Microwaves & RF

What's In The Package?

Fri, 19 Feb 2010 02:08:58 MST

At RF and microwave frequencies, the more pertinent question often is, "What is the package?" At higher frequencies, the package can have as much effect on the performance as the circuit it houses and it is better to think of the package and the device as inseparable. Years ago, custom packages were needed to ensure that the performance of microwave circuits was not "thrown away" once in a package. For applications where protecting the circuit was tantamount to...

RFIC Amps Add Gain Where Needed

Fri, 19 Feb 2010 02:08:58 MST

Amplifiers, whether as RF gain blocks, as low-noise amplifiers (LNAs), or power amplifiers (PAs), are essential building blocks in microwave systems. Over the last decade, a growing number of RF integrated circuit (RFIC) amplifiers have become available in place of larger and more expensive discrete designs. While these RFIC products can't always match the pure performance of a discretedevice amplifier, RFICs provide the convenience of small size and,...

Properly Packaging RF Semiconductors

Fri, 19 Feb 2010 02:08:58 MST

Electronic packaging usually serves to protect what lies within. For RF and microwave devices, however, an ideal package must provide a physical barrier while appearing electrically invisible. And with the trend for increasing levels of integration at higher frequencies (see Wireless Demands Focus Designers On Integration), packages must often take on the electrical characteristics...

USB Devices Simplify RF/Microwave Testing

Fri, 19 Feb 2010 02:08:58 MST

Computer-controlled test equipment once evoked images of racks of instruments connected to a "technical" computer via the general-purpose interface bus (GPIB). While GPIB-controlled gear is still a staple of many automatic-test-equipment (ATE) applications, newer test interfaces, such as the Universal Serial Bus (USB), are quickly gaining ground for their ease of use and flexibility. In fact, the availability of a growing number of measurement functions...

Optimize Class E Power Amplifiers

Fri, 19 Feb 2010 02:08:58 MST

Amplifier efficiency is essential not only for mobile devices, but increasingly to conserve power consumption in wireless communications base stations and cell sites. The Class E amplifier in this article produced efficiency of 60 percent from 1.9 to 2.2 GHz using a standard packaged transistor. 1 The techniques used to design and build this amplifier can be employed to design Class E amplifiers at any frequency of interest. The Class E...