The 4G Controversy

Some industry experts and research analysts agree that today's WiMAX (802.16e) and LTE technologies are 4G but do they really meet the definition of 4G as others say they do not. Now that the ITU has officially accepted 802.16m and LTE-Advanced as IMT-Advanced technologies (4G), the issue has surfaced again. What makes it more confusing is that where the ITU mainly referred to IMT-2000 and IMT-Advanced in the past, it is now including 3G with IMT-2000 and 4G with IMT-Advanced.

It is true that the current LTE and WiMAX systems are 4th generation networks so shouldn't they be called that. But 4G networks should also meet some minimal performance specs for data rates, security, etc. (ITU now specifies 4G with peak rates up to about 100 Mbit/s). With the ITU's specifications of 4G now published, the performance specifications for 4G are far above those of current systems making them more like 3.9G (or something like that) as their speeds are in the tens of Mbit/s speeds.

All the carriers are calling their latest networks 4G any way in order to keep up with their marketing to the public of the latest faster networks. T-Mobile is saying their new HSPA+ network is 4G; AT&T and Verizon are deploying LTE networks as 4G; and Sprint and Clearwire are deploying WiMAX in the same way. So the point is probably mute as these carriers are already defining and marketing their current networks as 4G, so I think it is too late for the ITU to define it. But I agree that the ITU has a more proper definition since performance specifications are spelled out to quantify the requirements.

Here is our latest article written by the UMTS Chairman about the evolution of from HSPA to LTE and beyond. What do you think?

and the winner is....

The Global Semiconductor Association (GSA) just announced its 2010 Award Nominees for the Annual Awards Dinner Celebration and there are a few familiar RF/Microwave semiconductor vendors among the list of companies being honored at the gala happening on December 9th in San Jose.

- SiGe Semiconductor, Inc. was nominated for the Most Respected Private Semiconductor Company award

- Broadcom Corporation was nominated for the Most Respected Public Semiconductor Company award nominees achieving $500 million to $10 billion in annual sales

- Hittite Microwave Corporation and QUALCOMM CDMA Technologies were nominated for the Best Financially Managed Semiconductor Company award

- In the Analyst Favorite Semiconductor Company award category: Skyworks Solutions, Inc. (along with Broadcom and QUALCOMM) was nominated by analyst Tim Luke of Barclays Capital, Avago Technologies was nominated by analyst Ross Seymore of Deutsche Bank Securities and Hittite was nominated by Needham & Company analyst Quinn Bolton.

The GSA Awards Dinner Celebration is made possible through the support of this year’s title sponsor, TSMC; VIP sponsor NASDAQ OMX; networking reception sponsor GLOBALFOUNDRIES; as well as general sponsors including Advantest, Amkor Technology, ARM, ASE Group, Atheros Communications, Barclays Capital, Broadcom Corporation, Cadence Design Systems, CSR plc, Deutsche Bank, eSilicon Corporation, GlobalFoundries, IBM, J.P. Morgan, KPMG, MagnaChip Semiconductor, Marvell Semiconductor, MIPS Technologies, Mohawk Valley Edge, Morgan Stanley, Needham & Company, NetLogic Microsystems, NVIDIA Corporation, PricewaterhouseCoopers, QUALCOMM CDMA Technologies, Samsung Semiconductor, SAP and UMC.

I’ll be sending my tux out for cleaning, just as soon as I receive my invite.

NFC Rumored to be in Next iPhone

There was a report last week that Apple is already testing a prototype iPhone with near-field communication (NFC) capability inside that could lead to using future iPhones as a mobile wallet or payment device. Unnamed sources say that Apple is testing an iPhone with NFC chips procured from NXP Semiconductor. It's not clear what exactly what they are testing and is very preliminary at this point. But coupled with the hire of Benjamin Vigier from mFoundry as mobile payments product manager, it seems possible that Apple could be planning to open up to mobile commerce.

Using it the iPhone for payment seems to be a good idea for Apple, which has 150 million credit cards already hooked up to iTunes accounts, as CEO Steve Jobs announced in June to its annual meeting of developers. There are applications being built for iOS devices as well as Android and other platforms that enable mobile payment, so building in a contactless payments feature makes sense and has been tested and used in other countries like Japan.

Do you think the iPhone will be the first to implement NFC or will an Android phone beat them to the punch?

MILCOM 2010 - Utilizing Smartphones for the Warfighter

One of the major trends at MILCOM this year is leveraging the use of commercial smartphones for military use to field advanced communications to the field quickly. Billions of dollars are invested in commercial development for smartphones so why not use that advanced technology for the military. The commercial market also updates capabilities quickly so if the commercial smart phone can "plug" into a secure military network, the comm device does not become obsolete after a year or two.

One of the best examples of utilizing this strategy is Lockheed Martin's MONAX 3G broadband network. MONAX is designed to bring an affordable, 3G broadband network to Warfighters at the first tactical mile and enables the use of smartphones and delivers smartphone data, imagery, video and applications. Lockheed has designed a "brick" device (called a Lynx) that has a battery, antenna and RF circuitry to transmit and receive secure 3G communications to the network that the smartphone just clips into. A rubber sleeve is also used to encase the smartphone to make it more rugged. The device uses standard AES 256 encryption and utilizes different frequencies than commercial networks so as to not interfere with the local communications. The basestations can be put up on towers but are better used on airborne platforms like balloons where they are quickly deployed over the area and provide wider coverage. Below is a short video demonstration of the MONAX network.

