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Resources & Application Notes
Design guides, selection help and application notes for RF passive components.
Choosing an RF Attenuator
How to choose an RF attenuator: fixed, step and voltage-variable types, key specs and a four-step selection process.
Reconfigurable RF Filters: Tuning Mechanisms and Front-End Design
How reconfigurable and tunable RF filters replace fixed filter banks, and how to specify MEMS, BST, and switched-LC devices.
Glass-Substrate IPD: The RF and Integration Advantages
Why glass and fused-silica IPDs with through-glass vias win at mmWave: dielectric loss, dimensional control, and panel economics.
Microstrip vs. Grounded Coplanar Waveguide: Choosing a 50 Ω Line
Practical trade-offs between thin-film microstrip and GCPW for fixtures, calibration standards, and mmWave interconnects.
Ohmic vs. Capacitive RF MEMS Switches: How to Choose
Ohmic-contact and capacitive MEMS RF switches compared on frequency, isolation, power, linearity and lifetime, with selection guidance for 5G, mmWave and switch matrices.
Reconfigurable Power Amplifiers: Switched Matching Across Bands
How switched and tunable matching networks with RF MEMS elements extend power amplifier efficiency across bands, power levels and antenna VSWR.
Anatomy of a Front-End T/R Module: PA, LNA, Phase Shifter and RF Switch
Block-by-block look inside a phased-array transmit/receive module: PA, LNA, T/R switch, phase shifter, VGA, packaging and array-level trade-offs.
Thin-Film RF Resistors, MIM Capacitors and Spiral Inductors: Building Blocks of an RF IPD
How thin-film TaN resistors, MIM capacitors and high-Q spiral inductors are built on glass, quartz and alumina, and why integrating them as an IPD wins at microwave and mmWave.
Three mmWave Systems Driving RF Front-End Demand: 77 GHz Radar, 5G and LEO Satcom
System-level comparison of 77 GHz automotive radar, 5G FR2 radio and LEO satcom terminals, and the common phased-array front-end components they require.
Thin-Film Microstrip and IPD Filters: Bare-Die RF Filters on Glass, Quartz and Alumina
How thin-film microstrip filters are fabricated, why substrate choice drives loss and repeatability, and how they compare with LTCC, cavity, LC and acoustic filters.
A Practical Guide to RF Filters
How to specify insertion loss, rejection, and the right filter technology.
Attenuators vs. Terminations: When to Use Each
Two similar-looking components with very different jobs.
Bias Tees Explained: Powering Remote RF Front-Ends
How bias tees combine DC and RF, and how to size them for your load.
DC Blocks: Protecting Your RF Chain from DC Offset
Why a series capacitor is essential between RF stages.
Integrated RF Modules: Simplifying Front-End Design
How pre-tested modules cut part count and integration risk.
MEMS Tunable Devices: Reconfigurable RF for Modern Systems
How MEMS tunable devices enable reconfigurable, multi-band RF front-ends.
Passive Intermodulation (PIM) Explained
Why low-PIM components matter in multi-carrier systems.
Phase Shifters for Phased Arrays and Beamforming
The building block of electronic beam steering, explained.
Power Dividers and Combiners: A Selection Guide
Wilkinson, resistive, and reactive topologies compared.
Return Loss, VSWR, and RF Match Quality
The metrics that describe how well a component is matched.
RF Equalizers: Compensating Gain Slope
How to flatten amplitude response across a wide band.
Selecting the Right RF Coupler for Your System
Key specifications and trade-offs for choosing directional and hybrid couplers.
Understanding RF Baluns: Single-Ended to Differential
How baluns convert balanced to unbalanced signals and set impedance.
Understanding S-Parameters: A Quick Reference
S11, S21, and how to read an RF datasheet.