23 August 2016

Aemulus and Peregrine partner to develop microwave frequency tester

Peregrine Semiconductor Corp of San Diego, CA, USA – a fabless provider of radio-frequency integrated circuits (RFICs) based on silicon-on-insulator (SOI) – has announced a strategic partnership with automated test equipment (ATE) firm Aemulus Corp of Penang, Malaysia to develop a new microwave frequency tester. Building on Aemulus' Amoeba AMB7600 RF tester, the next-generation test solution will extend its support into microwave frequency bands and enable more complex testing.

"This Aemulus microwave tester is the latest project in a series of successful collaborations with Peregrine," notes Aemulus' CEO Sang Beng Ng. "This new tester will not only contribute to growth in test and measurement, but I foresee many opportunities flowing in from other markets with high-frequency demands, such as automotive, radar and 5G wireless," he adds. "With this strategic partnership, we look forward to duplicating the success of previous collaborative projects."

For the new tester, the Amoeba AMB7600 will be upgraded with key peripheral modules to expand into microwave bands X, Ku and Ka. The AMB7600 is claimed to be the first true multi-site, multi-instance RF tester, and it supports RF, digital and analog testing. While the AMB7600 addresses RF front-end devices, the new tester will enable more complex testing, such as the rigorous testing needs of radar products and mixers. Currently in design development, the new tester will be integrated into Peregrine's test infrastructure in fall 2016 and will have full implementation by spring 2017.

"As the market demand for high-frequency products increases, Peregrine has responded with a robust high-frequency product portfolio and has set new records for SOI at microwave frequencies," claims Carl Tulberg, principal engineer, NPI operations at Peregrine. "But this innovation must be supported by a sophisticated test infrastructure and that boils down to the right test equipment," he adds. "This Aemulus partnership aligns with our product roadmap and ensures we meet our microwave test equipment needs today and in the future. It also highlights Peregrine's focus and investment in high-frequency product development."

Peregrine's high-frequency portfolio includes RF switches, an image-reject mixer and monolithic phase and amplitude controllers (MPACs). The firm says that it is its UltraCMOS technology platform that enables it to reach these high frequencies without compromising performance or reliability.

Tags: Peregrine SOI

Visit: www.aemulus.com

Visit: www.psemi.com