RF & Wireless News New
RF & Wireless News New Website for HXI Product Line Renaissance Electronics and HXI are happy to unveil the revamped website for HXI products (www.hxi.com) which offers, among other things, a comprehensive catalog of products. It also offers options to search data sheets by keywords, send enquiries online and sign up for the newsletter that provides regular product updates. ■ www.rec-usa.com www.hxi.com e-handbook: All about testing of nanoelectronic materials Nanotechnology has the potential to improve our quality of life in diverse ways, such as faster electronics, huge memory/storage capacities for PCs, cheaper energy through more efficient energy conversion, and improved security through the development of nanoscale, bio-, and chemical-detection systems. Because accurate electrical measurements are necessary to the development of nanotechnology, Keithley has published this new e-handbook. 16 pages full of invaluable technical tutorial information are covering these important topics: • Nanotech Testing Challenges • Electrical Measurement Considerations • Electrical Noise • Pulsing Technologies • Avoiding Self-Heating Problems • Graphene: The Semiconductor industry‘s replacement for Silicon? ■ Keithley www.keithley.com Test & Measurement 3-D EM Simulation Platform Further Enhances RF Simulation Speed Agilent Technologies Inc. announced shipment of the latest release of its Electromagnetic Professional software, EMPro 2011.11. The updated 3-D modeling and simulation platform features enhancements to further speed and improve RF design and verification. Tightly integrated with Agilent‘s Advanced Design System, EMPro is used to create 3-D models and analyze electrical performance of packages, connectors, antennas and other RF components. The EMPro 2011.11 release builds on advances made available in the 2011.07 release, introducing key improvements to the finite-element method simulator: • A fast FEM iterative solver that doubles the speed of simulations that include internal ports (which had already been doubled in the previous release). This continuous improvement reflects Agilent‘s ongoing Agilent Technologies Inc. announced the new E5515E 8960 Series 10 wireless communications test designed for R&D engineers who need to stress their 2G/3G/3.5G designs at the maximum data rates. The E5515E, an enhancement to the industry-preferred 8960 wireless test set, is equipped with dual downlink paths, a more powerful processor and other significant hardware improvements. It includes advanced features such as sustained 42-Mb/sec DC HSDPA throughput and extensive handovers between 2G/3G and LTE, for comprehensive 2G/3G/3.5G/LTE testing together with the Agilent PXT E6621A wireless communication test set for LTE. In addition, the E5515E wireless test set supports the latest TD SCDMA advancements such as commitment to fast-paced advancements in simulation technology. • A user-defined passive loads capability. This allows users to include ideal passive loads directly in an FEM simulation to represent matching circuits and surface-mount components. (The loads are defined in the EM setup environment, which consists of common series and parallel RLC network topologies. This capability enables accurate field visualization results and radiation patterns that take into account passive loads.) • A fast, two-dimensional port solver that simplifies FEM simulation port setup. The solver allows users to quickly and easily determine the number of modes, as well as reference impedance and optimum impedance line placement. ■ Agilent Technologies www.agilent.com New Wireless Communications Test Set for R&D Programmable Step Attenuators RLC Electronics’ PA Series Attenuators are binary Programmable Step Attenuators designed to operate from DC to 20 GHz. Two basic models offer attenuation ranges of 15 and 70 dB. Control is in standard format: 1-2-4-8, etc. The attenuators are available with failsafe or latching operation, 12 or 28 volt coils and optional TTL drivers, with a choice of frequency ranges. Power: 12 Vdc at 185 mA nominal per cell, 28 Vdc at 108 TD HSDPA 2.8-Mb/sec IP data connections, TD HSUPA signaling and test-mode connections, and TD SCDMA protocol logging. The E5515E wireless test set is designed to meet the ever increasing demands of the wireless R&D segment of the mobile broadband