Product designers working on critical applications requiring electrical power must carefully select components that not only supply the appropriate amount of voltage at the right time, but also help mitigate issues such as voltage ripple, ensure system longevity, and improve component reliability. 

In complex radio frequency (RF) applications, “wideband” has varying definitions depending on both the application of interest and the portion of the RF circuit you’re focused on. Wideband can be used to describe the entire spectrum shown in Figure 1 or large portions of it.   

In a short period of time, artificial intelligence (AI) large language models (LLMs) like ChatGTP and Claude have made leaps and bounds in terms of their size and sophistication. Size, as measured by the number of parameters, has increased by a factor of one thousand in merely five years, and it’s not projected to stop (Figure 1). This rapid growth raises numerous questions about the future of AI, while also presenting immediate challenges, with power consumption being a significant concern.  

Companies across the world are engaged in fusion research; some are large national and international labs while others are start-ups looking for lower-cost alternatives to traditional fusion techniques. Their work is built on the premise that fused light nuclei have a net positive energy yield because their combined mass is less than the sum of their individual masses before fusion. Think Albert Einstein’s E = mc². 

Electromagnetic interference degrades electronic performance and causes unintended outcomes like signal distortion, data corruption and system malfunctions. To minimize interference, Knowles Precision Devices has expanded EMI filter offerings to include hermetically sealed EMI filters that attenuate unwanted EMI signals while allowing desired signals to pass. SFSW series filters were designed to preserve signal integrity and ensure reliable operation in high-reliability applications with strict electromagnetic compatibility standards.

Here's what you can expect from our SFSW series:

Considering the complexities of routing and signal integrity, it’s more and more common to see multilayer printed circuit board (PCB) designs where radio frequencies (RF) or digital traces cross on different layers of the stack. However, depending on the number of crossovers needed, the cost and complexity of this solution can outweigh the potential design benefits. For example, at high frequencies, multilayer designs are uniquely expensive to build; when laying out a ‘tile’ phased array, there’s very little space for components because of the λ/2 pitch of the array.  

In power electronics, rectification is the conversion of alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC). After the AC signal enters a rectifier circuit consisting of power diodes, the resulting raw rectified waveform yields a series of half sine waves with significant ripple. In order to minimize the pulsating DC voltage, a smoothing capacitor is placed in parallel with the load across the rectifier output. As the rectifier voltage rises, the capacitor charges and stores energy like a reservoir. Then when the rectifier voltage falls, the capacitor discharges, greatly reducing the ripple voltage.

Supercapacitors, also known as electric double-layer capacitors (EDLCs), store energy electrostatically rather than via chemical reactions like traditional batteries. Their unique characteristics make them ideal for applications requiring short bursts of power and/or durability over time.  

One of the fundamental roles of capacitors is charging and discharging energy predictably. Many electronics applications leverage capacitors to store energy and release it in a controlled pulse of current or voltage. Here, we’ll revisit how pulses are produced in a basic RLC circuit featuring a capacitor (C), inductor (L) and resistor (R). 

At the most basic level, high-power amplifiers (HPAs) take signals from the waveform generator and increase the signal level to a higher power as shown in Figure 1. Depending on the system, the increase could take the signal from hundreds of watts to many megawatts. This is an essential step for many radar systems to boost the strength of a signal and improve range, resolution, and overall performance.