, Canada
30
Years
WHERE YOUR SPECIFICATIONS
TURN INTO REALITY
■
OCXO up to 500 MHz
■ Wideband
VCXO up to 1 GHz
pull up to ±5000 ppm
■ �-derived
selectivity
crystal filter for high
■ Customized crystal & L/C filter
■ Amplitude matched
■ Phase matched
■ Group delay equalized
■ Std. 1.7/21.4/45/70
pole crystal filters
MHz two
■ Low
phase noise crystal
oscillators
CALL OR FAX YOUR
REQUIREMENTS FOR A QUOTE
ph: (602) 971-3301
fax: (831) 303-2588
www.kselectronics.com
16406 N Cave Creek Road #5
Phoenix, AZ 85032-2919
www.highfrequencyelectronics.com
Product Highlights
LCD
The REP-10CPU-PM is Epsilon’s 10.4"″ display and
has a built-in CPU offering significant benefits with
respect to dimensions, ruggedization, and video quality. It
has an Ethernet connection, a PS2 mouse and keyboard
ports. The REP-10CPU-PM combines unmatched mechan-
2-Way Splitter
Model WMPD02-8-12-S/N from Werbel Microwave
LLC is a 2-way splitter that covers the 8 – 12 GHz band.
It is available in a housing measuring 1.8 x 1.5 x 0.8 in.
and is available with either N or SMA female connectors.
VSWR is specified 1.4:1 or better at all ports. Insertion
52 High Frequency Electronics
ical integrity with exceptionally low weight to provide a
unique, rugged display solution, especially for applications where space and weight are critical.
Epsilon Systems
epsilonsystems.com
loss is typically 0.5 dB max, and isolation is 18 dB min.
Phase balance is specified +/- 4 degrees. The unit is
designed for 10W in splitter operation. Made in USA.
Werbel Microwave LLC
werbelmicrowave.com
Product Highlights
Test Solution
NI announced an early access version of the WLAN
Measurement Suite with support for the IEEE 802.11ax
(draft 0.1) high-efficiency wireless draft standard. The
WLAN Measurement Suite, combined with NI’s RF vector
signal transceiver (VST), empowers engineers to measure
the performance of their 802.11ax designs confidently in
Thermal Simulations
CST announced its upcoming Conjugate Heat Transfer
(CHT) solver of CST STUDIO SUITE®. The CHT Solver
offers accurate thermal and air flow simulations for electromagnetic systems. Heating is an important consideration for many high-power applications and compact
electronic systems. Excess heat can damage components
and cause thermal expansion that detunes sensitive com-
the presence of significant new changes to the 802.11
physical layer specification.
National Instruments
ni.com
ponents. Natural convection and fan cooling can significantly affect how a component heats up, which makes
understanding the air flow through and around a device
a key part of multiphysics design.
CST
cst.com
53
Product Highlights
PXIe Chassis
Keysight Technologies announced a Gen 3 PXIe chassis and set of Gen 3 system components designed for complex, high-performance applications. Doubling the system
bandwidth, the new products improve data streaming for
capture/playback applications, such as 5G and electronic
Signal Generator
Vaunix added a new signal generator to its family of
Lab Bricks, the LMS-183DX. This new product covers a
frequency range of 6-18 GHz in a rugged, portable, palmsized package. The LMS-183DX has a power control range
of 80 dB, +10 to -70 dBm, from the 6 to 13 GHz frequency
range and a power control range of 65 dB, +10 to -55 dBm,
54 High Frequency Electronics
warfare. The Gen 3 products also provide a superior platform for large multi-channel and multi-chassis PXIe test
systems for applications, such as MIMO and PA/FEM.
Keysight Technologies
keysight.com
from the 13 to 18 GHz frequency range. This unit typically operates with a voltage stand wave ratio (VSWR) at
1:4:1 (2.0:1 maximum) and weighs less than one pound.
Vaunix
vaunix.com
Product Highlights
PRODUCTS
TO SOLUTIONS
RF Products
GaN PA
Model AHP-29043925-G1 is one of Ducommun’s newly developed amplifiers that utilize GaN technology in order to achieve high power with small
footprint. The amplifier operates within the frequency range of 27 GHz to 31
GHz, with small signal gain at 25 dB and saturated power at 39 dBm. This
high power amplifier in Ka band is ideal for satellite and ground communications. Ducommun also offers higher power models of this frequency range.
