RF/Microwave technology has become ubiquitous in our daily lives. RF/Microwave technology is critical to several aspects of modern electronics. This is because RF/Microwave engineering is incorporated into virtually everything that transmits or receives a radio emission across the complete RF spectrum (3 kHz to 300 GHz), including mobile phones, radios, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. RF/Microwave engineers and designers work with devices such as modulators, switches, phase and amplitude detectors, attenuators, oscillators, filters, directional couplers, amplifiers, and others. Today, RF/Microwave technology is implemented in many applications we tend to use in our everyday lives, including wireless home security systems, wireless charging, digital audio/video transmission, access control systems, biological signal acquisition systems, and much more.
Communications, missile defense, smart munitions, electronic surveillance, and countermeasure systems—as well as space-based electronics—have all been identified as critical areas of investment, and all have significant RF/microwave concepts ingrained in their design. There is excellent potential for using microwave technologies and radiofrequency to mitigate issues associated with agricultural production. Studies have been conducted to use radio frequency and microwave energy: to provide pest and weed control for agricultural production; for automatic data acquisition and communication; for food preservation and quarantine purposes; to improve crop handling, storage and preservation; for land survey; and for preconditioning of products for better quality and more energy-efficient processing.
Today, RF/Microwave technology is less widely used in the telecommunications industry. This is because satellite, cellular, and fiber-optic communication technologies now provide for more effective data transmission at many sites. However, at remote locations, such as those located in mountainous areas, microwave equipment is already in place, and running wire would be very costly. In this case, RF/Microwave equipment provides the most economical transmission method.
Advances in RF/Microwave electronics are often fast-paced and innovative. The upcoming 5G era is one of the most significant changes on the horizon in the radiofrequency field. The requirement to keep a military edge is stronger than ever in today’s world of rapid technological advancement and political uncertainty. Shortly, global electronic warfare (EW) expenditures are anticipated to exceed $9.3 billion by 2022, and therefore, the demand for advancement in military RF and microwave tech will solely increase. Several of these new EW systems utilize gallium-nitride (GaN) devices to meet their demanding power requirements, as well as low-noise amplifiers (LNA). Additionally, the use of crewless vehicles in the air, the sea or on the land will increase as well, along with a need for sophisticated RF/Microwave solutions to communicate with and control these machines on secure networks.
As 5G and other new technologies loom on the horizon, companies are focused on delivering the next generation of design and test solutions. Cutting-edge performance in terms of semiconductor technology will likely create headlines this year. And filter and antenna solutions will play key roles across many wireless fields in 2019.
This edition of CIO Applications features companies that are at the forefront of offering RF/Microwave solutions. To help CIOs in identifying the most reliable companies to partner with, a distinguished panel and CIO Applications’ editorial board has assessed and shortlisted some of the most prominent organizations in the industry. We present to you – “Top 10 RF/Microwave Solution Providers – 2019”.