The MONAX devices are available on GSA for around $1000. They provide a low cost quickly deployable network that can be used now. It is well suited for the Warfighter, disaster communications, rescue situations and similar situations where secure communications are needed quickly. It is not a fit for top secret or highly rugged communications but is a possible solution for most military communications needs. It is currently a 3G network but can be updated as the technology progresses to 4G and beyond.

They plan to build a library of apps appropriate for the Wargfighter such as mapping programs, video surveillance, facial recognition for identification, battle planning, medical apps to forward injured soldier information ahead to the medical unit and more. This will provide capable communications now while other programs come on line in the future like JTRS and WIN-T. The might be a secure iTunes app store in the future!

FAQs - 4G and Future Directions in Cellular Wireless Standards

Courtesy of TriQuint Semiconductor

Q: What is 4G and where does it fit in the development of cellular communication standards?

A: 4G refers to the Fourth Generation of cellular wireless standards.

The First Generation (1G) of cellular wireless supported analog mobile phones. This transitioned to Second Generation (2G) digital service, which offered a significant upgrade in capabilities. The Third Generation (3G) supports multi-media, spread-spectrum transmission with larger volumes of data transfer and improved speeds. It enables numerous applications including e-mail and web browsing.

Fourth Generation (4G) takes the capabilities of wireless a step further. 4G increases bandwidth and modulation complexity and adds spatially multiplexed data streams (MIMO). This in turn increases the data rates and enables exciting new services and applications. For example, the key 2G application was voice. 3G brought data services to the market, enabling e-mail and web browsing. 4G applications are still being defined but may include things like streaming video.

Q: Where are we with 3G and the shift to new standards for 4G networks?

A: Major US wireless networks are using 3G specifications, providing users with a noticeable improvement in data speed. 3G allows simultaneous use of voice and data transfers. The speed of a smartphone browser, and the ability to send and receive pictures and larger files, are significant 3G enhancements.

While 4G offers even more capability, there are different approaches to 4G standards. Whenever there are new generations of wireless standards, differing innovations are developed and tend to find their own audiences over time.

The major 4G standards are Long Term Evolution (LTE) and WiMAX (also known as 802.16m). LTE commitments are the logical extension for organizations whose current systems are UMTS / 3GPP based. LTE is favored by organizations that hold paired frequency spectrum allocations. WiMAX commitments tend to come from organizations that hold unpaired frequency spectrum allocations, although there is significant interest in the time division duplex version of LTE (TD-LTE) here as well.

Regardless of which standard eventually prevails, TriQuint will support new generations of systems to assist all developers as they work towards continuous improvement.

We do this while looking ahead of the current trends in the evolution of wireless.

Q: What exactly are the improvements that make each new Generation?

A: Generation changes in wireless communications generally have to do with both the data rate and architecture of the system infrastructure. It is safe to say that each new generation enables higher data rates, lower latency and new applications relative to the previous one.

One major change is that 4G systems use a packet infrastructure rather than traditional telephone architecture. Since 4G is relatively new, it will still take time for the full extension of the improvements to present themselves.

Q: With the acceptance of 3G and 4G, is the 2G system obsolete?

A: While 2G systems have been surpassed by new generations of wireless, the system remains viable and has a large user base in areas where 3G and 4G systems have not been deployed. It will continue to be important for several years into the future. At some point, it is likely that the 2G spectrum will be refarmed to support newer generations of wireless services.


Q: What are WiMAX, WiFi and LTE technologies? How do they fit into the 4G network?

A: LTE is a cellular communications protocol for 4G networks. LTE is favored by organizations that hold paired frequency spectrum allocations and especially those whose current systems are UMTS / 3GPP based. There is also growing interest in the time domain version of LTE – TD-LTE – for use in unpaired spectrum.

WiMAX is also a communications protocol for 4G networks It is also known as 802.16m and tends to be favored by organizations that hold unpaired frequency allocations.

WiFi is a short-range communications protocol popular for consumer devices and also a familiar term with broad audience recognition. WiFi is best viewed as a supporting protocol that works in conjunction with LTE or WiMAX devices rather than as a competitive technology.

Comparisons and confusion between LTE, WiMAX and WiFi are frequent because all are related to the ability to wirelessly connect and provide Internet access. WiFi generally operates in a home or office building to connect computers, smartphones and other wireless devices.

Q: What are the major design considerations for 4G systems?

A: The most significant changes are new frequency bands that have been opened to support the 4G services. The most well known examples are in the “Digital Dividend” bands where former analog TV channels have been refarmed for 4G services. Other changes are wider bandwidths, more complex modulation and the usage of spatial diversity (MIMO) to improve data rates.

Q: What can we expect in future 5G or 6G systems?

A: The main goals for new generations of wireless service will surely include the ability to handle massive amounts of information without any delay.

Communications will be clearer as they become increasingly error free and reliable no matter where you are. New generations of wireless will have the ability to sort through, identify, send and receive wireless transmissions on ever more crowded airways.

