Diodes are remarkably simple yet extremely versatile devices, and each type has characteristics that make it well suited for specific applications. One of the less common but nevertheless very useful is the Step Recovery Diode (SRD) whose characteristics [...] Read More

The Lange Coupler was developed by Dr. Julius Lange of Texas Instruments in 1969, while his group was engineering microwave amplifiers on thin film ceramic substrates. The team employed a Bell Labs approach that used 3 dB quadrature couplers, but [...] Read More

It’s not uncommon for OEMs to address their RMAs * by leaning towards replacing their returned RF/microwave components, subsystems, and assemblies instead of repairing them.  Whether it’s to avoid  the hassle of shifting talent around, [...] Read More

The assembly process can be complex in the production of RF modules with a variety of skills needed to populate components, including: hand soldering; eutectic attachment; ribbon bonding; coil winding; and surface mounting. Ultimately, manufacturing RF, [...] Read More

Military and aerospace programs require standardized testing in accordance to various military specifications for quality assurance. This means that all parts need to be screened before integration. This often includes upscreening and specialized application-based [...] Read More

The product delivery process is optimized when an RF/microwave manufacturer can optimally leverage the expertise of its team member’s respective specialties. In a busy manufacturing center however, you’ll often find highly skilled design engineers [...] Read More

The PIN diode is one of the most versatile types for RF and Microwave designers, which is why it’s used in a broad array of applications from limiters to phase shifters, modulators, attenuators, and switches. In this article we’ll show [...] Read More

The Schottky-barrier diode has become a staple in the microwave designer’s toolkit because its performance is closer to an “ideal” diode than many other types. In this blog, we’ll show you its advantages and disadvantages.   For [...] Read More

The nuances of RF/microwave design, manufacturing, and testing leave little room for error. And shortening the design, development and manufacturing cycle can be especially challenging. But when several production schedules need to be balanced [...] Read More

In our Tech Brief "Tips for Increasing Yields When Wire Bonding Small Mesa Chips" we cover a variety of topics from tools to process development. But one of the more critical tips is about how to spot wire bond failures. In this blog, we've [...] Read More

The advent of smaller mesas (sometimes < 40 microns) on microwave diodes and other devices, and the ongoing push for faster processing speeds and higher yields, have posed a number of wire bonding challenges to RF and microwave designers and manufacturing [...] Read More

If you've been looking for replacement devices or a new first or second source for your RF and microwave diodes and semiconductors, you can rely on SemiGen. Industry veteran and founder of SemiGen, Jim Morgan, has committed to an RF and Microwave technology [...] Read More

The bond pad geometries for MESA chips are shrinking in size progressively as technology advances. Though beneficial for cost reduction and mass production, smaller MESA chip leads and bonding sites exacerbate the failure modes common to a wire bond process. [...] Read More

From fixing broken equipment to new RoHS requirements leading to part obsolescence, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in the RF and microwave industry have many reasons to replace modules over repairing them. Often, predicting the services necessary [...] Read More

As in baseball, RF/Microwave programs are dotted with holes in the lineup, or development chain, from design to repair. Oftentimes, problems arise out of nowhere, and at critical times. In these circumstances, each field is glad to have their utility [...] Read More