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Rohde & Schwarz 170 GHz power sensors ease use and traceability in the D-band

Mon, Nov 27, 2023

The new R&S NRP170TWG(N) sensors from Rohde & Schwarz are used in general R&D for 6G mobile communications, novel sub-THz communications, sensing and future automotive radar applications. Accuracy is vital to such complex wideband measurements and the sensors are fully calibrated for long-term stability and can compensate for environmental temperature influences within the specified operating range from 0°C to + 50°C. R&S NRP170TWG(N) sensors have a dynamic range of –35 dBm to +20 dBm and up to 500 measurements per second, making them extremely fast with outstanding performance and the only NMI-traceable RF power sensors for the D-band.
Ease of use
All Rohde & Schwarz power sensors are easy to use and stable with excellent connectivity, letting researchers, developers and production engineers focus on more challenging tasks. R&S NRP170TWG(N) sensors provide stable power readouts even at levels below -20 dBm, have no drift and are resilient to external temperature changes and out-of-band signals (such as far infrared (FIR). Fast measurement speeds and easy digital access to data output are very important in mass production facilities. The R&S NRP170TWG(N) can be connected via USB or LAN and operated with standard SCPI protocols. The new sensors perfectly complement other D-band test solutions from Rohde & Schwarz.
NMI traceability

When developing the R&S NRP170TWG(N) sensors, Rohde & Schwarz collaborated with Germany’s national metrology institute: the Physikalisch-Technische-Bundesanstalt (PTB) and other NMIs as part of a European Union project to establish traceability up to 170 GHz. Previously, NMI traceability was only possible up to 110 GHz. NMI traceability is a prerequisite for commercial and industrial utilisation of a frequency band. Defined power levels need to be maintained throughout a frequency range. RF power is traced to a DC power reference and compared by different national metrology institutes.

Daniel Blaschke, head of development for RF & Microwave Power Meters at Rohde & Schwarz, says: “Through partnering with the PTB and other NMIs we helped extend traceability into the D-band, preparing commercialisation and mass adoption of products operating in this frequency range. Rohde & Schwarz is extremely proud to be the first to transform this technological accomplishment into a commercially viable, traceable RF power sensor up to 170 GHz.

Dr. Karsten Kuhlmann, head of the working group High-Frequency Basic Quantities at PTB, says: “Having accurate and calibrated power levels across the setup in the sub-THz region is no trivial task. Power levels at the DUT measurement plane need to be measured accurately, reliably and traceably to national standards. We are happy to advance the commercialization and mass production of future D-band products with our industry collaboration.”

The new R&S NRP170TWG(N) thermal power sensors are now available from Rohde & Schwarz.

For more information, visit: https://www.rohde-schwarz.com/_63493-197529.html

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Alchip unveils “first automotive ASIC design platform” for a global industry

Fri, Nov 24, 2023

At the Design Solutions Forum 2023 in Kawasaki, Japan, Alchip Technologies rolled out what is claimed to be the semiconductor industry’s first automotive ASIC platform. It targets the specialised needs of the global automotive industry and streamlines the ASIC design needs of global automotive IC module and component manufacturers, as well as automotive companies, said Alchip.

The platform consists of six modules: Design for Autonomous Driving (AD)/ Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS), Design for Safety, Design for Test, Design for Reliability, Automotive Chip Sign-off, and Automotive Chip Manufacturing (MFG) Service.
Design for AD/ADAS integrates a CPU and neural processing unit (NPU) into the smallest possible die size, while meeting aggressive higher performance and lower power consumption required by automotive applications, said Alchip.

The Design for Safety module follows the ISO26262 pre-scribed flow that includes required isolated TMR / lock-step design methodology. This module also features an experienced safety manager and includes the mandated Development Interface Agreement (DIA) that defines the relationship between the manufacturer and the supplier throughout the entire automotive safety lifecycle and activities.

Design for Reliability includes enhanced electromigration (EM) as part of silicon lifecycle management. It also covers AEC-Q grade IP sourcing and implementation.

The Automotive Chip Manufacturing Service works with IATF16949 -approved manufacturing suppliers. Services include tri-temp testing by target AEC-Q grade, automotive wafer, automotive substrate, assembly and burn-in.

Design for Test capabilities support in system test (IST) and MBIST / LBIST design, critical and redundancy logic for yield harvest, automotive-level ATPG coverage, and physical-aware ATPG.

The final sign-off module covers an ageing library based on a customer mission profile, OD / UD / AVS / DVFS library support, and the final design for manufacturing sign-off.

The platform will “speed up the development and time-to-market of essential safety-critical ADAS applications, while significantly advancing the innovation with increasing complex autonomous driving implementation and features,” Alchip CEO, Johnny Shen.

Access to the new automotive platform is available now through Alchip offices in Taipei, Silicon Valley, Yokohama, Shanghai, Penang, and its affiliate office in Israel.

