Spectrum Control Introduces mmWave Block Converter with Integrated Digital Control in a Surface Mount Package
Spectrum Control, an innovative leader in RF miniaturization and digital integration, introduces a new standard product to its RF+ System in Package (SiP) platform. The SCRS-00-1001 RF+ SiP down converts wideband millimeter wave (mmWave) signals between 18 GHz – 40 GHz into standard 2 GHz – 18 GHz bands for direct sampling and processing. This first standard SiP expands Spectrum Control’s RF+ SiP platform that delivers unrivaled miniaturization of integrated microwave assemblies (IMAs).
The new SiP was demonstrated in the Spectrum Control booth, #703, during the Association of Old Crows Annual Conference (AOC) at National Harbor, MD, December 11 -13, 2024. The SCRS-00-1001 mmWave block converter was designed, tuned, and tested inside the company’s new RF+Digital development pipeline, which reduces the typical IMA productization timeline by 75%.
The mmWave block converter SiP includes 10 RF amplifiers, two digital attenuators, an RF detector, and 11 RF filters. It is tuned, monitored and managed using an Altera FPGA through an open standard software interface for easy integration into a system and for in-mission adaptation. It also includes integrated power management using a single 9 VDC input.
It is ideally utilized as a co-processor to direct sampling devices and FPGAs or as a frontend to Spectrum Control’s 3U VPX microwave wideband tuner/transceiver. It can be used in any mmWave application where size, weight, power consumption, and cost (SWaP-C) are of paramount importance, such as smart antennas. Because it is a surface-mount device, engineers can model and integrate the device into a much more efficient design and manufacturing process for overall time-to-market benefits.
“Spectrum Control‘s family of RF+ SiPs is the culmination of our interdisciplinary team of RF and digital technologists, material scientists, and process engineers working together to create mass-producible, surface-mount solutions that can be easily integrated into guidance, jamming, and other high-volume electronic warfare systems,” said Ian Dunn, Spectrum Control chief technology officer. “These innovative, miniaturized solutions can also play a key role in providing unified signal conditioning and conversion at the edge to enable rapid data-to-effect along with ML and AI.”
Availability
The SCRS-00-1001 block converter is sampling now. Customization options are available.
About the SCi Blocks™ Family
Spectrum Control’s SCi Blocks (pronounced “sky blocks”) RF+Digital™ architecture revolutionizes how RF is integrated into digital defense systems. Platform elements include SiPs, RF-on-mezzanine and SOSA-aligned 3U OpenVPX modules. Each offers a dramatic reduction in size, weight, and power (SWaP) and an open-standard digital interface for tuning, monitoring, and control, as well as vastly simplified system integration.
Click here to learn more about the RF+Digital Blocks from Spectrum Control.
Courtesy of everything RF
