HP Launches Products To Ease RF Design
In an effort to expand its presence in the RF/microwave market, Hewlett-Packard (HP; Palo Alto, CA) has released two instruments and a new electronic design automation tool targeted at design engineers. Using these tools, engineers can speed and ease the development of high-frequency products.
The first product comes from HP's EEsof Division. This product, dubbed HP RF Compiler, is a circuit synthesis tool that offers the ability to automatically generate circuit schematics directly from behavioral specifications. This top-down approach saves time and increases productivity because designers do not need to specify the initial circuit topology or component values.
With RF Compiler, users enter circuit specifications and lists of allowable components into a wizard that returns both the topology and the component values. The topology and set of values are then written to an HP Advanced Design System (ADS) schematic design. In effect, RF Compiler takes the specification and generates a design for a working circuit.
The software, developed by Westlake Village, CA-based HP EEsof, consists of a collection of applications-specific templates combined with a single core, synthesis engine. The synthesis engine contains both a generic algorithm that augments engineering knowledge and experience and a gradient optimization routine. This enables RF Compiler to generate a superset of all available topologies and to predetermine a set of allowable components.
The synthesis modules in RF Compiler help the microwave circuit designer using lumped or distributed components and the RF board designer involved in discrete component design. In addition, RFIC designers can benefit from the software's capability to synthesize off-chip filter and matching networks.
Each modules is contained inside a simple wizard-like dialog box that guides the engineer through the procedure of creating a target specification, setting the topology and component constraints and configuring other synthesis parameters. By using these design wizards, the RF designer can understand the task in terms of behavioral-level descriptions.
Power sensors
In addition to RF Compiler, HP has launched a family of power sensors for its HP EPM series E4418 and E4419 power meters. The HP E-series E9300 power sensors are used to measure the true-average power of RF and microwave signals, regardless of their modulation format, over a wide dynamic range.
The new sensors are equipped with a diode-attenuator-diode topology as well as a –60 to +20 dBm dynamic range. By offering this wide a dynamic range, the products can handle the large crest factors typical of the newest modulation formats, including wideband CDMA (W-CDMA) and orthogonal-frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM)
New downconverter
The HP 53521A downconverter unit rounds out HP's recently released products for RF/microwave design. This downconverter is designed to extend the frequency range of HP's 4352S voltage-controlled oscillator/phase-locked-loop (VCO/PLL) evaluation and test system, which is targeted at wireless and digital communication equipment.
When configured with the HP43521A downconverter, the HP 5352S offers a VCO/PLL design and production measurement solution that operates at frequencies above 3 GHz. Overall, the VCO/PLL tester offers a 10 to 12.6 GHz range and is capable of measuring phase noise, RF power, transients, and settling time.
The complete 12.6 GHz system includes the HP4352B signal analyzer, the HP43521A, and the HP 8665B with a 6 GHz signal generator. The signal generator provides the local oscillator (LO) needed to translate the VCO/PLL output while the 43521A delivers a frequency doubler for the signal generator.
Pricing/availability
The HP RF compiler is priced at $20,000 and is expected to be available in September for Unix system platforms from HP and Sun. It will also be available for PCs running the Windows NT operating system.
The E9300 series power sensors are priced between $1,300 and $1,785. Both are available now. The HP43521A downconverter unit is also available now. It is offered at $35,600.
For more information on all of these products, call HP at 800-452-4844.