Feature: Components
Figure 1: Isolator collection
At present there is no comprehensive infrastructure to support this move and there’s a question whether it can be built in the next 5-10 years, when moving to new sections of the spectrum is no longer just an option.
In telecoms alone, supporting billions of users at higher data
A gold rush to D-band and beyond
By Jeff rey Hesler, Chief Technology Offi cer, Virginia Diodes
"T
he D-band is the new E-band” stated the shirts worn by Virginia Diodes (VDI) employees at a recent microwave symposium. Covering 60-90GHz, the E-band is a well-
established high-capacity solution for mmWave applications. With radio links to 20Gbps, this
band has been an attractive and cost-eff ective space for design engineers to turn to. However, as we all know in the industry, there is need for more spectrum, which means moving to higher frequencies in the D-band (110-170GHz) and beyond.
rates requires ever-higher frequency bands. Also, it is not just the telecoms sector that needs this additional bandwidth, but others like the military and defence, remote sensing and security, atmospheric science, radio astronomy and automotive, to mention just a few. Yet, lack of available millimetre-wave (mmWave) components is creating a two-pronged problem: First, system designers developing active electronics above 100GHz will need mmWave components. Second, they will also need cost-eff ective and high- performance equipment for testing those components, which, in a catch-22 situation, will also be needed for that equipment, too. T ese interdependent conditions slow developments, with only incremental steps being made at best.
Bridging the gap T e problem extends beyond just the dearth of test and measurement equipment for mmWave and THz frequencies, there’s also the problems of cost and mobility. When moving from the design to the production stage, more of these systems will be needed, so to be aff ordable in larger quantities, they must be smaller and cheaper.
Figure 2: Hybrid circulator
www.electronicsworld.co.uk September 2023 33
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