Contact Ducommun sales for more information.
Ducommun
ducommun.com
Ducommun has more than 45 years
of experience with the design,
testing and manufacturing of
coaxial switches and
integrated systems
Coaxial Switch
• 400 MHz to 8 GHz
• 10 WCW
• Operating temp
- 30˚C to +71˚C
• Low Insertion Loss
• High Isolation
• For Use In All Thermal Vacuum
Chambers
Manually Controlled
• DC to 22 GHz
• Available in SPDT,
DPDT, and up to
SP8T
• 200 WCW
• Great for lab testing
Ultra Broadband
• SPDT to SP8T
• Insertion in Loss
KS Electronics
kselectronics.com
For additional information,
contact our sales team at
+1 (310) 513-7256
rfsales@ducommun.com
CONTACT US
Filters and More
KS Electronics designs and manufactures Crystal filters, L/C filters,
TCXO,VCXO, VC-TCXO and VCOs, and DCXO. Organized for custom work,
we offer attention to minute details and customer specifications. KS
Electronics has the latest available test equipment from leading manufacturers (calibrated to MIL-C-45662) to do customized testing to all required
specifications. All personnel (combined experience of over 75 years in the
quartz crystal field) are thoroughly trained to meet stringent customer needs
and more.
i. Reflective: 20dB min
ii. Absorptive: 40dB min
• Complete solid state
solution
• 0.05 GHz to 67 GHz
Get info at www.HFeLink.com
55
Product Highlights
Socket
Ironwood Electronics introduced a new high performance elastomer socket for 0.65mm pitch BGA package.
The SG-BGA-9002 socket is designed for a 25mmx25mm
package size and operates at bandwidths up to 30 GHz
with less than 1dB of insertion loss (GSSG configuration).
Contact resistance is typically 20 milliohms per pin.
Cable Assemblies
San-tron is your one-stop solution for all your highperformance RF and microwave coaxial cable assembly
requirements. Building on more than 50 years of design,
development, and manufacturing of RF and microwave
coaxial connectors, San-tron has become a leading assembly house for the highest quality coaxial cable assemblies.
56 High Frequency Electronics
Network analyzer reflection measurements for the G-SS-G case were taken with all except the pins under consideration terminated into 50 Ohms.
Ironwood Electronics
ironwoodelectronics.com
Whether it’s for a high power, high frequency, low loss or
low PIM application, San-tron has the experience to
assist in configuring the proper interconnect for your
needs.
San-tron
santron.com
Product Highlights
Enclosures and More
Equipto Electronics Corp. is a leading manufacturer of packaging products
for the electronics industry. We design and manufacture a wide variety of standard equipment enclosures, from full-size cabinets to sub-racks, at our facility in
Aurora, Illinois. Special customer needs are fulfilled by modifications to standard designs or by custom enclosures. As a diverse metal fabricator we have
standard product lines, each consisting of multiple variations and accessories,
based on the EIA RS-310 standard (often referred to as the 19 inch standard).
Many of these products are covered by the company’s numerous patents.
Since the company’s founding
in 1960, our electronic packaging
products have been modular in
design. This modularity extends
well beyond the EIA RS-310 (19”)
“
Many
projects can be
manufactured
and shipped
by Equipto
Electronics in just
five working days.
”
Microwave Shielding Effec-veness 140 120 100 Shielding Effec-vness (dB) standard for maximum user flexibility. For example, equipment can
be moved from a vertical rack to a
sloped front console, work station
or instrument cabinet without
modification. By adding shelves,
drawers, turrets, casters, lift bolts,
standard or special panels, outlet
strips, fans, blowers, an almost
endless list of accessories and other
options, our customers can usually
create the perfect electronic enclosure out of a catalog of standard
products. This saves time and
money over a custom packaging
solution. Many projects can be
manufactured and shipped by
Equipto Electronics in just five
working days.
