Part 1 looked at of isolators and circulators, which are basic RF/microwave passive devices. This part looks at couplers and splitters, which are two other basic passive devices. (Attenuators are another important class of passive RF/microwave devices. They are not covered here.) A: How is coupling and splitting done in the non-RF/microwave world? A: In […]
FAQ
Passive microwave components, Part 1: isolators and circulators
Basic passive microwave components have a vital role in RF/microwave system design. Despite the apparent simplicity of their functions, their performance is based on electromagnetic theory and Maxwell’s equations for insight into their operating principles and performance. Design for the demands of microwave signals is a very different situation than working at lower frequencies. Although […]
Inertial Measurement Units: The hidden key to Apollo success, now a MEMS device (Part 2)
Part 1 of this article looked at the classic, highly refined, mature gyroscope-based IMU used for the Apollo moon mission; this part looks at the very different technologies which have largely replaced it. Gyro-based IMU: obsolete, or not? Inertial navigation relies on a stable platform with an orientation which is fixed in space and maintains […]
What are MEMS microphone arrays?
Beamforming arrays let designers create directional microphones using MEMS devices. With the right signal processing algorithms, these can enhance the user experience delivered by many types of audio equipment. An array can be simple, comprising as few as two microphones, and can be arranged in various configurations depending on the expected location of the preferred […]
Understanding low-power checks and how to use them
by Aijaz Fatima, Mentor, a Siemens business We live in a shrinking world, and like so much else, the size of ICs is shrinking too. The small size of an IC has many advantages, but it increases the power density of the IC, which leads to many concerns. An IC with a high power density […]
Hot topic: How to measure plasma in a fusion reactor
The International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) tokamak is an experimental machine designed to harness the energy of fusion. ITER will be the world’s largest tokamak, with a plasma radius of 6.2 m and a plasma volume of 840 m³. The heart of a tokamak is its doughnut-shaped vacuum chamber. Here, under the influence of extreme […]
Inertial Measurement Units: The hidden key to Apollo success, now a MEMS device (Part 1)
Transforming the gyroscope from a child’s toy to a precise guidance system for the Apollo moon landings demanded the ultimate in analytical, engineering, and manufacturing effort: now, MEMS-based units have largely replaced these gyro-based systems. With the 50th anniversary of the Apollo manned lunar landing on July 16, 1969, 9:32 AM GMT-4, there have been […]
How can picture-like images be obtained from LiDAR?
At Sensors Expo 2019, Steve Ehrsam, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Innovusion, explains how extensive details can be observed in the Innovusion Cheetah LiDAR system. Providing image-grade or picture-like images from 300 lines of angular resolution, the system can see cars over 270 meters away, detect small objects and even read signage. The […]
Visualizing phase relationships in capacitors
The ideal capacitor consists of two conductive plates separated by a thin dielectric layer that separates and insulates the two plates from each other so they have no direct or resistive electrical connection. When voltage is applied across the plates, they store the electrical charge. The capacitor may take many forms. If the plates are […]
Op-amps and their most important parameters
The operational amplifier (op-amp) has been one of the most successful integrated circuits. A type of differential amplifier with high gain, the differential inputs and single output enable this small, inexpensive IC to use negative feedback in a wide variety of applications, in which its gain (hundreds of thousands of times higher than the difference […]