Samtec, Otava, Rohde & Schwarz, and Avnet joined forces at IMS 2021 with a live demonstration of Otava’s OTBF 103 Wideband Beamformer IC Evaluation Kit.
The Otava Beamformer IC covers 24 – 40 GHz. The wide bandwidth of the IC encompasses multiple 5G FR2 mmW bands, and also has applications in the Defense, SATCOM, and Instrumentation market spaces.
The flexible design of the beamformer allows its performance to adapt to required specifications for these intended applications. The beamformer consists of 8 transmit and 8 receive channels, provides independent gain and phase controls in each path, and has built-in memory for fast switching of the beam weights.
All RF, analog, and digital ports of the device are broken out on the evaluation board for test and measurement. The evaluation kit features an out-of-the-box ready solution for engineers to begin exercising all functions of the beamformer IC using a custom designed software GUI and included Microzed digital control hardware.
In the video, Steve Fireman, V.P. of Engineering at Otava, discusses the system’s performance. We see measured gain performance of a transmit channel on the Otava Beamformer IC, as seen on the Rohde & Schwarz ZNA43 VNA. The beamforming chip demonstrates a wideband response of gain, from 24 to 40 GHz.
Otava chose Samtec 2.40 mm compression mount connectors for the OTBF 103. Samtec’s RF engineers worked with Otava’s RF engineers to optimize the IC-to-PCB and connector-to-PCB transitions. Samtec’s collaboration with Otava demonstrates the advantages of vertical integration enabling full system support.
Samtec designs and manufactures precision RF connectors for microwave and mmWave applications, from 18 GHz to 110 GHz. Samtec backs that up with industry-leading tech support including launch optimization, simulation and testing.
Samtec, Otava, and Avnet presented a webinar on this subject on Microwave Journal. Here’s a link to the archived presentation. And here’s a link to another Samtec IMS demo, this one is a proof-of concept of our new (like, still in development) waveguide technology.
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