80 60 40 20 0 10 16 19 21 23 26 28 31 34 38 Frequency (GHz) Equipto Electronics
equiptoelec.com
Get info at www.HFeLink.com
57
Product Focus
Vector Signal Generator
Rohde & Schwarz now offers three new options for its
R&S SMW200A high end vector signal generator with
microwave frequency ranges from 100 kHz to 12.75 GHz,
100 kHz to 31.8 GHz and 100 kHz to 40 GHz. An option
covering the range between 100 kHz and 20 GHz has
been available since the summer of 2014. The R&S
SMW200A is the only microwave signal generator on the
market to combine a baseband generator and RF generator with fading, AWGN and MIMO capabilities in a single
box. As a result, it supports numerous challenging aerospace and defense and wireless communications applications.
Radar and satellite component and module tests
The 40 GHz version of the R&S SMW200A enables
users to completely cover the K and Ka bands. The generator’s integrated baseband offers an RF modulation
bandwidth of 160 MHz with excellent I/Q flatness and
EVM, making it possible to generate signals of the highest modulation quality in the microwave range. It is even
easy to generate CW signals with multiple carriers for
component tests and wideband QAM-modulated carriers
for satellite receiver tests.
Complex signals for 5G test setups
The R&S SMW200A is helping developers identify
potential technologies for accessing 5G wireless networks.
The new frequency options enable the instrument to cover
the frequency ranges that are currently the focus of 5G
development. Its internal baseband section can handle all
important digital communications standard including
LTE Releases 8 to 11. The signal bandwidth of the R&S
58 High Frequency Electronics
SMW200A can even reach 2 GHz when external I/Q signals are used – an ideal feature for wideband 5G applications.
Modulated, phase-coherent signals up to 40 GHz
Beamforming applications are used to measure active
antenna systems such as phased arrays. This requires
high quality, phase coherent test signals. The LO coupling
of the R&S SMW200A now makes it possible to set up a
compact system with up to three phase coherent outputs
up to 40 GHz. In addition to the R&S SMW200A, the
setup employs two combinations of the R&S SGS100A
and R&S SGU100A as additional RF paths up to 40 GHz.
The additional signal sources can be easily controlled via
the R&S SMW200A GUI.
Extensive test applications for wireless communications
Many wireless communications applications require
complex microwave test signals. The R&S SMW200A now
also generates high quality digitally modulated signals
up to 40 GHz for direct microwave link applications. If, for
example, a 12.75 GHz and a 6 GHz RF path are installed
in a single instrument, it is fast and easy to carry out the
complex conformance tests specified by many telecommunications standards. The instrument’s integrated test
case wizard enables users to configure even complex
WCDMA and LTE test scenarios such as blocking tests at
the push of a button. The 12.75 GHz frequency option also
offers a wear free electronic attenuator.
Rohde & Schwarz
rohde-schwarz.com
Product Highlights
Interconnects
Delta Electronics Manufacturing Corp. introduced a
new brand identity and website that capture the company’s position as a leading global provider of precision
interconnect and innovative solutions.
“This is an exciting time for Delta, “said Diane
Delaney, President & Treasurer. “Creativity and innovation have been at the heart of Delta since my father
founded the company in his basement in 1955. Today
we’re celebrating that creativity and looking to the future
with the launch of our bold new identity and website.”
70 GHz VNA Cable
W. L. Gore & Associates (Gore) has continuously
expanded the company’s microwave/RF solutions at higher frequencies by designing cable assemblies that are
reliable and will perform over time; it is now addressing
industry requirements for enhanced performance in the
60-70 GHz range. At the 60-70 GHz range, there is
increased need to maintain measurement accuracy, especially in Network Analyzers, Oscilloscopes, Analog Signal
From avionics to audio, radar to robotics, Delta delivers precision interconnect and innovative solutions to a
broad range of industries where reliability, performance,
and durability are of paramount importance. Delta products are found in mission critical systems across our
nation’s armed services, and platforms including homeland security, border control and NATO.
Delta Electronics
deltarf.com
Generators, Communication Testing, Chamber Testing,
and mm-Wave to name a few key applications. To address
these challenges, Gore has developed a new 70 GHz VNA
cable assembly; prototypes are currently available for
evaluation.
