IMS 2021: Components to test equipment

Whether in person or online, the 2021 International Microwave Symposium featured connectors, cable, semiconductors, microwave components, and test equipment. Many of those products make 5G possible.

IMS is the place to go for the latest on everything related to high-frequency. The annual conference features the latest research, practical tips, and new products up and down the spectrum. For 2021, IMS split into in-person and virtual events. 5G Technology World was all over the virtual event, held June 20 to 25. Much of the conference was held online, though the Atlanta live event was never in doubt. Many small exhibitors rely on the live event to meet with customers.

Below you’ll find an array of RF products, many related to 5G. If you missed both events, or even if you attended, take a look at some of the IMS 2021 products. Click on the images to enlarge.

Altum RF featured E-band and Ka-band RF amplifiers. The E-band 1-W amplifiers cover 71 GHz to 76 GHz and 81 GHz to 86 GHz. The 6-W and 12-W Ka-band amplifiers cover the 28 GHz band for 5G mmWave. The ARF1014 power amplifier die, fabricated in a GaN-on-SiC process technology, covers 27 GHz to 31.5 GHz. It’s 12 W saturated output power, 18 dB power gain and 25% PAE make it suitable for satcom and 5G applications.

AnaPico‘s line of test equipment features RF signal generators, frequency synthesizers, and phase-noise analyzers. Shown here is the APPH50G phase-noise analyzer, with measures phase noise from 1 MHz to 50 GHz.

Anritsu‘s VectorStar ME7838A 2-port VNA includes options for frequencies from 70 kHz to 110 GHz, 125 GHz, 145 GHz, and 220 GHz. The lowest frequency range cover 5G mmWave FR2. The two higher frequency ranges let the instrument make measurements currently under consideration for 6G research.

Analog Devices featured products from its RF, Microwave, and Millimeter Wave Products 2021 Selection guide. Products include amplifiers, switches, up/down converters, I/Q modulators/demodulators, filters, and beamformers. The ADAR3001 beamformer IC covers the Ka-band, 27.5 GHz to 31 GHz.

Anokiwave introduced several new products around IMS 2021. The company’s recent semiconductor launches cover beamforming and up/down converters. One such beamformer, the AWMF-0200, operates in the n257/n261 bands (26.5 GHz to 29.5 GHz). This device supports four radiating elements in a single antenna using Tx/Rx half-duplex operation. Anokiwave also featured its AWA-0213-PAK Phased Array Antenna Innovator Kit, which lets you evaluate beamforming ICs.

Copper Mountain Technologies virtual booth includes links to product catalogs, videos, new products, and free demo software. New products include the S5243 2-Port 44 GHz Analyzer (pictured) connects to a PC over USB, letting you measure S11, S21, S12, and S22 and other parameters on passive and active devices.

Corning‘s optical interconnects, GPO, GPPO, G3PO, and G4PO vary by connector style, center spacing, and weight. (Where’s C3PO?)

WL Gore highlighted 5G testing through a video, Improve 5G Testing with Reliable Microwave/RF Cable Assemblies. The video was featured in the company’s IMS 2021 Virtual MicroApp Seminar on June 23. The focuses on cable assemblies from the company’s 5G Selection Guide for 5G Systems.

Guerilla RF released the GRF5517, GRF5518, and GRF5519, ¼ W Linear power amplifier (PA) family at IMS. The series covers cellular bands from 660 MHz to 3800 MHz, depending on the part. The PAs target 4G/5G wireless infrastructure applications that require native linearity over temperature extremes of -40°C to 85°C. Each device produces 23 dBm of output power with better than -45 dBc of adjacent channel leakage ratio (ACLR) performance without digital predistortion (DPD). The better than -45 dBc ACLR performance without the need for DPD addresses size, cost, and power-sensitive cellular applications such as home and commercial repeaters/boosters, femtocells, picocells, and cable-loss compensators in automotive “shark fin” antennas.

Keysight Technologies demonstrated the N9042B UXA X-Series signal analyzer. The company claims that the signal analyzer provides accurate wide analysis bandwidth and deep dynamic range that lets engineers solve difficult mmWave challenges such as modulation errors, phase noise issues, and distortion.

Knowles Precision Devices featured 5G mmWave filters that cover the n258, n257, n261, and n260 mmWave bands. Models filter signals outside the 26.5 GHz to 29 GHz frequencies.

Macom used the virtual IMS to highlight it’s portfolio of RFIC’s and passive devices. One such RF device type is the MAPC series GaN-on-SiC power amplifiers. The PA’s in the series provide output power from 4 W to 2600 W with top frequencies up to 6 GHz, depending on the device.

Marki Microwave exhibited products from its 5G & mmWave catalog. Products included baluns, bias-tees, couplers, and power dividers. The BTN-0040 bias tee (shown) covers the 5G FR2 frequencies of 24 GHz, 28 GHz, and 39 GHz.

Mixcomm used IMS 2021 to announce the SUMMIT 3741 39 GHz 5G Front End IC. The device combines PAs, low noise amplifiers (LNAs), Tx/Rx switching, beamformers, calibration, gain control, beam table memory, temperature and power telemetry, and high-speed SPI control into a single package.

NI used a video from September 2020 to discuss 5G over-the-air testing. The video’s test setup uses a PXI with two mmWave heads that act as an upconverter and downconverter. Another video discusses testing of user equipment connected to a 5G base station.

pSemi introduced a DOCSIS 3.0/3.1-compliant switch that operates from 5 MHz to 1794 MHz. The PE42726 switch is manufactured on pSemi’s UltraCMOS process, a patented variation of silicon-on-insulator (SOI) technology on a sapphire substrate. Maximum switching frequency is 10 kHz.

Renesas exhibited products for 5G fixed-wireless access that include phased-array beamformers, up/down converters, and RF synthesizers. The F5288 8-channel dual-polarization beamformer operates from 26.5 GHz to 29.5 GHz. Its Tx/Rx mode switching time is 100 ns, which supports half-duplex operation.

Rohde & Schwarz came to IMS with an array of 5G test equipment. The lineup included signal generators, signal and spectrum analyzers, power sensors, and application software. The SMM100A vector signal generator operates at frequencies from 100 MHz to 44 GHz, covering all cellular bands. Its maximum output power reaches +18 dBm, which minimizes the need for external amplifiers. The SMM100A offers six maximum frequency options from 6 GHz to 44 GHz and four modulation bandwidth options from 120 MHz to 1 GHz.

Signal Hound introduced two spectrum analyzers at IMS 2021. The SM435B (shown) tunes from 100 kHz to 43.5 GHz with 160 MHz of instantaneous bandwidth, a dynamic range of 110 dB, a sustained sweep speed of 1 THz/s, a built-in sub-octave preselector from 100 kHz MHz to 43.5 GHz, and phase noise that adds no more than 0.1% error to EVM measurements. Its system noise figure ranges between 12 dB and 15 dB between 700 MHz and 15.2 GHz. The company also introduced the BB60D real-time spectrum analyzer, which measures signals from 9 kHz to 6 GHz, enough to cover low-band and mid-band 5G as well as Wi-Fi 6 signals. Both instruments are available for pre-orders.

Wireless Telecom Group (Boonton, CommAgility, Holzworth, NoiseCom) featured numerous products. For example CommAgility lets you add a 5G PHY to an ASIC or FPGA. The Boonton RTP5000 USB power sensor (shown) is available in 6 GHz, 8 GHz, 18 GHz and 40 GHz models. Taking 100,000 readings/sec, the RTP5000 and it’s software let you perform statistical analysis and capture pulse widths as narrow as 10 ns.