Alchip Technologies was founded in 2003 and is headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan. The company provides silicon and design and production services for system companies developing complex and high volume ASICs and SoCs. Alchip offers advanced 2.5D / 3DIC design, CoWoS / chiplet design and manufacturing management.

Customers include global leaders in AI, HPC/supercomputer, mobile phones, entertainment device, networking equipment and other electronic product categories.

http://www.alchip.com

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32-bit RX microcontroller accelerates data rates for industrial sensor systems

Thu, Nov 23, 2023

Renesas Electronics has expanded its 32-bit microcontroller portfolio with a new RX device for industrial sensor systems. The RX23E-B, is a 32-bit device from the RX family and features a high-precision analogue front end (AFE), specifically designed for systems that demand fast and accurate analogue signal measurements.

The new microcontroller integrates a 24-bit delta-sigma ADC capable of achieving a conversion speed of up to 125ksamples per second which is eight times faster than the existing RX23E-A. It can process accurate ADC while reducing RMS noise to 1/3 (0.18µVrms at 1ksample per second compared to the RX23E-A.

The RX23E-B facilitates faster and more precise measurements of critical parameters such as strain, temperature, pressure, flow rate, current and voltage, making it suitable for high-end sensor devices, measuring instruments, and test equipment. It also has sufficient performance to drive force sensors used in industrial robots, which often demand measurements as fast as 10 microseconds (100,000 samples per second). The microcontroller also reduces overall system size and the component count by incorporating the analogue front end and the microcontroller on a single chip.

Similar to the RX23E-A, the RX23E-B incorporates a 32MHz RXv2-based CPU with DSP instructions and a floating point unit. It also combines the analogue front end into a single chip using the same fabrication process. There are new peripheral functions such as a 16-bit DAC, which enables measurement adjustments, self-diagnosis, and analogue signal output. The device’s +/-10V analogue input enables +/-10V measurement with a 5V power supply without requiring external components or additional power supply. An LCD controller with a maximum of 40 SEG x 4 COM and a real-time clock (RTC) function are also included.

The RX23E-B is available in two versions, one that supports an ADC data rate of up to 125ksamples per second and one that supports up to 31.25ksamples per second. Both offer flexible data rate settings ranging from 3.8 SPS to the maximum value, allowing users to choose the best balance between data rate and noise for their specific system requirements.

The microcontroller is available in a 5.5mm square, 100-pin BGA package and a 6.0mm square 40-pin QFN package. There are also wide pin packages ranging from 48- to 100-pin options.

The RX23E-B is available now, along with a Renesas Solution Starter Kit for RX23E-B.

http://www.renesas.com

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Digital cockpit Antora 1000 computing platform powers Lynk SUV

Thu, Nov 23, 2023

A digital cockpit experience is enabled in the EM-P SUV by Lynk, courtesy of the Ecarx Antora 1000 computing platform.

The 08 EM-P SUV was the first vehicle to use Ecarx’s Antora 1000 Pro cockpit computing platform and now the 06 model is released with a 14.6-inch floating central control screen and a 10.2-inch TFT instrument cluster to support a diverse range of interactive functions and immersive experiences, from online navigation and voice command features to karaoke and e-sports.

The Antora 1000 features the SE1000 7nm automotive-grade SoC which provides 100k DMIPS (Dhrystone million instructions per second) of computing power and 900G FLOPS (floating point operations per second) of graphic rendering capability through a multi-core, heterogeneous computing engine and hardware architecture without virtualisation. This earned an AnTuTu benchmarking performance test score of over 500,000 which is approximately 20 per cent better than comparable processors currently available, said Ecarx.

There is also a programmable NPU (neural processing unit) and multiple acceleration engines capable of 8 Tera operations per second.

Memory is configurable to 16gByte and there is 128Gbyte of storage. It also has automotive-grade functional safety and information security solutions and certifications.

Ecarx is an automotive technology provider with the capabilities to deliver turnkey solutions for next-generation smart vehicles, from the SoC to central computing platforms and software. As automakers develop new electric vehicle architectures from the ground up, Ecarx is developing full-stack solutions to enhance the user experience, while reducing complexity and cost.

Founded in 2017 Ecarx has 11 major locations in China, UK, USA, Sweden, Germany and Malaysia. The co-founders are two automotive entrepreneurs, chairman and CEO, Ziyu Shen, and Eric Li (Li Shufu), who is also the founder and chairman of Zhejiang Geely Holding Group with ownership interests in brands including Lotus, Lynk, Polestar, Smart and Volvo Cars. Ecarx also works with other well-known automakers, including FAW and Dongfeng Peugeot-Citroën.

http://www.ecarxgroup.com

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Rohde & Schwarz 170 GHz power sensors ease use and traceability in the D-band

Alchip unveils “first automotive ASIC design platform” for a global industry

32-bit RX microcontroller accelerates data rates for industrial sensor systems

Digital cockpit Antora 1000 computing platform powers Lynk SUV

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