Safety and security, always a concern, will be built deeper into the systems to protect information, provide privacy and integrate all aspects of wireless. Astonishing new applications are always on the horizon. These will need new generations of wireless capabilities that TriQuint research is dedicated to help design and build.

MILCOM 2010 - First Impressions

Although IP communications have been around for many years, interoperable and secure IP systems are now being realized in many military applications. The Warfigther is now being connected with vehicles, UAVs, ships, helicopters and other aircraft so that everyone can share information immediately and there is no single point of failure in the network as they can all act as nodes. This year's theme, "The Next Decade of Military Communications," addresses the issues with connecting various Defense, intelligence and homeland security networks as well as the evolution of communications systems and networks as we move into network-centric operations as the president and CEO, Wanda Austin, of the Aerospace Corporation put it in her welcome letter to attendees.

Although the major players are all here such as Boeing, GD, Raytheon, Harris, NGC, etc. Lockheed Martin seems the most active as they and the Aerospace Corporation were the co-sponsors for the show. They are showing off AMR-JTRS and MONAX 3G broadband network. AMR-JTRS provides a secure mobile network allowing rapid connectivity. JTRS provides communications between Warfighters and AMF provides new IP-enabled waveforms that deliver high data throughput and secure internet capability (to 10 Mbps). As JTRS units are deployed to aircraft, vehicles and Warfighters, they can now form ad hoc networks and seamlessly communicate voice and data. MONAX is designed to bring an affordable, 3G broadband network to Warfighters at the first tactical mile and enables the use of Smartphones and delivers Smartphone data, imagery, video and applications.

Most of the component and test/measurement companies are also here so I will make the rounds today and interview as many of them as I can. I will have a show summary up by the end of the week.

Handset Market is Robust - Some Component Shortages Seen

Good news for cell phone component manufacturers as ABI Reserach reports that the mobile handset market is set for a stellar performance in 2010. 3Q-2010 is up 346.2 million in handset shipments. For the first three quarters of the year, YoY growth has been hovering around 20%. “This is a remarkable feat, irrespective of the rebound effect following the deferred handset purchases during the economic recession,” says Jake Saunders, VP for forecasting at ABI Research. “Layer on ‘smartphone-envy’ and you have a recipe for high handset volumes.”

This rebound is having some interesting consequences:
1) Component manufacturers have never had it so good. Nokia in particular reported a hardware crunch, especially with displays (e.g. AMOLED) and semiconductor components for low-cost handsets. Nokia’s leading market-share in this segment has increased Nokia’s exposure to the component crunch.

2) Vendors that have strong portfolios in smartphones (RIM, Apple, HTC and Motorola) have seen their growth in market-share outperform the market. This effect is likely to continue into 4Q-2010 and 2011.

3) Unless Nokia can resolve its component resourcing challenges, it is likely to be supply-constrained again in 4Q-2010, a quarter that typically equates to 30% of annual handset sales. “Nokia’s market-share could well come under further pressure,” adds Kevin Burden, VP and practice director for mobile devices.

4) Handset vendors with greater in-house ability to source their own components (e.g. Samsung and LG) will be able to take advantage of the market opportunity to expand volumes.

5) Typically a handset boom period is followed by a market softening as customers wait for the next “must have” handset feature innovation to make its way to the market. We should not be unduly worried. There is still considerable room for innovation in the smartphone sector, not just “feature innovation” but also “cost reduction innovation,” which should keep customers keen.

The spotlight has to be put on Apple and RIM: they increased their market-shares to 4.1% and 4% respectively. While Samsung did manage to demonstrate quarterly growth (to 20.6%), other vendors contracted: Nokia (31.9%), LG (8.2%), Sony-Ericsson (3%), Motorola (2.6%).

From a volume point of view, ABI reported that total shipments of mobile handsets are expected to be 1.34 billion by YE-2010 and should maintain their momentum all the way to 2015, which will see more than 1.7 billion in handset shipments.

“The Asia-Pacific region currently makes the largest contribution to global handset sales,” says ABI Research industry analyst Celia Bo. “Handset sales are projected to increase 9% this year compared to 2009, and will account for 38% of total shipments. China is clearly a major source of handset demand, but it is not the only one. India and Indonesia are also expanding their domestic demand.”

The Indian handset market is expected to grow from 84.3 million handsets in 2009 to 104 million in 2010, a Year-over-Year growth of 24%. Similarly, Indonesia is not insignificant. Many of its 240 million people confidently purchased 33 million handsets in 2009 and that figure is expected to surpass 37 million by the end of 2010. Both markets have traditionally been fertile ground for Nokia distributors and dealers. In those markets, the Finnish manufacturer has enjoyed a market-share well above its global average.

Nokia has been very effective in producing ultra-low cost handsets that are robust and user-friendly and at the right price-point. However, Nokia has seen its market-share steadily eroded in the mid- to high tiers as India’s and Indonesia’s aspiring middle classes purchase high-end feature phones and smartphones. Vendors such as Samsung, LG and RIM have been net beneficiaries.

“A number of local handset vendors such as Micromax and Spice Mobile in India, and Nexian and SPC Mobile in Indonesia, are intent on catering to low-end and mid-tier end-users,” notes VP and practice director Kevin Burden. “Their game-plan is to push the envelope on providing increasingly feature-rich handsets at aggressive price-points.”