Gore
gore.com
59
Guest Editorial
IMS 2016 Wrap-Up: The Value of
Attending the Show
By Orwill Hawkins
LadyBug Technologies
The RF & Microwave industry is
a friendly, close-knit community
where engineers are supportive of
each other and share somewhat
openly. The only drawback to being
identified with the industry is the
occasional question about cooking
from those that don’t understand what a microwave really
is. A good industry challenge might be to formulate a standard response to these non-technical folks. Explanations
can be more difficult than it might seem.
IMS
The International Microwave Symposium is the world’s
largest microwave event and all RF & Microwave engineers would benefit from the show and sessions. Sadly,
many engineers that would receive significant benefit, do
not attend. Each year I offer guest passes to customers and
am often told that they do not attend. One common
response is “The boss goes, but I’m not in the budget” or
something similar. Many seasoned engineers have never
attended the event.
The RF & Microwave industry is very welcoming and
normally there are extra booths available and discounts
are offered to first-time exhibitors. This year all of the
available booth space was taken. Many new companies
with new products were exhibiting.
Our industry is at the forefront of new technology. The
fastest signals from the newest cell phones, tablets, cable
modems, routers, wearable devices and medical equipment
are all under our umbrella. Our industry supplies test
equipment, components and ideas today, for the signals
and devices that will be delivered tomorrow. The motto
“Smaller Faster Better” is definitely alive and well in our
industry. We open the door that allows wider bandwidth,
new frequency bands and packing more data into the same
signal.
Technology Advances
This year the event was in San Francisco and we saw
many microwave engineers that might not normally
attend. One particular senior Power Sensor user stopped
60 High Frequency Electronics
by our booth. He was amazed at how USB technology has
been leveraged into RF test systems. He allowed me show
him one of our LB5900 Sensors. I estimate that this engineer was in his late 50’s. He had never used a USB Power
Sensor and did not realize that the same or better measurement accuracy is available in a USB Sensor as in
Meter & Sensor combinations. He was surprised at the
vast array of new features that come with these new sensor
designs. Throughout the show are examples of new components and test equipment with the ability to test any signal
that can be generated by today’s latest devices.
Of course the chip makers were there in full force,
bringing the latest and fastest components. These components are the foundation of new products. The engineers,
architects and sales staff involved with these RF &
Microwave component companies are available to interface
with visitors at IMS.
Educational Benefits
With over 75 technical sessions and workshops, engineers can stay on top of the very latest technologies and
present their own papers. This year the symposium introduced the first ever Wearable’s + Wireless Pavilion in
which the latest emerging wearable RF & Microwave technology were displayed and discussed.
Here is another first from IMS. Have a new engineer in
your company? Send them to next year’s RF Bootcamp.
This is a great way to learn what the RF & Microwave
industry is about.
In addition to the array of other events, RFIC and
ARFTG conferences were held with concurring timing.
These two technical organizations complement the IMSMTT and included in-depth technical sessions covering
semiconductor design, measurements and modeling.
Companies that engage in the development of new
products and technologies or develop test platforms for
them would benefit by sending their engineering staff to
the International Microwave Symposium. The latest specialized PC board materials, components, test equipment,
connectors, automated test systems plus the latest ideas
are all under one roof. Given all these benefits, engineers
(Continued on page 64)
FIVE DAYS
THREE CONFERENCES
ONE EXHIBITION
EUROPEAN MICROWAVE WEEK 2016
EXCEL LONDON, UK
3 - 7 OCTOBER 2016
3-7 OCTOBER 2016
EUROPE’S PREMIER MICROWAVE,
RF, WIRELESS AND RADAR EVENT
The Exhibition (4th - 6th October 2016)
• 8,000 sqm of gross exhibition space
• 4,000 key visitors from around the globe
• 1,700 - 2,000 conference delegates
• In excess of 300 international exhibitors
(including Asia and US as well as Europe)
The Conferences:
• European Microwave Integrated Circuits Conference (EuMIC)
• European Microwave Conference (EuMC)
• European Radar Conference (EuRAD)
• Plus Workshops and Short Courses
• In addition EuMW 2016 will include the ‘Defence, Security and Space Forum’
Official Publication:
Organised by:
Co-sponsored by:
Supported by:
Co-sponsored by:
Co-sponsored by:
Co-sponsored by:
Co-sponsored by:
INTERESTED IN EXHIBITING?
