IMS2012 preview

IMS Preview Continued
Agilent
Booth 1015
Agilent Technologies Inc. will demonstrate its newest design and test products for advanced RF and microwave research, development and manufacturing including:

• The latest releases of ADS, EMPro, GoldenGate, SystemVue, Genesys and IC-CAP, addressing MMIC/RF Module, RFIC and system design challenges.
• Agilent’s nonlinear vector network analyzer and X-parameters*, delivering fast, accurate, nonlinear behavioral models from measurements generated from a circuit-level design using Agilent’s ADS.
• Agilent’s PNA-X network analyzers, offering the simplest setup for conversion-gain and group-delay measurements of frequency converters by eliminating the need to find reference and calibration mixers that match the frequency-conversion plan of the device under test.
• Agilent’s M9392A PXI vector signal analyzer and the M9202A PXI wideband IF digitizer, providing data streaming to make continuous wide-bandwidth RF and microwave measurements for extended periods, without signal loss.  (Agilent is also introducing the PXI Wideband MIMO Signal Analysis for R&D and DVT solution, which enables users to quickly and accurately validate their MIMO 802.11ac design.)
• Agilent’s M9703A AXIe digitizer with twice the channel density of comparable solutions, making it ideal for large-scale system configurations that require as many as 40 channels within a single 4U M9505A AXIe chassis or 80 channels within 8U of rack-mount space.
• Agilent’s MXA X-Series signal analyzer, along with the new X-Series RF analog and vector signal generators, enabling the creation of real-time signals for testing LTE and GNSS, as well as waveform playback for testing cellular and wireless standards such as 802.11ac and LTE-Advanced.
• Agilent’s PSG vector signal generator, the EXA and PXA X-Series signal analyzers, and the M1970V/W smart harmonic mixer, for generating and analyzing complex millimeter-wave signals.
• Agilent PNA network analyzer, extending electromagnetic material-properties measurements into the millimeter wave range with quasioptical table and materials measurement software.
• Agilent’s 100- and 200-MHz oscilloscopes and handheld test tools, including; DMMs; 9- 20 GHz HSA spectrum analyzers; and 4- and 6-GHz FieldFox RF analyzers with new time-domain and channel power-meter options.
• Agilent’s portfolio of EM, solid state, PXI and USB switching solutions, up to 67 GHz, ideal for radar and satellite test, wireless-HDMI, microwave backhaul radio and high-speed digital design applications.

Agilent’s 25 demonstrations at IMS 2012 will be complemented with solutions from its business partners in modeling and device characterization, semiconductor foundries, wafer and circuit board measurements, prototyping tools, antenna measurement, systems, test chambers and custom ATE. In addition, Agilent will present several technical programs and workshops.

RFMD
Booth 1210
RFMD kiosks will feature solutions for WiFi and Smart Energy, wireless infrastructure, GaN RF power, microwave MMICs, and custom foundry services. In-booth demos will include microwave point-to-point chipsets and high-power GaN PAs and switches. RFMD experts will also present and chair technical sessions and workshops (click for schedule).

Among its new products, RFMD will debut its RFFM4501—a single FEM for WiFi 802.11a/n/ac systems. It’s small footprint and integrated matching aims to minimize the layout area in the customer's application and reduce the number of external components. The RFFM4501 integrates a PA, SPDT, LNA with bypass, and a power detector coupler for improved accuracy. It meets or exceeds the RF front end needs of IEEE 802.11a/n/ac WiFi RF systems. More information.

National Instruments
Booth 1315

At IMS2012, NI will introduce the NI PXIe-5665 VSA, which it reports delivers best-in-class dynamic range and accuracy in a cost-effective PXI form factor. The NI PXIe-5665 is a modular, three-stage superheterodyne analyzer that can be used as both a spectrum analyzer and a vector signal analyzer to perform signal measurements over a frequency range from 2- Hz to 14 GHz. The VSA features industry-leading phase noise and dynamic range, regardless of form factor, including traditional rack-and-stack instruments. Because of its PXI platform, the VSA can deliver measurement speeds up to 20 times faster than box instruments and for less cost. This modular instrument also increases flexibility while decreasing physical bulk compared to previous box solutions. Additionally, it takes advantage of multicore computing architectures and parallel programming capabilities through NI LabVIEW system design software. It also offers peer-to-peer data streaming for signal processing and a flexible multiple input, multiple output (MIMO) architecture for phase-coherent measurements. This makes it ideal for demanding RF test applications including radio detection and ranging (RADAR), satellite, radio and harmonic testing. More information.
       
