Joining Up with the Right Connections at IMS

June 13, 2019

A host of interconnect solutions were on display throughout the IMS exhibition floor, offering ever-higher frequency performance and superior phase stability.

Those in attendance at IMS 2019 likely could not help but observe some of the latest interconnect solutions being exhibited at the event. Although checking out the latest interconnect products may seem less captivating than seeing a demo of some fancy test system or learning about the advanced features of today’s simulation software tools, interconnect products are critical aspects of the microwave world that cannot be ignored.

Among the companies showcasing interconnects was Junkosha. The company displayed an assortment of products, including its new MWX004 flexible cables (Fig. 1). With the MWX004 cables, customers have two options to choose from: a 130- or 145-GHz version. The 130-GHz cable is built with 1.0-mm enhanced connectors, while the 145-GHz variant comes with 0.8-mm connectors. Junkosha asserts that the MWX004 cables will enable radar applications, as well as future connected- and autonomous-vehicle applications.

Mwrf Com Sites Mwrf com Files 13 J Interconnects Fig1

1. The MWX004 cables can perform at frequencies as high as 145 GHz.

Other products spotlighted by Junkosha were its MWX161 cable assemblies, which offer performance up to 67 GHz (Fig. 2). Junkosha states that these cable assemblies maintain superior phase stability versus both bending and temperature. According to the company, the MWX161 cable assemblies are well-suited for multiport vector network analyzers (VNAs).

Mwrf Com Sites Mwrf com Files 13 J Interconnects Fig2

2. Offering performance to 67 GHz, the MWX161 cables maintain phase stability versus bending and temperature.

Not to be outdone, HUBER+SUHNER also showcased new interconnect solutions at IMS 2019. The company conducted a live demo of its CT phase-invariant family to illustrate the product’s phase stability (Fig. 3). This demo was configured so that phase measurements of both a CT cable assembly and a different cable could be viewed. After spraying both cables with cold spray, the phase measurement of the CT cable assembly remained unchanged. However, the phase measurement of the other cable changed considerably.

Mwrf Com Sites Mwrf com Files 13 J Interconnects Fig3

3. This demo at IMS 2019 was conducted so that visitors could see the phase stability of a CT cable assembly versus that of a different cable.

HUBER+SUHNER also highlighted its self-locking SMP-SL connector, which can be described as a flight-ready, push-on connector that offers performance to 40 GHz (Fig. 4). According to the company, the SMP-SL connector makes it possible for customers to reduce installation times while retaining both the robustness of a threaded connector and the small form factor of a standard SMP connector. Furthermore, SMP-SL connectors can only be de-mated with a dedicated removal tool (supplied by HUBER+SUHNER), thereby eliminating the risk of unintentional de-mating.