For International Sales:
Richard Vaughan
International Sales Manager
E: rvaughan@horizonhouse.co.uk
Tel: +44 20 7596 8742
For US Sales:
Alyssa Connell
Event Coordinator
E: aconnell@mwjournal.com
Tel: +1 781 619 1930
For more information visit:
www.eumweek.com
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housings for 50 and 75Ω systems.
From 2-way through 48-way designs, with 0°, 90°, or 180°
phase configurations, Mini-Circuits’ power splitter/combiners offer a vast
selection of features and capabilities to meet your needs from high power
and low insertion loss to ultra-tiny LTCC units and much more.
Need to find the right models fast? Visit minicircuits.com and use Yoni2®!
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448 rev Q
Advertiser Index
Company
Page
Advanced Switch Technology............................................................... 51
American Technical Ceramics.............................................................. 15
AMCOM................................................................................................. 47
API Technologies INMET....................................................................... 1
Avtech.................................................................................................... 51
Azimuth................................................................................................. 25
CDM Electronics..................................................................................... 5
Cernex.................................................................................................... 18
Coilcraft................................................................................................. 11
C. W. Swift & Associates.......................................................................C2
dBm.......................................................................................................... 7
Ducommun............................................................................................ 36
Ducommun............................................................................................ 55
Equipto Electronics............................................................................... 57
EuMW.................................................................................................... 61
Fairview Microwave.............................................................................. 19
G. T. Microwave..................................................................................... 28
Herotek.................................................................................................. 14
KS Electronics....................................................................................... 51
Master Bond.......................................................................................... 50
MECA Electronics................................................................................. 44
Micro Lambda Wireless.......................................................................... 9
Microwave Components........................................................................ 27
Mini-Circuits....................................................................................... 2, 3
Mini-Circuits......................................................................................... 21
Mini-Circuits......................................................................................... 23
Mini-Circuits......................................................................................... 31
Mini-Circuits......................................................................................... 39
Mini-Circuits................................................................................... 62, 63
National Instruments........................................................................... 17
Pasternack............................................................................................. 34
Pasternack............................................................................................. 35
Planar Monolithics Industries............................................................. 29
Pulsar Microwave................................................................................. 20
RelComm Technologies......................................................................... 37
RF Bay................................................................................................... 51
Richardson RFPD.................................................................................C4
SAGE Millimeter.................................................................................. 13
San-tron................................................................................................. 33
Satellink................................................................................................ 51
Sector Microwave.................................................................................. 50
SGMC Microwave.................................................................................C3
Southwest Microwave........................................................................... 24
Temwell................................................................................................. 43
Wenteq Microwave................................................................................ 50
The ad index is provided as an additional service by the publisher,
who assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions.
n Find Our Advertisers’ Web Sites using HFeLink™
1. G
o to our company information Web site:
www.HFeLink.com, or
2. F
rom www.highfrequencyelectronics.com, click on the HFeLink
reminder on the home page
3. C
ompanies in our current issue are listed, or you can choose one of
our recent issues
4. F
ind the company you want ... and just click!
5. Or ... view our Online Edition and simply click on any ad!
PUBLISHER
Scott Spencer
Tel: 603-472-8261
scott@highfrequencyelectronics.com
ADVERTISING SALES — EAST
Gary Rhodes
Vice President, Sales
Tel: 631-274-9530 | Fax: 631-667-2871
grhodes@highfrequencyelectronics.com
ADVERTISING SALES — WEST
Tim Burkhard
Associate Publisher
Tel: 707-544-9977 | Fax: 707-544-9375
tim@highfrequencyelectronics.com
ADVERTISING SALES—WEST—NEW
ACCOUNTS
Jeff Victor
Tel: 224-436-8044 | Fax: 509-472-1888
jeff@highfrequencyelectronics.com
ADVERTISING SALES — CENTRAL
Keith Neighbour
Tel: 773-275-4020 | Fax: 773-275-3438
keith@highfrequencyelectronics.com
ADVERTISING SALES — NEW
ACCOUNTS & PRODUCT SHOWCASE
Joanne Frangides
Tel: 201-666-6698 | Fax: 201-666-6698
joanne@highfrequencyelectronics.com
U.K. AND EUROPE
Sam Baird
Tel: +44 1883 715 697 | Fax: +44 1883 715 697
sam@highfrequencyelectronics.com
(Continued from page 60)
and managers should plan to spend at least a full
day or two at IMS, each and every year.
