Pasternack Blog

Though the terms single-input single-output (SISO) and multi-input multi-output (MIMO) originate with controls engineering, SISO and MIMO are now very commonly discussed in reference to RF antennas. In controls engineering, a SISO system has only one input and one output, such as a DUT with only 2-ports that you can measure with a 2-port Vector ..

A waveguide horn antenna is a type of aperture antenna that is designed with a gradual transition of the inner metallic walls to ensure an impedance match between the waveguide port to free space. In this way, a waveguide horn antenna’s aperture and axial length can be adjusted to achieve the desired gain and directivity ..

Gunn Diodes have been used to build upper microwave, millimeter-wave, and even terahertz oscillators for a wide range of applications over 40 years. To this day, Gunn Diode oscillators are competitive with monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) oscillator solutions. Hence, Gunn Diodes have been the premier solid-state coherent power generation device at frequencies above ~10 ..

Waveguides come in many varieties. The most common “shapes” for waveguide cross sections are rectangular and circular/oval. Waveguide can carry electromagnetic energy in several modes, though they are typically specified for a primary mode that presents the most desirable characteristics for loss and bandwidth. This mode is generally the transverse electric (TE) mode, where the ..

RF Frequency filters, or just filters, are components/devices that modify a signal’s amplitude and phase angle based on frequency. Filters are either passive or use active tuning electronics. Filters are designed with a predetermined frequency dependent transmission response and are predominately used to attenuate portions of the spectrum where undesirable signal components, interference, or noise ..

Low noise amplifiers (LNAs) are a critical component for telecommunication and sensing systems, as the weak receive signals often need to be at a higher signal level for optimal demodulation, digitization, driving another circuit, or for measurements to be made. LNAs are also used throughout signal chains to add gain to low power signals when ..

RF devices are active elements in the RF signal chain and are used in almost all RF systems with exception of purely passive systems. Active RF devices are distinguished from passive RF devices in that electrical power or electrical control signals are used to energize the device and change its performance. In many cases, active ..

RF passive components are used in virtually every RF assembly and system for communications, sensing, and test and measurement applications. Hence, testing RF passives is critical to all applications. RF passives testing may be for characterization, quality control/verification, or maintenance/troubleshooting depending on the use case of the RF passive and if it is under development, ..

Conductors, semiconductors, and insulators are the main building blocks of virtually all RF/microwave electronics. Insulators have dielectric properties that impact the electric fields that pass through them. In order to design an RF component or device, detailed knowledge of the dielectric properties of the insulators used in the construction of the component/device is essential. The ..

Waveguide amplifiers are amplifiers specifically designed to be housed within a waveguide assembly. This provides some intrinsic advantages and trade-offs compared with coaxial connectorized amplifier assemblies or pallet amplifiers. Given that waveguide amplifiers are designed to directly mate with a given waveguide size and type, they are innately banded, as the waveguide has a limited ..