Microsemi
Booth 1424
Microsemi will feature RF/microwave and millimeter wave solutions including silicon and GaAs semiconductors, power devices, components, modules and subsystems ranging  from 100Hz to 110GHz.  These include the highest power silicon carbide SIT devices for particle accelerators, P-Band radar, Si BJT and 1-2GHz wideband communications applications; gallium nitride devices for S-Band, C-Band and L-Band radar and L-Band avionics; low noise and high power amplifiers, and amplifier-based subsystems. www.microsemi.com

Skyworks
Booth 1507

Skyworks introduces a family of 50W and 100W high power SPDT switches. The 50W SKY12207-478LF (0.9–4.0 GHz) and SKY12208-306LF (0.02–2.7 GHz), and the 100W SKY12210-478LF (0.9–4.0 GHz) switches are optimized for insertion loss, power handling, linearity, low DC power consumption, and high antenna-to-receive isolation for TDD-LTE, TD-SCDMA base stations, repeater and low frequency military radios.  They are available in 4 x 4 x 1.5 mm, 16-pin QFN packages.
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AWR
Booth 1514
AWR Corporation will offer a full slate of AWR 2011 software demonstrations, MicroApps presentations and panel, and its renowned Customer Appreciation Party.
Visit AWR at Booth #1514 to see Analyst 2012, AWR’s 3D FEM EM technology for bumps, bond wires, tapered vias and more, as well as the latest release of Microwave Office™, Visual System Simulator™ (VSS), AXIEM® and Analog Office® for MMIC, RFIC, RF PCBs and module design.

AWR software demonstrations:
Analyst 2012 debut:

3D FEM EM for bond wires, bumps, balls, ribbons, tapered vias, finite dielectrics

AWR 2011 product line including recent additions of:

• VSS and LabVIEW co-simulation for signal processing, hardware in the loop, and communications standards like LTE and 802.11ac
• VSS’s Radar Library, Frequency Planner and more
• Microwave Office/AXIEM and CapeSym for electrical-thermal MMIC co-simulation
• Microwave Office/AXIEM for PCB verification via ODB++
• AXIEM’s 3D antenna plots

 
AWR and its partners will be presenting 11 MicroApps and participating on a panel at the MicroApps Theater (Booth #1223). These talks provide additional insight into novel applications for and technologies within AWR software.

MicroApps schedule:
Tuesday, June 19:
12:50 p.m.    Fully Integrating 3D Electromagnetic (EM) Simulation into Circuit Simulation
 
Wednesday, June 20:
9:05 a.m.      RF Link Prediction - A New and Novel Approach
10:50 a.m.    Linking RF Design through to Test
12:05 p.m.    Panel Session: Device Characterization Methods and Advanced RF/Microwave Design - webcast and registration details are available at http://goo.gl/x2RNw
3:30 p.m.      RF System Design -- Moving Beyond a Linear Datasheet
3:35 p.m.      Improve Microwave Circuit Design Flow through Passive Model Yield and Sensitivity Analysis
4:35 p.m.      Electrical/Thermal Coupled Solutions for Flip Chip Designs
4:50 p.m.      System Simulation Featuring Signal Processing Blocks
 
Thursday, June 21:
11:20 a.m.    Optimizing the Design and Verification of 4G RF Power Amplifiers
11:35 a.m.    Simulating an NXP Doherty Power Amplifier with Digital Pre-Distortion
12:50 p.m.    Practical Electromagnetic Modeling of Parallel Plate Capacitors at High Frequency
1:20 p.m.      Use of FPGAs for Faster Test Times and Repeatability on Cellular Measurements
1:50 p.m.      Mind Your Reference Plane
 
Lastly, AWR’s 8th Annual Customer Appreciation Party (Petite Fête d’AWR 2012) is set for Wednesday, June 20 from 7:00 p.m. to midnight at the Pub St. Paul in Old Towne Montréal. Register for this not-to-be-missed event at http://www.awr-petitefete.com/