About the Author
Orwill Hawkins serves as Vice-President of
Marketing at LadyBug Technologies, Santa Rosa,
Calif. He has over three decades of management,
marketing, engineering and manufacturing experience, and extensive hands-on design and manufacturing experience in the RF, analog, and digital
fields.
High Frequency Electronics (USPS 024-316) is published monthly by Summit Technical Media, LLC, 3 Hawk Dr., Bedford, NH 03110.
Vol. 15 No. 6 June 2016. Periodicals Postage Paid at Manchester, NH and at additional mailing offices.
POSTMASTER: Send address corrections to High Frequency Electronics, PO Box 10621, Bedford, NH 03110-0621.
Subscriptions are free to qualified technical and management personnel involved in the design, manufacture and distribution of electronic equipment and
systems at high frequencies. Copyright © 2016 Summit Technical Media, LLC
64 High Frequency Electronics
QUALITY, PERFORMANCE AND RELIABILITY
IN PRECISION COAXIAL CONNECTORS
BETWEEN SERIES
ADAPTERS
EDGE LAUNCH
CONNECTORS
BULKHEAD & PANEL
ADAPTERS
CABLE CONNECTORS
IN SERIES ADAPTERS
CUSTOM DESIGNS
ADAPTERS · CABLE CONNECTORS · RECEPTACLES · CUSTOM DESIGNS
Including These Connector Series
1.85mm
2.4mm
DC-65 GHz
DC-50 GHz
2.92mm
3.5mm
DC-40 GHz
DC-34 GHz
7mm
SSMA
DC-18 GHz
DC-40 GHz
ISO 9001:2008
SGMC Microwave — The name to count on for Quality, Performance
and Reliability! Please contact us today by Phone, Fax or Email.
Manufacturer of Precision Coaxial Connectors
620 Atlantis Road, Melbourne, FL 32904
Phone: 321-409-0509 Fax: 321-409-0510
sales@sgmcmicrowave.com
www.sgmcmicrowave.com
Get info at www.HFeLink.com
Universal Footprint RF Duplexers
Universal-footprint series of RF filters from
lifetimes and as much as 200cW
CTS provide better communications in
peak
small cells, active antenna arrays, distributed
input
capability.
power
handling
Universal
footprint
antenna systems (DAS), repeaters and
filters
remote radio heads. This new breed of
insertion loss and rejection.
ceramic monoblock filters is offered for
more information on our ceramic
all the major 3GPP FDD frequency
universal duplexers and bandpass
bands, sharing a common footprint
filters go to richardsonrfpd.com/
for ease of system design. Our high-
provide
industry-leading
For
Universal-Footprint
reliability, surface-mounted, ceramic
filters support 20-year operating
Filters with Industry-leading insertion loss and rejection.
We offer three complete families of universal
footprint duplexers.
Shown: the USD004 Duplexer
UMD
DUPLEXER
For Metro Cell
USD
DUPLEXER
For Small Cell
UPD
DUPLEXER
For Pico Cell
20W Avg
200W Pk
6W Avg
60W Pk
1.5W Avg
15W Pk
Insertion Loss (5MHz AVG)
2.2dB
2.6dB
3.0dB
Rx Band Isolation*
80dB
72dB
63dB
Tx Band Isolation
74dB
66dB
57dB
62 x 44
63 x 18
44 x 18
-40 to +85°C
-40 to +85°C
-40 to +85°C
Input Power Rating
Universal Footprint Size (mm)
Operating Temp Range
* Note: “Difficult” bands may have 2dB lower worst case Rx band isolation.
Scan me to
LEARN MORE
www.richardsonrfpd.com/Universal-Footprint
Your Global Source for RF, Wireless, Energy & Power Technologies
www.richardsonrfpd.com | 800.737.6937 | 630.262.6800