Dr. Carter began his research in silicon carbide in 1977 as a graduate student at North Carolina State University.

Orascom selects Motorola for Baghdad/Central Iraq GSM infrastructure equipment
RF Design Staff

Cairo -- Orascom Telecom Iraq Corp., majority owned and controlled by Orascom Telecom Holding S.A.E of Egypt, announced it chose Motorola Inc. as its GSM base station and transmission equipment supplier for Orascom's Baghdad and the Central region communications network.

Motorola's Global Telecom Solutions Sector (GTSS) will supply GSM infrastructure to Orascom Telecom Iraq Corp. (OTI) for its new mobile network in a contract worth up to $40 million. Motorola will be the main supplier for the Central region for the two-year duration of the network license.

In a statement, Motorola says OTI is the first licensee to provide comprehensive mobile telephony services in Iraq's Central Region. Operating under the service name "Iraqna," it is one of the three regional network operators that will form Iraq's first national mobile telecommunications network.

Silicon Wave Bluetooth radio modem receives CDMA and 3G certification
RF Design Staff

San Diego, Calif. -- Silicon Wave Inc. announced that its SiW1712 UltimateBlue radio modem received certification for use with CDMA chipsets with an integrated Bluetooth baseband.

The SiW1712 radio modem, which is Bluetooth specification version 1.1 qualified and version 1.2 compliant, enables CDMA chipset licensees to integrate Bluetooth wireless functions into their mobile phones. The modem is implemented on a standard CMOS process.

The SiW1712 radio modem is currently in volume production and is available in a 5 mm x 5 mm 32-pin QFN package or as RDL bumped die.

Products

Micro Lambda announces frequency synthesizers up to 16 GHz
RF Design Staff

Fremont, Calif. -- Micro Lambda Wireless Inc. announced the production release of its new frequency synthesizers. The MLSN-series of 2 GHz tuning band synthesizers has been expanded to include standard models up to 16 GHz. The new models include the:

• MLSN-9011, 9 GHz to 11 GHz;
• MLSN-1012, 10 GHz to 12 GHz;
• MLSN-1214, 12 GHz to 14 GHz; and
• MLSN-1416, 14 GHz to 16 GHz.

Special 2 GHz frequency bands within this range can be specified by the user. The standard MLSN-series package and input power requirements are maintained for these new models. The company says ideal applications for the MLSN series include telecom, satellite communications, and radar. The synthesizers are available 60 days from receipt of order.

Centellax announces multi-modulus divider ICs from DC to 40 GHz
RF Design Staff

Santa Rosa, Calif. -- Centellax Inc. announced the release of a new, multi-modulus divider IC for various applications including:

• 10 Gbps and 40 Gbps telecom circuit testing;
• point-to-point and point-to-multipoint digital radios; and
• electronic warfare, avionics, and satellite communications.

According to the company, until recently, prescalers operating above approximately 14 GHz have not been commercially available. The company's new model UXC40C, operating at up to 40 GHz and based on silicon germanium (SiGe) process technology, provides simultaneous divide-by-2, divide-by-4, and divide-by-8 outputs that can be employed in:

• generation of low-jitter, low-frequency reference signals;
• use in phase-locked loops requiring low l/f noise; and
• broad-bandwidth test instruments.

The UXC40C boasts DC coupling on all inputs and outputs via CML logic levels, and operates off of a single -3.3 V power supply. It can operate with either single-ended or differential inputs, the company says. A Centellax spokesman said shipments of the new unit will began this month.

Centurion Wireless introduces quad-band mercury telematics antenna
RF Design Staff

Lincoln, Neb. -- Centurion Wireless Technologies Inc. introduced the dualband MicroBlade antenna for automotive data over voice communications systems.

Available in dualband AMPS and PCS, and GSM and DCS, the MicroBlade can be customized to fulfill the antenna requirements for resellers in the global aftermarket or original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).

The MicroBlade features a polyolefin housing, and is specially designed for easy integration into vehicles using a variety of mounting methods, the company says. It can be mounted with Velcro or two-way tape on various locations within the vehicle including on the windshield pillar, under the dashboard, in a seat or on the back deck.

The MicroBlade operates at GSM 880 MHz to 960 MHZ, and DCS 1710 to 1880 MHZ, with a peak gain of 3.2 dBi and 2.4 dBi, respectively, or at AMPS 824 to 896 MHZ and PCS 1850 to 1990 MHZ with peak gains of 2.5 dBi and 3.6 dBi, respectively.

Both antennas feature linear polarization, an impedance of 50 ohms and maximum input power at 10 watts. The MicroBlade is available with an SMA male connector and 3m RG-174 plenum rated coaxial cable.