‘Wireless’ humans could form backbone of new mobile networks

Members of the public could form the backbone of powerful new mobile internet networks by carrying wearable sensors.

According to researchers from Queen’s University Belfast, the novel sensors could create new ultra high bandwidth mobile internet infrastructures and reduce the density of mobile phone base stations.

The engineers from Queen’s renowned Institute of Electronics, Communications and Information Technology (ECIT), are working on a new project based on the rapidly developing science of body centric communications.

Social benefits from the work could include vast improvements in mobile gaming and remote healthcare, along with new precision monitoring of athletes and real-time tactical training in team sports.

The researchers at ECIT are investigating how small sensors carried by members of the public, in items such as next generation smartphones, could communicate with each other to create potentially vast body-to-body networks (BBNs).

The new sensors would interact to transmit data, providing ‘anytime, anywhere’ mobile network connectivity.

Dr Simon Cotton (Dr. Cotton wrote the lead story for the MWJ 2010 August Supplement) , from ECIT’s wireless communications research group said: “In the past few years a significant amount of research has been undertaken into antennas and systems designed to share information across the surface of the human body. Until now, however, little work has been done to address the next major challenge which is one of the last frontiers in wireless communication – how that information can be transferred efficiently to an off-body location.

“The availability of body-to-body networks could bring great social benefits, including significant healthcare improvements through the use of bodyworn sensors for the widespread, routine monitoring and treatment of illness away from medical centres. This could greatly reduce the current strain on health budgets and help make the Government’s vision of healthcare at home for the elderly a reality.

“If the idea takes off, BBNs could also lead to a reduction in the number of base stations needed to service mobile phone users, particularly in areas of high population density. This could help to alleviate public perceptions of adverse health associated with current networks and be more environmentally friendly due to the much lower power levels required for operation.”

Dr Cotton has been awarded a prestigious joint five-year Research Fellowship by the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Engineering and Physical Research Council (EPSRC) to examine how the new technology can be harnessed to become part of everyday life.

He added: “Our work at Queen’s involves collaborating with national and international academic, industrial and institutional experts to develop a range of models for wireless channels required for body centric communications. These will provide a basis for the development of the antennas, wireless devices and networking standards required to make BBNs a reality.

“Success in this field will not only bring major social benefits it could also bring significant commercial rewards for those involved. Even though the market for wearable wireless sensors is still in its infancy, it is expected to grow to more than 400 million devices annually by 2014.”

Wireless Charging of Cell Phones Coming to Cars

Car makers are showing their interest in wireless charging as a General Motors executive is chairing a standards effort that hopes to set interoperability standards for the magnetic induction approach. Toyota and Ford said they also are interested in the technology and the standards effort.

The Consumer Electronics Association is trying to set a baseline for interoperability for chargers using magnetic coupling. One spec will target connections of less than 1 cm from coil to coil while another will address a 2-6 cm distance. The group will also try to define power efficiency and standard nomenclature for different technical approaches. The committee has said they will look at all the technologies that could provide wireless charging such as optical, RF and conductive as well as inductive approaches.

Smartphone apps for car functions and controls are a high priority for car makers now as the activity in this area has taken off quickly. Wireless charging is another point of integration and convenience to smartphone users. Although Toyota did not seem to think it is a high priority at this point, most car makers are working in this direction.

A Tablet Could be Your Next Restaurant Menu

Tablets are quickly being adopted for many applications in business. I see real estate agents and contractors carrying them around to show clients information or take notes about a project. Now a new startup, E La Carte, is developing a new tablet-like computer for use in restaurants as a digital menu and ordering device. E La Carte is just one company trying to apply technology to help restaurants operate more efficiently and profitably while making customers happier. The company’s system is currently being tested at various Uno Chicago Grill locations.

E La Carte’s technology could help solve some restaurant frustrations and might get customers to spend a more. Customers can review the menu using a touchscreen tablet device and place their order when they are ready as the device is connected to the restaurant’s existing cash register system via Wi-Fi. There are also games and trivia to entertain you while waiting plus it offers functions such restaurant feedback, splitting the bill among several people, figuring out the tip, and paying via credit card. Being able to order and pay the bill when you are ready rather than waiting for the waiter/waitress to come by seems like a big advantage to the system and maybe you will order an extra beer since you can just press a button. Games and other entertainment applications can also keep kids occupied while waiting for the food.

There are other competing technologies that might come directly from the point of sale companies and probably more likely, just using your smartphone to perform the same function. Only time will tell which technology will work out. What do you think?

A Look at Antenna Tower Field Repair

If you think working in an office or a lab is tough, imagine repairing equipment on top of an antenna tower at over 1,700 feet. This video is making its way around facebook and is certainly not for people who are afraid of heights. As impressive as the hardware is, operating outdoors under extreme environmental conditions, I must express equal respect for the linemen who service these towers.

Test and measurement vendors have been producing a number of handheld instruments designed to make their jobs easier and safer. I just can't imagine operating a VNA or spectrum analyzer from that height when all I'd want to do is hang on for dear life.

