Industry Workshops Schedule

Optimization of the electromagnetic (EM) frequency response is performed with the use of specialized tuning ports to enable good circuits and optimization software to effectively optimize the EM response of a planar filter accurately within minutes and with minimal effort on behalf of the designer.

In this workshop participants will learn the basic theory of modern digital radios, as well as the passive planar RF circuits and systems used to build them. After an introduction to digital radios, participants will select one of four RF building blocks from a modern QAM radio that can be quickly built and tested on site. These components are all made from scratch using microwave techniques and substrates. The components include a multi-pole microstrip filter, a branchline coupler, or a Wilkinson divider. Each participant will design their RF component, fabricate it, test it, and take it home.

With increased demand for the transfer of a large volume of data at high speeds, there is a growing need to utilize millimeter wave frequency bands. During this industry workshop you will gain an understanding of the following:
- The challenges of making wideband measurements at millimeter wave frequencies, and the physical effects on the behavior of transmission lines, coaxial and waveguide connectors, and over the air transmissions at those frequencies.
– The importance of employing the latest techniques in the industry to fully characterize and test both active and passive components at millimeter-wave frequencies.

The constant demand from the high-tech industries to expand the limits of effective EM simulation of complex MW circuits and antennas is usually solved by solver hybridization. An opposite approach is implemented in WIPL-D software: single MoM-solver is used for huge variety of different applications, multi-scale problems and composite scenarios.

Data-converters are essential in any RF-link in wireless systems like the upcoming 5G, satellite communications or radar applications. In many cases, they define the overall system-performance with their characteristics, and one needs to make sure that the design-in process enables the best performance possible.

For serial-data and RF alike, Phase noise measurements have become increasingly important. For serial-data they replace traditional oscilloscope measurements that have come to their limits. In RF, phase-noise measurements are a common requirement for the development of oscillators and synthesizers. We review the basics and new measurement techniques.

This workshop is intended for new users of system simulation technology. The course gives the attendee an overview of time-domain simulation, cascaded RF budget analysis, and spur analysis. Using system simulation software to illustrate these principles, the workshop will cover:
1. Basic functionality
2. RF blocks including behavioral, file-based, and simulation-based and nonlinear models
3. System analyses, including ACPR, EVM and BER measurement, RF budget analysis, RF Inspector

FormFactor, Inc. is a complete system provider for on-wafer device testing. We produce wafer probing solutions for device characterization and production test from DC parametric up to microwave and millimeter wave probes including Vector Network Analyzer calibration software.
We will discuss your best methods to achieve the most superior results.

This workshop reviews key standards in 3GPP Rel 15 for 5G NR and key implications for equipment design and physical layer design validation. It explores new approaches to overcome the biggest challenges in both sub-6 GHz and mmwave spectrum, and walks through solutions via case studies for signal quality, fixturing and calibration, multi-domain probing, MIMO/beamforming, and test acceleration techniques using the cloud and data analytics. This workshop will enable RF/mmWave designers, test and validation engineers, and engineering managers to find new insights from the latest trends in 5G, in order to modernize and accelerate their own product development workflow.

Substrate Integrated Waveguide (SIW) components are planar circuits with predominantly periodic discontinuities. These properties make them ideal candidates for design and optimization using Mician's µWave Wizard™ hybrid solver. Instead of solving the entire structure as a whole, only one of multiple rows of identical cross section needs be solved for modal S-parameters at its respective ports. For this, µWave Wizard™ uses fast methods such as Mode-Matching and Planar FEM. After cascading the S-Parameters of all rows, the overall S-Matrix of the structure can be derived. Mesh morphing and adaptive frequency sweep deliver unparalleled accuracy and speed, suitable for fast optimizations.

The fast design and optimization of horn antennas, shaped body-of-revolution (BOR) reflector antennas, shaped offset reflector antennas and customized slot-arrays including feed-networks (polarizers, OMTs, mode-couplers, comparator-networks, power-dividers, etc.) is presented by live demonstrations on standard laptop. Wizards provide appropriate starting values. Accurate antenna designs complying with desired specifications are directly and efficiently achieved on the rigorous electro-magnetic (EM) level and immediately together with complete feed networks, enabling in this way direct optimizations without the need for time consuming data transfers between different packages. Internal cross-checks by independent EM methods assure first pass design success without the need for prototyping.

This workshop presents and overview of 5G radio systems and technology. In Part I we will provide an overview of massive MIMO requirements and system architectures. We will then provide an overview of Analog Devices highly integrated radio transceivers and how this technology is enabling the massive MIMO form factor. In Part II, we will move up in frequency to mmwave to explore how radio technology is evolving to meet the needs of these future systems. We will present solutions for both high and low EIRP beamforming systems and present the optimum technology fit for both classes of basestations.

RF System simulations usually begin with simple behavioral models for the stages of the system.
But if realism and accuracy are important, later on more realistic models are needed. This workshop will discuss how to create a custom model when no model exists, using datasheets, measured data, and other sources. Keysight's SystemVue and MATLAB will be used in this hands-on event. The two vendor parts used as modeling examples will be a Mini-Circuits mixer and an Analog Devices digital attenuator.

Deployment of GaN HEMT transistors in 4G LTE has led to full market acceptance of the technology. GaN has become essential for achieving system specifications in many markets including 5G, and Radar. This workshop will address system level challenges with commercially available GaN devices, and custom designs through foundry services.

A novel technology for monolithic co-integration of silicon photonics with high-performance SiGe BiCMOS will be presented. Recent results demonstrat the suitability of this technology for high-speed fiber-optical communication systems will be highlighted. This includes Mach-Zehnder-modulator, VCSEL driver and high-complexity broadband transimpedance amplifiers. Future developments of this platform toward 400G systems are addressed.The technology is accessible to commercial customers and research partners via advanced process design kits that support silicon photonics co-design towards 1st silicon success.

This workshop introduces attendees to antenna synthesis and optimization software and shows them how to use such a program to design and build an antenna. Attendees will learn basic program functionality and uses and will be given a temporary license, which they will be able to access via the internet using their own laptops.
By the end of the workshop, attendees will have experienced the entire development, prototyping, and testing of a brand-new antenna customized for their needs utilizing advanced antenna synthesis technology.

Beginning with a brief introduction, the workshop will focus on freespace, non-contact, non-destructive methods for microwave material characterization of isotropic, anisotropic and inhomogeneous materials simultaneously as a function of frequency and temperature. Several applications to process control in the manufacture of microwave dielectrics, chemical industry, food, wood, agriculture and paper industry will be reviewed. Applications to radome property mapping will be discussed. Antenna mapping in the free space environment will be discussed using a remotely focused antenna as a probe. The free space measurement system will be demonstrated at room temperature as well as mapping of antenna radiation patterns.

In this workshop we will cover a complete wireless modem design from receiver algorithm
verification, HDL code generation, and linux integration. This will be based
around the Analog Devices Hardware/Software Infrastructure for rapid development
and deployment, with the integration of MATLAB and Simulink for baseband
algorithm design. Attendees will receive hands-on experience through the necessary workflow
for a specific point to point link, built initially with PlutoSDR learning modules, and resulting in a fully
deployed design on custom hardware running their generated logic. The overall learned workflow
merges both hardware and software for a complete SDR design.