5 Mistakes To Avoid When Specifying Integrated Microwave Assemblies

By Narda Microwave-East

Over the years, innovations in modern technology have expanded the term IMA —integrated microwave assembly — to encompass a versatile and broad array of products and assemblies that range from the simple integration of a few components to subsystems containing multiple integrated modules.

Thirty years ago, the original IMAs were known as MICs — microwave integrated circuits — that integrated several microwave components into a single housing. These products created multifunctional performance by combining individual circuits fabricated on alumina carriers in a precisely machined aluminum package. At that time, all integrated components were basically constrained to a single surface, and the complexity and functionality were restricted by the allowed area for the product.