Watch Video>>

Google on Pace to Top $1 billon in Mobile Revenue

Google’s increasing focus on mobile was addressed in its financial results announcement last night. Google said it is seeing very strong growth in emerging businesses like mobile, with Jonathan Rosenberg, senior VP of product management, noting that Google is on pace to generate more than $1 billion in annual mobile search and display revenue. Rosenburg cited an interesting example of mobile ads that are working well, telling analysts on a conference call to do a search for ‘car rental’ on their phones. There's a "very good chance you'll see enterprise rental car ad," with a phone number and map to the nearest location, he commented.

CEO Eric Schmidt outlined Google’s objectives with Android. In response to Wall Street analysts asking about whether Google is making money as it just gives away the operating systems to handsets makers, Schmidt said that this strategy is Google's preferred model. Handset makers and operators are going to make money from selling the phones, while Google will generate cash from having its services on that platform. Rosenburg said that mobile search queries have increased 500 percent over the past two years, Schmidt added that the money in mobile search is eventually going to surpass that on PCs, creating a huge revenue stream.

Wow, we are really going mobile these days and Google will be where ever we are! Microsoft is trying but do you think any company can give Google a run for their money in search?

Addressing Smartphone Interference with your Alarm Clock

It happens in my house late and night or early in the morning, when I forget to turn off my Blackberry and the stream of incoming e-mail spams lead to pick-up with the audio portion of my clock radio, setting off an annoying buzz. It is highly likely that most of us have been in meetings, on conference calls or even watching television and have been victims of “the buzz” - that awful annoying feedback emitted from mobile devices when they are in close proximity to audio devices.


That annoying buzz occurs when an electrical audio device amplifies a cell phone radio signal. The buzzing problem is so common because 80 percent of the world's cell phones rely on GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) technology. GSM phones transmit at a pulse rate that, when picked up and converted by a speaker in an audio device, is transmitted as audio noise – that annoying buzz.

The Buzz Killer Card, a new, easy-to-use cell phone accessory that eliminates buzzing interference that audio devices – such as conference call speakerphones, desktop lines, desktop speakers, baby monitors, and clock radios – pick up (and buzz!) when a mobile device is nearby.The Card, which is slightly larger than a standard cell phone, is designed with a proprietary, patent-pending alloy technology that neutralizes cell phone radio interference.

"Driven absolutely crazy alongside millions of other cell phone owners, we were determined to find a solution – once and for all – to the buzz problem," said Stephen Mellert, Chief Executive Officer of The Buzz Killers. "We conducted months and months of in-depth research on cell phone transmission frequencies and a range of trials, and errors, on various materials until we arrived at the perfect solution."

The Buzz Killer Card users simply need to place their cell phone on the Card to eliminate the interference. Like a mouse-pad for your phone, the Buzz Killer Card can be used virtually anywhere including meeting rooms with conference phones, offices and cubicles, trading desks, home offices, cars, audio studios, baby nurseries, etc.

The Buzz Killer Card manufacturers claim that businesses have found that the Buzz Killer Card's customizable design provides a perfect platform for customer-directed corporate marketing and branding, making it an ideal corporate give-away for conference events and exhibitions. Businesses using the Buzz Killer Card, have described it as an ideal marketing tool that provides a great "ice breaker" moment that creates a bond between presenter and recipient.

EuMW Exhibition 2010: from A to Z

A is for agnostic nonlinear model support, the leading news from AWR in support of the Cardiff models, the latest S-functions from NMDG and X-parameters from Agilent

B is for broadband time delays product line from Hittite, a DC to 24 GHz analog time delay that supports data transmission to 32 Gbps or clock signal delay up to 24 GHz.

C is for cross correlation Phase Noise analyzers from Holzworth for either fixed or tunable DUT test frequencies.

D is for distortion, an increasing concern highlighted by the importance of IM levels and a driving factor behind Creowave’s announcement that they have developed low PIM filtering solutions to measure the performance of base stations.

E is for EADS Defence & Security making the name change to Cassidian, just in time for their presentation at the Defence/Security Executive Forum

F is for FE-BI (finite element boundary integral) hybrid solver from Ansoft, details to follow in the months to come.

G is for GaN which made an appearance with numerous vendors from RFHIC (1 KW PA) to ACCEL-RF (GaN life test systems)

H is for High purity alumina ceramics with excellent electrical insulation, chemical resistance and low dielectric constant introduced by Brush Ceramic Products, Inc.

I is for ICEbreaker, the newest nonlinear device modeling software tool, free from NMDG

J is for jitter analysis, made easier by the new “C” series of Tektronix AWG instruments which reduce waveform creation times by 45 percent compared to prior AWG instruments, targeting high-speed serial and wideband RF/microwave designs.

K is for K-band MMIC design, getting a boost with the new optical .15 um PHEMT process from TriQuint’s foundry.

L is for Liquid Crystal Polymer (LCP) QFN, air cavity packages that support finer lead pitches, thinner lead frames and shorter wire bond lengths in a near hermetic, ROHS-compliant solution from RJR Polymers

M is for mixed-signal active load-pull from Anteverta, featured in our September issue and on display at their stand within the Agilent partners’ pavilion

N is for NEL Frequency Controls Inc.’s latest ultra low phase noise OCXO at 100 MHz with close-in phase noise of -105 dBc/Hz at 10 Hz and -178 dBc/Hz phase noise on the floor.

O is for output powers of 600 W UHF RF power from NXP’s BLF888A LDMOS device targeting broadcast transmitters and industrial applications, reported to be the most powerful LDMOS broadcast transistor in the market to date.

