COMMUNICATIONS DESIGN NETWORK TECHNOLOGY
ICs that route the data through the
networks.
We can see that each aspect of the
IC supply chain is adapting and evolving.
Starting with the foundry processes
available to the final test solutions
of those products, there has been
significant innovation in the technology
supporting these products.
The foundries that offer wafer
fabrication services create the base
material for the ICs and continue to
innovate. Many have developed new
process technology to compete and
enable this new 5G technology.
One example of such an improvement
could be a move to more cost-effective
optical lithography compared to electron
beam lithography. Another benefit could
be integrating new functionality into one
process node to compete in this pricesensitive
market.
The IC design evolves as new
process technology becomes available.
With new functionality available in one
process node, the IC designer is able
to combine certain features into one
product or extract a higher level of
performance from the core transistors
than was previously possible.
These trends ultimately lead to chips
that are more integrated and more easily
deployed.
Also attractive, as we expand to
mmWave frequencies, is the ability to
take advantage of low cost packaging,
which enables easier assembly.
Traditional defence assemblies at
mmWave frequencies have been a chipand
wire assembly, which translates to
a small metal housing where chips are
wire bonded to each other. This is not
a high volume method of assembly and
is often more expensive than surface
mount assembly techniques. The
main motivation for this in past years
has been size constraints. However,
increased integration into smaller
packages with increased performance
makes surface-mount assembly much
more attractive.
Test solutions such as the overthe
air test have become a reality for
phased array antennae and their ICs at
28 GHz and 39 GHz. Previously, to be
able to test a phased array antenna, you
would often need an anechoic chamber
that is large, difficult to construct,
expensive, etc. Now these test solutions
are becoming much more affordable,
smaller, and available off the shelf,
which greatly expands the number of
vendors that can offer a full antenna
solution without a significant investment
to measure the final product.
Phased array antennas have migrated
from a technology that mainly defence
companies and universities could explore
to one that is becoming mainstream.
Not only does it allow for the
telecommunication companies targeting
5G opportunities to take advantage of
this new technology, but to better defend
against emerging defence threats as
well. It is likely that previous challenges
for less experienced antenna engineers
can now be resolved much more quickly
with accurate measurement techniques
that are available off the shelf from
standard instrumentation vendors.
The result is many more mmWave
products available in the industry that
can be deployed in communications,
as well as in defence applications.
Very often the products that are
used for cellular infrastructure are
close in specification and function to
what is required for the defence and
instrumentation industry.
It’s this growth of readily available ICs
and test solutions, enabling a fast time
to a final product, that is significantly
de-escalating the level of threats in the
mmWave frequencies for the defence
industry.
Analog Devices has invested
significantly in developing solutions for
5G telecommunications in addition to
the instrumentation and defence industry
that will be impacted. The products for
the telecommunications market tend
to be narrower frequency bands where
performance can be optimised more
easily.
The defence industry often desires
a wide bandwidth solution as there are
multiple frequencies from which a threat
can originate without advanced knowledge.
One example of a power amplifier (PA)
used in 28 GHz 5G telecommunications
infrastructure is the HMC863ALC4,
covering 24 GHz to 29.5 GHz and
supplying greater than 0.5 W of RF
power. In addition, the company has
developed solutions for the defence and
instrumentation market, such as the
ADPA7005, covering 20 GHz to 44 GHz.
The ADPA7005 supports over an
octave of operational bandwidth and
provides a saturated output power
of greater than 1W over the band of
operation. A consistent gain of nominally
15 dB across frequency allows for easy
integration into a complete system.
Additionally, the high TOI of over 40 dBm
is ideal for measuring or generating highly
modulated input signals.
The advancements in
telecommunications networks have
generated a reaction in peripheral
industries that will unfold over the coming
years.
At the centre of this migration will
be the need for more information in the
form of data that is likely to create new
weapons that will never physically strike
an object.
The applications in today’s world are
moving higher in frequency and it is only
beginning.
Figure 2: HMC863A
measured gain (left)
and OIP3 (right) vs.
temperature
Author details:
Keith Benson,
Director, Amplifier
Products, Analog
Devices
www.newelectronics.co.uk 24 March 2020 21
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