industry. It complements the currently available E5515C, widely used for both R&D and high-volume manufacturing test. The E5515C continues to offer robust, repeatable and standards-compliant 2G/3G/3.5G RF measurements for both R&D and manufacturing. Existing E5515C test sets can be upgraded to E5515E hardware to support the latest 3.5G technologies such as 42-Mb/sec DC HSDPA. ■ Agilent Technologies www.agilent.com mA nominal per cell Power Rating: 2 watts average at 25 ° C Impedance: 50 ohms Life: 1,000,000 operations Connectors: SMA Female Switching Speed: 15 ms max. Specials requiring closer tolerances, different frequency ranges, special connectors, different materials, finishes, etc. can be furnished upon request. ■ RLC Electronics Inc. www.rlcelectronics.com 48 hf-praxis 4/2012
RF & Wireless Products New Triple Balanced Mixer Serves Millimeterwave Transceivers die form and features RF I/Os which are internally matched to 50 Ohms, allowing for simplified integration into higher level modules and subsystems. The HMC1015 complements Hittite‘s broad line of single, double and subharmonic mixers with frequency coverage up to 90 GHz. Samples are available from stock and can be ordered via the company‘s e-commerce site or via direct purchase order. Released data sheets are available on-line at www.hittite.com. ■ Hittite Microwave Corporation RFMD Expands Industry-Leading Portfolio Of High Performance 2.4 GHz Front End Modules Hittite Microwave Corporation announced the release of a new Triple Balanced GaAs MESFET MMIC Mixer die which is ideal for microwave & millimeterwave radios, military sensors, and test & measurement equipment applications from 26 to 32 GHz. The HMC1015 is a Triple Balanced GaAs MESFET MMIC Mixer die which accepts IF frequencies from 16 to 22 GHz, and RF frequencies from 26 to 32 GHz. This highly integrated mixer employs a passive architecture which requires no DC bias and no external components or matching circuitry. The HMC1015 operates with LO drive levels as low as +9 dBm, and is ideally suited as the frequency converter core in both upconversion and downconversion applications. This unique mixer die exhibits consistent conversion gain and compression characteristics across its operating bandwidth, while on-chip balun structures provide excellent LO to RF, LO to IF and 2LO to IF isolations of greater than 30 dB. The HMC1015 is offered in bare RF Micro Devices, Inc. announced the release of the RFFM6201, a 2.4 GHz band single-chip Zigbee front-end module featuring an integrated power amplifier, low noise amplifier, and diversity switch. RFMD‘s 2.4 GHz RFFM6201 delivers industry-leading current consumption (170 mA at rated power) and high-power performance (+23 dBm) for Home Area Networking (HAN)/Smart Energy applications. The energy efficient RFFM6201 is pin-forpin compatible with RFMD‘s popular RF6555 and offers 5dB higher output power, enabling customers to increase power output and range without requiring changes in product layout. ZigBee(r) Smart Energy is the world‘s leading standard for home area networks (HAN) used by smart grid programs to boost energy management and efficiency in homes around the world. ■ RFMD Euroquartz Launches new Statek Crystal Oscillator Euroquartz has introduced Statek’s latest crystal oscillator that is designed for high temperature, high shock applications. Offering frequency output from 460 kHz to 50 MHz, the new Statek HGXOHT is capable of operation up to 225 °C and can survive extremely high shocks – up to 100,000 g. The design comprises a hermeticallysealed high-shock crystal and a CMOScompatible IC housed in a 5 x 7.5 mm surface-mount ceramic package. Additional features include excellent stability over temperature, fast start-up, CMOS and TTL compatible, optional enable/disable and low EMI emission. Specifications include 3.3 or 5.0 V supply voltage, standard calibration tolerance of ±50ppm (or tighter if required), output load (CMOS) of 15 pF, start-up time of 5 ms maximum, rise/fall time of 10 ns maximum, duty cycle of 40% minimum/60% maximum, vibration survival of 20 g (10 to 2000 Hz swept sine), shock survival up to 100,000 g (0.5 ms, ½ sine) and operating temperature range from -55 to +225 °C. The HGXOHT is available in tray pack or on tape and reel. ■ Euroquartz Ltd/Frequency Products Ltd www.euroquartz.co.uk hf-praxis 4/2012 49
