*This Editor’s Note will appear in the June Edition of ECN.
All too often, consumers and engineers focus on the finished product without giving components much consideration. However cutting-edge products always start with individual components that bring exceptional functionality and design.
Now more than ever, the focus on tiny parts that make up an end product is paramount. The rise and continued growth of the Internet of Things (IoT) have caused sensors to step into the spotlight since data acquisition has become a significant application. According to an Insight Partners survey on Statista, the size of the IoT sensors market worldwide from 2018 to 2027 is expected to increase from $9.46 billion to $65.79 billion in revenue. This new demand is generating innovations across all types of sensors for a variety of industries, including automotive, medical, smart home, consumer electronics, aerospace, industrial, and more. Sensors are expected to monitor more carefully and efficiently, delivering data in real time.
Components are also the focus of this month’s ECN. In our cover story, Bernard Kamel from TE Connectivity discusses how new sensor designs are monitoring multiple parameters in “Innovative Combustion Solutions for Lower Emissions & Fuel Consumption,” on p. 14. Vehicles introduce these delicate parts to extremely harsh environments, with exposure to high temperatures, humidity, chemicals, and shocks.
Our articles continue on p. 18 with “The Effect of DC Bias on MLCC Class 2 Capacitors,” by Jeff Sorensen of Helix Semiconductors, which explores multilayer ceramic capacitors and how using charge pumps results in capacitance changes. Next up is “Putting Crystals in Their Rightful Place,” by Scott Sentz from Q-Tech on p. 20, which focuses on the benefits and trade-offs of piezoelectric crystals and MEMS oscillators in high-reliability applications.
The June issue also features WDD as a special section, concentrating on RF/Microwave technology. The cover story, “How to Test 5G: From Millimeter-Wave to Massive MIMO to Beamforming,” by Vandana Duff of Keysight on p. 24, examines different approaches to testing 5G data transmission. The next generation of wireless protocol will likely rely on three technologies for its deployment—mmWave, massive MIMO, and beamforming. The section continues on p. 26 with Contributing Writer Majeed Ahmad’s feature titled, “Wireless IoT Designs and the Evolution of RF Modules.” In this article, Ahmad takes a look at RF module designs and how they have changed as a result of the IoT devices they are being placed in.
The idea of boosting component functionality is one that can be seen everywhere. Manufacturers and designers are constantly working to make parts more powerful and faster than previous models while shrinking the form factors. I am very interested to see where IoT will take component capabilities and design.
