More in Semiconductors

Mar. 27, 2013

Article

Pursuing GaN Growth On Silicon

The cost of GaN semiconductor materials can be dramatically reduced if GaN can be grown on silicon base substrates....More
Mar. 27, 2013

Article

GaN Material Costs Dropping Over Time

The cost of GaN power semiconductor materials is expected to drop rapidly over the next six years, according to a detailed market study....More
Mar. 22, 2013

Article

Architecture Cracks Terahertz Power Generation And Tuning

Using a coupled oscillator structure with a novel power generation and combining method, power generation and tuning can be performed in terahertz circuits without impacting each other....More
Mar. 22, 2013

Article

Single Chip Houses WiFi And ZigBee 1

This SoC, which integrates a multi-mode baseband and RF on a single die, features a flexible dual-core architecture based on the ARM Cortex-M3 processor. It targets low-power and line-powered applications supporting the “Internet of Things,” such as smart energy...More
Mar. 3, 2013

Article

4-x-LO-Based VCO Shrinks Bluetooth Transceiver

In a 5 x 5 mm, 40-pin QFN package, this Bluetooth v3.0+EDR compliant SoC minimizes LO pulling and reduces spurious emissions....More
Mar. 1, 2013

Article

The Effect of Moore’s Law on RF Instruments

Faster processing technology brings substantial benefits to the RF instrument, which can be seen in how the field-programmable gate array (FPGA) is transforming the way we design RF instruments....More
Feb. 15, 2013

Article

GaN, Death, And Distrust 3

After working abroad on GaN developments, a 31-year-old engineer began to worry that his work could compromise US national security. He was later found dead, having supposedly committed suicide....More
Feb. 11, 2013

Article

MEMS-Based Project Takes Flight

To track birds, a MEMS-based system houses a solar-powered GPS tag with rechargeable batteries, a tri-axial accelerometer, two-way data communication to a ground-station network, and automated data processing and visualization....More
Feb. 6, 2013

Article

Reference Design Features IEEE 802.11ac and 802.11ad

By combining both IEEE 802.11ac and 802.11ad technologies, this reference board will allow users to more easily achieve increased speed, reliability, and range....More
Jan. 25, 2013

Article

Interview: David J. Aldrich, President and Chief Executive Officer, Skyworks Solutions 4

David J. Aldrich, President and CEO of Skyworks Solutions, discusses his firm's inroads into the tablet segment....More
Jan. 24, 2013

Article

Crystal-Less WBAN Receiver Consumes Just 0.24 nJ/b

To meet the requirements of IEEE 802.15.6 wireless body area network (WBAN) applications, this transceiver provides low energy consumption, low system cost, and high QoS scalability....More
Jan. 22, 2013

Article

Integrated BiCMOS Chip Set Covers 400 GHz 16

Pushing terahertz development forward, substrate-integrated-waveguide (SIW) antennas were recently integrated with active circuits in CMOS/BiCMOS....More
Jan. 9, 2013

Article

14-nm Test Chip Eyes FinFET Process 4

ARM and Cadence Design Systems announced the tape-out of the first 14-nm test chip implementation of the ARM Cortex-A7 processor....More
Jan. 9, 2013

Article

Golden Units Are Certified For ZigBee 2012

Now that they have been certified, the Golden Units for ZigBee 2012 will serve as the devices by which all future ZigBee compliant platforms will be compared for interoperability and conformance....More
Dec. 6, 2012

Article

RFMD Scoops Up Amalfi 1

RFMD has signed an agreement to purchase Amalfi Semiconductor, which provides CMOS PAs for the entry-level smartphone segment....More
Dec. 5, 2012

Article

Via Technology Packages Power Modules

Packaging can be challenging for both RF and direct-current (DC) power circuits. For circuits ranging from chip-scale devices to power modules, however, a new packaging option is now available from Remtec. The company has merged the thermally and electrically conductive Power Transfer Vias (PTVs) with its core Plated Copper on Thick Film (PCTF) metallization technology....More
Dec. 3, 2012

Article

Top 2012 Products Blend Value and Performance 5

The top products of 2012 embody the creativity and ingenuity of the RF/microwave industry’s design-engineering community....More
Nov. 29, 2012

Article

EuMW Amsterdam Delivers On New Technology 4

European Editors Sally Ward-Foxton and Paul Whytock report their findings from the 15th Annual European Microwave Week....More
Nov. 12, 2012

Article

Energy Harvesting Is Ready For The Big Time 11

As wireless-sensing components boost efficiency and other performance criteria, energy-harvesting solutions are moving beyond a niche and into everyday applications....More
Nov. 6, 2012

Article

Expect An Upsurge In Automotive Assistance Features 1

With the rise of advanced driver assistant systems (ADASs), automotives will increasingly gain safety features and progress toward the point where each car is its own network....More
Oct. 29, 2012

Article

DARPA GaN Contracts Go Head To Head 2

This work in Near Junction Thermal Transport (NJTT) is expected to set the stage for substantial MMIC performance enhancements including reduced size, weight, and power consumption....More
Oct. 24, 2012

Article

Synthesizer Consumes 400 μW To Support ISM

In this paper, several design techniques are presented that may overcome the challenges in the design of 0.5-V, ultra-low-power frequency synthesizers for implantable medical devices....More
Oct. 19, 2012

Article

MM-Wave Receiver Precisely Detects AOA 1

A millimeter-wave IC angle of arrival detector and six-port radar receiver front end has been developed and characterized on wafer, covering 75 to 100 GHz with a 3-dB bandwidth of at least 9 GHz....More
Oct. 8, 2012

Article

Video Travels Easily Between Devices 9

Smartphones have become essential tools to many consumers—acting as a phone, camera, e-mail provider, schedule-keeper, and social-media enabler, among other things. Given that consumers are increasingly using their smartphones to take photos and videos, it is only natural that they should be enabled to easily share them with an audience via a bigger screen....More
Sep. 20, 2012

Article

Memory Infusion Allows Chip To Further RFID’s Reach 10

Langen, Germany: RF identification (RFID) has been a major success for the wireless industry, helping manufacturers keep track of parts and products in a multitude of markets. Now, RFID may have the capacity to expand its scope by invading new markets....More