As radio architectures evolve, the need for filters is also evolving. At the same time, the industry is working to miniaturizes mmWave devices while continually minimizing costs. This means RF designers need filter solutions that offer a smaller footprint while keeping prices manageable.

At Knowles Precision Devices, we purposely avoid commodity components. What we thrive on is doing the hard things. We handle the specialty components that go in systems that cannot fail and that operate at extremely high voltages, temperatures, or frequencies. Do you have a complex technical challenge with hard-to-meet performance, size, or other requirements? Bring it to us. It’s what we do.

To provide a better understanding of build-to-print in general and the breadth of our offerings, as well as how our thin-film technology can benefit your applications, we’ve put together a Build-to-Print Basics series. Part 2 provides details on our custom thin-film process for complex designs.

Planning is in the works for Fifth Generation (5G) communication systems that will enable a hundred-fold increase in user data-rates – and with this increase comes a need for significant increases in bandwidth over what is currently available. Why does bandwidth follow when we ask for an increase in data rates? 

At Knowles Precision Devices, we are not trying to be your typical commodity component manufacturer. We want to do things that are hard and help customers solve their most difficult engineering challenges. This is why we offer build-to-print services to facilitate thin-film product design, manufacturing and testing from prototype to high-volume production.

To provide a better understanding of build-to-print in general and the breadth of our offerings, as well as how our thin-film technology can benefit your applications, we’ve put together a Build-to-Print Basics series. Part 1 starts by providing a brief overview of how we approach build-to-print and what thin-film technology actually is.

Before small cell technology took its place as a central component to realizing the promise of 5G networks, it played an important role in helping to improve the coverage and capacity of 4G. These mini base stations could be installed in discrete locations like on buildings or streetlights and became part of heterogeneous networks—together with traditional macro base stations—to improve service in high-traffic locations such as sporting events and concert venues. In this pursuit, small cells have proven valuable for extending signal penetration and increasing wireless density and these small, lightweight devices will continue to be a key technology for the data-intensive transition to 5G. 

As with everything in 2020, the International Microwave Symposium (IMS) is a bit different this year. We’re gearing up for the live stream event next week, Aug. 4-6, where we’ll participate in the virtual exhibition and give six online MicroApp technical presentations.

The Wilkinson Power Divider, designed by Ernest Wilkinson in the 1960s, uses quarter wave transformers to split an input signal into two equal phase output signals. Since the design is reciprocal, Wilkinson Power Dividers can also be used as a power combiner. With this flexibility, they are widely used in many RF and microwave communication systems, including those with multiple channels or complex feed networks.

Recently, Microwave Journal editors Pat Hindle and Gary Lerude sat down with Knowles Precision Devices product line manager Tim Brauner to discuss how our innovative high-performance components are helping RF engineers improve the size, weight, and performance (SWaP) of mmWave designs.

As the demand for more network capacity, improved network performance, and more reliable coverage are all growing, operating in the mmWave spectrum is becoming an increasing more attractive option. To address this demand, the use of 28-GHz small cells, which are compact, lightweight devices mounted on outdoor equipment such as lampposts or telephone poles, is becoming a practical and affordable way to deploy 5G in the mmWave spectrum.