• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Electrical Engineering News and Products

Electronics Engineering Resources, Articles, Forums, Tear Down Videos and Technical Electronics How-To's

  • Products / Components
    • Analog ICs
    • Connectors
    • Microcontrollers
    • Power Electronics
    • Sensors
    • Test and Measurement
    • Wire / Cable
  • Applications
    • Automotive
    • Industrial
    • IoT
    • Medical
    • Telecommunications
    • Wearables
    • Wireless
  • Resources
    • Covid-19
    • DesignFast
    • Ebooks / Tech Tips
    • EE Forums
      • EDABoard.com
      • Electro-Tech-Online.com
    • FAQs
    • 2020 LEAP Awards
    • Oscilloscope Product Finder
    • Podcasts
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
  • Videos
    • Teardown Videos
  • Lee’s Teardowns
    • Teardown Videos
  • Learning Center
  • 5G
  • Women in Engineering

Plastic fiber shows promise for carrying mmWave signals

February 7, 2020 By Martin Rowe

Santa Clara, Calif. — While millimeter wave (mmWave) signals are part of 5G’s wireless infrastructure for carrying high-bandwidth data, it’s not the only use. At DesignCon 2020, Joy Laskar, CEO of Maja Systems, presented a paper where he explained how a surface-mount mmWave antenna can launch signals into inexpensive plastic fibers for data transmissions from a few centimeters to several meters.

That distance, according to Laskar’s paper Millimeter-Wave Surface Mount Antennas for High-Speed Plastic Fiber Data Transport, “Millimeter-wave data transport based on low-cost plastic fibers fills an important gap between optical and metal-based transport, providing bandwidth and reach superior to metal with less power consumption than optical.” This concept uses radio waves coupled to plastic fiber.

The trick is the get good coupling between an antenna and the fiber, something Maja Systems claims to have solved. Using Maja’s 60 GHz radio IC and its surface-mount antennas, Laskar showed data rates of 1 Gbps at 17 m and 2 Gbps at 16 m (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Test show data rates of 2 Gbps over 16 m of plastic fiber and 1 Gbps at 17 m.

Figure 2 shows a slide that explains the radiated field pattern of the SMT antenna. A plastic fiber fits over the antenna, picking up the signal without the need for a connector.

Figure 2. This plot shows the signal strength from a Maja Systems SMT antenna Theta as a function of Phi.

Figure 3 shows a demonstration of the antenna driving plastic fiber using a vector-network analyzer. Laskar explained to 5GTW: “The demonstration operates as a wireless cable: a compact millimeter-wave surface mount helix antenna combined with 60 GHz integrated radios and low-cost synthetic fibers, which establishes a reliable, simple, low cost and error free interconnect system. This demonstration achieves error-free transmission without connectors using our (patent-pending) surface mount helical antenna, enabling efficient coupling and wide bandwidth with meter-range copper-grade gigabit transport. This represents a novel and non-traditional application of mmWave technology and will enable low-cost data transport in the centimeter to meters range, complementing current transport technologies based on optical fibers, coaxial flyover assemblies, and PCB traces.”

Figure 3. Maja Systems demonstrated the connectorless connection between its integrated radio/antenna and plastic fiber at DesignCon 2020.

To learn more, 5GTW spoke with Laskar following his presentation.

Filed Under: 5G, FAQ, Featured Tagged With: Maja Systems

Primary Sidebar

EE Training Center Classrooms

“ee

“ee

“ee

“ee

Featured Resources

  • NEW! EE World Online Learning Center
  • CUI Devices – CUI Insights Blog
  • EE Classroom: Power Delivery
  • EE Classroom: Building Automation
  • EE Classroom: Aerospace & Defense
  • EE Classroom: Grid Infrastructure

Autonomous & Connected Vehicles 2019


RSS Current EDABoard.com discussions

  • Will this RF power transistor work for RF power amp at 2.4 GHz?
  • Why do some op amps have a higher GBW than what the unity gain-bandwidth is?
  • Simulating a simple envelope detector circuit
  • Variable Frequency PWM
  • Triac BTA208S600D, BTA208S600F blinking or working unstable

RSS Current Electro-Tech-Online.com Discussions

  • electrolytic capacitor depolarizes
  • Stack Pointer working in the assembly code
  • Touch circuit sound, led. 555 timer
  • Definitive Technology Subwoofer repair
  • M-Audio BX5 speakers

Oscilloscopes Product Finder

Follow EE World on Twitter

Tweets by @EEWorldOnline

Footer

EE World Online

EE WORLD ONLINE NETWORK

  • DesignFast
  • EDABoard Forums
  • Electro-Tech-Online Forums
  • Microcontroller Tips
  • Analog IC Tips
  • Connector Tips
  • Engineer's Garage
  • Power Electronic Tips
  • Sensor Tips
  • Test and Measurement Tips
  • Wire & Cable Tips
  • 5G Technology World

EE WORLD ONLINE

  • Subscribe to our newsletter
  • Lee's teardown videos
  • Advertise with us
  • Contact us
  • About Us
Follow us on TwitterAdd us on FacebookFollow us on YouTube Add us on Instagram

Copyright © 2021 · WTWH Media LLC and its licensors. All rights reserved.
The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of WTWH Media.

Privacy Policy