Challenges In RF Design


Designing highly integrated components for radio frequency applications poses special challenges for system engineers, designers and the commissioning engineers. The boundary between chip, package and board is increasingly vanishing on modern components. It is growing more common for parts of the functionality to be moved to the package or even the board. In some cases, the requirements have be... » read more

System-In-Package Thrives In The Shadows


IC packaging continues to play a big role in the development of new electronic products, particularly with system-in-package (SiP), a successful approach that continues to gain momentum — but mostly under the radar because it adds a competitive edge. With a SiP, several chips and other components are integrated into a package, enabling it to function as an electronic system or sub-system. ... » read more

Specialty Technologies Bring New Functionality


As a materials engineer, I am very proud of the fact that key advances in human civilization have been driven by materials innovation. The stone age, bronze age, and iron age were all essential steps in setting the human race on the path that we are on today. Innovations are not without their downsides, but they have enabled progress in agriculture, medicine, transportation, communication, a... » read more

Empowering RF Front End Cellular Innovations With DSMBGA


With the introduction of 5G, cellular frequency bands have increased considerably, requiring innovative solutions for the packaging of RF front-end modules for smartphones and other 5G-enabled devices. Double-sided, molded ball grid array (DSMBGA) is a prime example of such solutions. “With our DSMBGA platform, we’ve established a preferred advanced packaging solution for this domain,”... » read more

Wafer-Level Fan-Out For High-Performance, Low-Cost Packaging Of Monolithic RF MEMS/CMOS


Navigating the trade-offs between performance, size, cost and reliability can be a challenge when considering integrated circuit (IC) packaging and the end-application. The integration of micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS), either monolithic or heterogeneous, introduces yet another level of complexity that has only recently been a major focus of multi-device packaging [1]. Wafer-level fanou... » read more

Electrically connected spin-torque oscillators array for 2.4 GHz WiFi band transmission and energy harvesting


Researchers at the National University of Singapore and Tohoku University developed a device that uses spin-torque oscillators (STOs) to harvest energy from 2.4GHz Wi-Fi signals and wirelessly power an LED without need for a battery.   Technical Paper Link: Abstract "The mutual synchronization of spin-torque oscillators (STOs) is critical for communication, energy harvesting ... » read more

Manufacturing Bits: June 15


Next-gen RF signal processors Sandia National Laboratories has taken steps to realize the development of acoustic wave amplifiers, a technology that could one day pave the way towards long-awaited tiny RF signal processors. Researchers have developed piezoelectric acoustic devices using surface acoustic wave (SAW) technology and demonstrated the ability to manufacture these devices. Still i... » read more

Hybrid System-Level Test For RF SiP


In recent years, the proliferation of the IoT has focused attention on low-power-wireless applications. IoT modules incorporating functions such as Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) transceivers, MCUs, and power-management circuitry are becoming system-in-package (SiP) and even one-chip devices. Such devices increase the demand for a mass-production test environment that can measure them in a short ti... » read more

Virtuoso ADE Assembler


Cadence Virtuoso ADE Assembler is an advanced design and simulation environment that extends the capabilities of Virtuoso ADE Explorer, adding all the tests needed to fully verify a design over all operational, process, and environmental conditions. As more analysis is required, users can take incremental advantage of the Virtuoso Variation Option to do more advanced statistical analysis on the... » read more

Foundry Wars Begin


Leading-edge foundry vendors are gearing up for a new, high-stakes spending and technology race, setting the stage for a possible shakeup across the semiconductor manufacturing landscape. In March, Intel re-entered the foundry business, positioning itself against Samsung and TSMC at the leading edge, and against a multitude of foundries working at older nodes. Intel announced plans to build ... » read more

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