P is for Precision Devices which announced an ultra low noise and ultra stable crystal oscillator with a phase noise floor of -168 dBc at 10 kHz and excellent stability at a precision of only 0.0002 ppm (or 0.2 ppb – parts per billion) over a temperature range of 0 to +70°C or 0.0005 ppm at -20° to +70°C.

Q is for quality factor, a critical measure of passive device electrical performance and a differentiator for Dielectric Labs’ High-Q capacitor series.

R is for the Russian microwave market, represented by Pluton, manufacturers of frequency-agile magnetrons.

S is for small, as in the industry’s first PXI VNA from National Instruments

T is for the TWT based on a mini-helix technology being launched by e2v

U is for universal oscilloscopes from Rohde & Schwarz with 500 MHz bandwidth, 5 Gsample per second and a memory depth of up to 8 Msample make them ideal for testing and debugging analog and digital circuits with low clock rates.

V is for Vector signal analysis software from Agilent to assist R&D engineers performing signal and modulation analysis

W is for Wall, as in A.T. Wall, manufacturer of seamless tubing and high-speed stamping and proud sponsor of the Defense/Security Executive Forum at EuMW

X is for X-band core chips from M/A-Com Tech Asia, highly-integrated core chips that provide high-levels of functionality to greatly simplify the design of T/R modules.

Y is for yield analysis in Microwave Studio from CST is based on evaluating the s-parameter dependencies on various model parameters on the basis of one simulation without restarting the full-wave simulation, thus offering users a considerable speed-up.

Z is for Z-Communications, manufacturers of VCOs and PLLs announced a new line of waveguide solutions including full-band waveguide-to-coax-adapters along with precision, low powered waveguide terminations covering 5 GHz to 40 GHz.

EuMW 2010 Exhibition Report: The lay of the land

European Microwave Week was held in the CNIT convention center in the newer business center that lies to the west of the city’s center, a straight shot down Rue Charles de Galle, about three and a half miles from the Arc de Triomphe. The Center of New Industries and Technologies, or CNIT, is one of the first buildings to ever be constructed in La Défense, Paris. It is a palace for the French Congress that houses the main offices and also functions as a convenience store for the congressmen and their visitors. The initial construction of CNIT was completed in 1958 and the conference and exhibition center provides a unique and interactive place for people to meet and exchange information.

The CNIT is in the plaza at La Defense, which is also home to the Grande Arche - a modern take on the Arc de Triomphe.

CNIT Paris is the biggest conference and exhibition center in Europe, containing more than 3 Amphitheatres, 21 adaptable rooms, and has over 17,000 square meters of exhibition area. The exhibition, which opened Tuesday, was in the lower regions of the convention center and the relatively low ceiling either gave the show an intimate or claustrophobic feel, depending on one’s perspective.

Without the usual signs draped from the ceiling above the larger exhibition booths, attendees were forced to navigate the space at the floor level, changing the scale of the entire show - for better or worse. Finding certain exhibitors may have been harder in some cases, but the layout may also have helped force attendees to be more aware of their surroundings and discover vendors they might otherwise have breezed by.

The entrance to the exhibition space was dominated by test and measurement equipment vendors – Agilent, Rohde & Schwarz and Anritsu. Agilent commanded the front of the exhibition hall with an impressive stand filled with no less than eight demo stations, meeting room and a half dozen additional demo stations for partnering companies including Maury Microwave, AMCAD, Anteverta Microwave and SATIMO.

Adjacent to Agilent was the European T&M home team of Rohde & Schwarz, also displaying the latest in their test solutions. Stage left of R&S was Anritsu, a manufacturer which has had a flurry of new product releases over the past several months, much of which was on display for the first time at EumW. Anyone shopping for test equipment could easily spend their time in this one area of the trade show.

The staff at National Instruments proudly show off their new PXIe-1082 which can be configured into a small but fast (400usec/pt) multi-channel VNA (10 MHz to 6 GHz), targeting autotest applications.

Greeting visitors beyond the test and measurement equipment were the majority of software vendors CST, AWR, Ansys (Anosft), Mician, Sonnet, National Instruments and MIG to name a few. Slightly deeper into the heart of the exhibition floor, the types of vendors quickly diversified to the Integrated Device Manufacturers (TriQuint, M/A-Com, Analog Devices, Hittite, NXP and Mitsubishi), passive components, cable, connector manufacturers and material suppliers. One could also find other peripheral test products from VTD, NMDG and Tektronix/Mesuro’s non-linear characterization test equipment and software to turn-key life test solutions from Accel-RF. The complete list of vendors is available on the European Microwave Week web site (http://www.eumweek.com/2010/MapYourShow.asp) and Richard Mumford, our international editor and I will be posting our reports on meeting with various vendors over the next week.

While the floor traffic was not exceptionally crowded, it was respectable and constant. In conversations with exhibitors, most were happy with the quality of people they met at the show and many of them were either closing deals or making worthy new contacts. While many exhibitors were not introducing new products explicitly for this event, many had new products that had never been seen by this show’s attendees. Combined with a “better than last year” economic outlook, most exhibitors were poised for growth… and even vocal about it. That is certainly a 180 degree turn around from 2008, when the crisis had just hit and no one knew what the future had in store.

SV Microwave shows off its connector wares to a fellow exhibitor

With the conferences on a separate floor, it was not immediately apparent how many delegates managed to get over to the exhibition. The conference organizers did promote the exhibition to delegates during the plenary session and with few complaints from exhibitors, I am assuming most ventured into the exhibition at some point during the week. To summarize, the general feel of the show, it was upbeat if not giddy and the majority of vendors will likely go to next years' show in Manchester UK. All in all, I would say this year's event "got the intended job done".

Tom Arthur of Valpey Fisher poises for the press alongside a EumW delegate.

TriQuint's New 0.15um PHEMT Unveiled at EumW

Last evening I attended TriQuint’s customer presentation on their new TQP15 process, which was conveniently held at the hotel where I am staying. Enjoying the relaxed atmosphere, wine and canapés were two dozen or so representatives of MMIC design houses such as Plextek and Roke Manor, journalist, investors and other interested parties. Following the meet and greet with various TriQuint foundry management and marketing folks, the event centered around a presentation by Corey Nevers and Ed Knapp on the technical aspects and targeted applications of the new process. This presentation was followed by an informative Q&A session with attendees.

TQP15 is based on TriQuint’s well-established Pseudomorphic High Electron Mobility Transistor (pHEMT) process portfolio and represents both and evolutionary step in their technical development as well as stable technology built on well-established process techniques. This is the best of both worlds – new capabilities based on trusted and proven tools. At the heart of the processing breakthrough that supports the 0.15um gates is the TQP15 utilization of optical lithography (based on their i-line stepper) to reduce cost when compared to traditional E-beam based solutions. The process also incorporates refractory gate metal architecture which does not exhibit the standard metal gate sinking failure mechanism of non-refractory gate pHEMT processes. The TQP15 is targeting at the Ka-band segment and is designed for cost-effectively building millimeter wave (mmWave) MMICs for applications such as VSAT, satellite communications and point to point radios.

TQP15 offers an economical high-frequency pHEMT process designed for high volume runs. The company claims to have already produced thousands of wafers. The company has successfully used TQP15 for high efficiency amplifiers and control functions up to K-band frequencies, and look forward to using this process to grow our product portfolio through Ka band. Performance highlights include a power density of 740 mw/mm at 24 GHz with over 50% PAE, which hit a maximum at P1db rather than the typical 3 db into compression. This means optimum PAE can be achieved at lower drive levels than most common PHEMT devices. They demonstrated 10 db MSG as well as usable gain up to 50 db.

The transistors have a 14 v breakdown, Idss of 380 mw/mm, noise figure of 0.6 db at 15 GHZ (and low sensitivity between source matching impedance and optimum noise figure), Of note for reference designs was a 40 GHz 3 stage power amplifier developed as a demonstration of capabilities. Adding TQP15 solidifies Triquint position as a technology leader of HBT, E-beam and optical pHEMT technologies. Together with their other fully released optical pHEMT technologies, TQPED and TQP13-N, and the soon to be released TQP25 process, TriQuint is focused on enabling the commercialization of mmWave markets, said Mike Peters, Director of Marketing for Commercial Foundry at TriQuint. This was certainly believable from the information presented and positive audience reaction.

EumW Conference Starts, Exhibition Set-up for Tuesday Opening

Delegates were busy registering and attending the Monday sessions today as work crews unpacked displays and began building the stands for the 2010 exhibition. By mid-morning set-ups were progressing without much drama, in anticipation of the Tuesday opening.

Since there are an impressive number of European Microwave companies engaged in nonlinear device characterization and the development of related test systems, it is appropriate that the European Microwave Week exhibition will feature a sizable representation of companies offering load-pull and related test solutions. Several of these companies were mentioned in last March’s cover story on non-linear Characterization and device modeling including Mesuro, NMDG, AMCAD and Verspecht-Teyssier-DeGroote. Each of these companies has developed the test systems and software for measuring transistor behavior under large signal conditions and generating compact or behavioral models, such as the Cardiff or poly-harmonic distortion (PHD) models. North American companies such as Maury Microwave of California and Focus Microwave of Canada will also be at the show along with the major test equipment vendors that these specialized partner with (i.e. Agilent, Rohde & Schwarz and Anritsu).

And so, just in time for the exhibition, NMDG has just announced the release of their new ICEBreaker application, which provides comprehensive visualization of measurement data sets. This application, which is free, can be upgraded to perform generic sweep plans such as DC, power and/or loadpull sweeps, and to collect measurement data in an accurate way. In addition, the company announced that nonlinear characterization under pulsed DC and pulsed RF conditions is now available in the NMDG ICE software platform, implemented to work with different types of receivers and pulsers.NMDG will be presenting live demos of the NM600 Fast Source and Load Pull under pulsed conditions and of the S-functions model extraction under mismatched conditions using the NM300 ZVxPlus solution this week at Rohde & Schwarz Booth #70 during the conference.

Suede was a bad idea

It is hard to complain about location when the European Microwave Week makes its way to Paris once every half dozen years or so. It is a beautiful city. To quote an e-mail received from a M/A-Com attendee – “ PS - I love Paris!!!!”. I might take fault with weather.com, which predicted sunny days in the mid-sixties. Instead, the air is about 10 degrees cooler and the skies look threatening. Bringing my suede jacket was probably a mistake. Regardless, fall is a great time to be in the land of Coulomb and Ampére.

I took the Saturday night red eye from Boston along with MWJ publisher, Carl Sheffres (seen here overlooking the city). We spotted at least one microwave luminary, Rich Jerome on the plane with us. Several others were already standing around the hotel lobby as we checked in near the convention center. Microwave Journal’s parent company, Horizon House had already sent most of its exhibition support team half a week in advance, to begin preparations for the show taking place at the CNIT La Defense convention center. For us non-smokers, check-in would have to wait and so it was a quick fueling up of double espressos in the lobby and off to the train in order to catch some Sunday sightseeing, my only free day this week.

My schedule looks pretty full with meetings throughout the week, specifically with the test & measurement manufacturers – Rohde & Schwarz, Anritsu, Tektronix and Agilent (whom I already had a pre-show press briefing); a number of smaller nonlinear characterization companies, i.e. load pull including Maury Microwave, Focus, AMCAD, VTD, NMDG; integrated device manufacturers such as TriQuint, M/A-Com, and Analog Devices and software suppliers – AWR, Ansoft, CST and Sonnet.

I am looking forward to meeting some individuals face to face, whom I have only corresponded with via e-mail. One such company is SATIMO. They participated in our successful August issue – “The Masters of MIMO”, contributing an online white paper for the TestBench feature that month as well as our Expert Advice column. SATIMO calls Paris their home and so it is fitting that I open my Paris EumW blogging with a brief look at this local company.

Here's a brief look at the company. SATIMO SA (Société d’Applications Technologiques de l’Imagerie Micro-Onde SA) was founded in 1986 with the objective of developing high-speed microwave field measurement systems. The company started as a spin-off from the French engineering school Supélec, benefiting from years of research in the field of the Modulated Scatterer Technique.

During its first ten years, SATIMO performed research and prototyping of antennas, antenna measurement systems, non-destructive testing equipment, and tomographic imaging systems. SATIMO was entirely focused on the French Market and relied only on few customers. The founder, Prof. Jean-Charles Bolomey, decided to drastically change this situation by naming Philippe Garreau as the C.E.O. of SATIMO.

Au revoir for now. If you’re heading to the show, dress warm and pack an umbrella, just in case. And don’t forgot to sign up for the MWJ/Euma European Defence Executive Forum for Wednesday early evening. This should be an informative set of presentations and worthwhile networking opportunity.

TV White Spaces Spectrum Freed Up by FCC

The Federal Communications Commission has freed up vacant airwaves between TV channels -- called “white spaces” -- to unleash a host of new technologies, such as “super Wi-Fi,” and myriad other diverse applications. This is the first significant block of spectrum made available for unlicensed use in more than 20 years.

TV white space spectrum is considered prime real estate because the 300 - 400 MHz signal travel long distances well and penetrate walls, making it ideally suited for mobile wireless devices. The National Broadband Plan noted the importance of unlicensed spectrum in creating opportunities for new technologies to blossom and recommended that the Commission complete the TV white spaces. The Second Memorandum Opinion and Order (Second MO&O) adopted 9/23 resolves numerous legal and technical issues. Notably, the Order eliminates the requirement that TV bands devices that incorporate geo-location and database access must also include sensing technology to detect the signals of TV stations and low-power auxiliary service stations (wireless microphones).

It also requires wireless microphone users who seek to register in the TV bands databases to certify that they will use all available channels from 7 through 51 prior to requesting registration. Requests to register in the database will be public, thus allowing interested parties to weigh in on any given request.

The Commission is also taking steps to ensure that incumbent services are protected from interference from the use of white spaces in various ways. In particular, the Order reserves two vacant UHF channels for wireless microphones and other low power auxiliary service devices in all areas of the country. It also maintains a reasonable separation distance between TV White Space device and wireless microphone usage permitted to be registered in the database.

FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski has called the new wireless broadband services that could eventually operate over this spectrum "Wi-Fi on steroids." Wi-Fi uses unlicensed spectrum that was opened up by the FCC in 1985, which was the last time the FCC allocated unlicensed spectrum. This high-frequency spectrum was originally used for cordless phones and garage door openers, but the spectrum later found broader use in high speed, in-home Internet connectivity via Wi-Fi.

Chairman Genachowski is optimistic that the new unlicensed spectrum will help create a robust ecosystem, such as the one that has developed around Wi-Fi. "This new unlicensed spectrum will be a powerful platform for innovation," Genachowski said. "When we unleash American ingenuity, great things happen."

EuMW 2010 Show Coverage

Our EuMW 2010 show coverage is now available online. We will bring you the latest news, new products, photos, videos, exclusive articles and interviews plus live Blogging and Twittering from the show floor. We also have started our EuMW newsletters which will be daily during the show. Don't miss our Defence/Security Executive Forum at the show featuring speakers from NATO, the European Defence Agency and the French Defence Agency, among others, discussing future programs and technology for microwave applications.

In addition, the Sept issue dedicated to EuMW 2010 is also online now including conference articles, messages from the chairs, exhibitor list, new products and our cover feature about the Handset RF front-end market.

Let us know what you are featuring at the show in the comments below. Hope to see you in Paris!