The advances made in mmWave technology at Filtronic over the past decade offer a valuable opportunity for global communications businesses to accelerate their satellite launch programmes. The core technology employed within the latest iteration of our E-band transceiver modules (Morpheus II), and amplifier modules (Cerus) provide the basis for cost effective, exceptional performance Satcom transceivers – giving major satellite businesses a chance to bypass lengthy in-house development programmes.

For those major businesses planning vast Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellations, there’s no time to lose in sourcing the complex radio frequency (RF) components that transmit and receive signals at mmWave in space. Quality, performance and reliability are essential for these components if they are to operate consistently for many years in the extremes of space.

Access over a decade of innovation and development

While the mega satellite constellation companies may have considerable expertise and resources at their disposal, any development programme will inevitably face pitfalls, generate waste and incur significant costs along the way. All of that can be avoided by tapping into the experience, expertise and proven technology available from Filtronic.

The core technology within our highly integrated Morpheus II E-band transceiver module, together with our Cerus amplifier technology provides a basis for the transmit and receive functions required for ultra-high capacity satellite communications gateway links. Both products are designed to withstand the rigors of LEO Space deployment, but without the costs traditionally associated with solutions designed for deep space missions and GEO satellite applications. Since we produced our first generation E-band transceiver – Proteus – ten years ago, we’ve made significant improvements in costs, efficiency, and yield through an ongoing process of optimisation and innovation.

Transformational cost and performance improvements

The first generation transceiver module was far bigger, heavier and less integrated than our latest iteration (Morpheus II). Throughout the technology evolution process, we’ve integrated two circuit boards into one – reducing material, complexity and operational costs while enhancing performance. The development costs for Morpheus II are less than a tenth of the same costs for Proteus.

The build cost per unit for each transceiver today is a third of the cost per unit for Proteus. Over the same period, internal manufacturing yield has increased significantly. When you factor in the increase in production output from just 200 units per month to more than 3,000 per month today, combined with the difference in unit costs, this represents a significant benefit.

Yield improvements are the result of major learned experience and gradual iterative improvements. They are also the result of investments in state-of-the-art, precision manufacturing equipment at our mmWave centre of excellence. These advanced facilities combined with our engineering expertise are a powerful force for innovation and quality.

Faster, better testing

Product testing too has improved. For Proteus, testing, diagnostics and reworking took nearly two hours. For Morpheus II, the process takes less than an hour. That’s a vast efficiency improvement given today’s higher production volumes and the fact that every single unit needs to be tested.

Intelligent design for efficient manufacturing      

Closely aligning the product design with well characterised manufacturing processes and equipment is the key to repeatable volume manufacturing with high yields. Decisions made early in the design process have serious implications for manufacturing. That’s why it’s so important to access the right expertise from start to finish. At Filtronic, we’ve been asked to intervene to improve manufacturing yields for products designed in-house by clients or competitors. In one instance, we introduced improvements for a V-band transceiver that increased yields from 70% when the client tried to ramp production, to more than 95%, after Filtronic had introduced a design for manufacture improvement and took over the volume manufacturing.

We’ve done all the hard work

All of the improvements achieved in mmWave transceivers at Filtronic have been hard-won, requiring expertise, ingenuity and investment throughout prototyping, manufacturing, testing and characterisation. These processes take time – and there are no shortcuts. Any organisation starting out on this development process has all of these hurdles, trials and costs ahead of them. Filtronic is an expert in critical communications and has been delivering quality, high-performance products for demanding applications for over forty years, so understand implicitly the requirements associated with LEO product qualification.  

For organisations up against aggressive product development timescales to meet satellite launch schedules, the expertise at Filtronic could be the key to accelerating mmWave system development. Companies could avoid the time and costs associated with refining and perfecting this complex technology – expediting time to market and potentially stealing a march on the competition.

To learn more about our mmWave capabilities click here

To talk to Filtronic about backhaul, mmWave or transceivers contact us today

Find out more

• RF Solutions for Public Safety Critical Communications
• Aerospace and defence Applications
• Telecommunications
• RF Solutions for Space
• RF Testing and Measurement

The post How to shortcut mmWave transceiver development for LEO satellites appeared first on Filtronic.

The government plan for levelling up includes a target that, by 2030, the UK will have nationwide gigabit-capable broadband and 4G coverage, with 5G available for the majority of the population.

To achieve that goal, there needs to be significant investment upgrading wireless backhaul networks capable of handling vastly increased data flows. Wireless backhaul for mobile networks provide the hidden “data pipes” connecting cell towers to the core telecoms infrastructure. Without this essential ‘data plumbing’ in place, there’s no possibility of achieving the government’s 5G ambitions.

Building backhaul capacity 

Providing a mobile backhaul network with sufficient capacity for 5G requires a combination of fibre networks and high capacity wireless point-to-point links. This combination will be vital in levelling up digital connectivity across the UK, where data speeds in rural and northern parts of the UK suffer by comparison with the south-east and dense urban areas.

Getting 5G connectivity into rural areas poses particular challenges for mobile networks, due the distances involved and often hilly terrain. A solution for connecting remote areas to 5G may lie in high-altitude pseudo-satellites (HAPS). These are essentially cell towers in the sky, enabling user devices to connect directly to HAPS base stations at stratospheric altitudes of around 20km. These base stations are connected via wireless backhaul links into the core telecoms network.

E-band for 5G bandwidth

To achieve the bandwidth required for 5G backhaul networks, high-capacity mmWave connections are required – linking the core telecoms infrastructure to both terrestrial and HAPS-mounted cell towers. Within the mmWave spectrum, E-band (71-86GHz) is currently the only commercially available frequency band offering sufficient bandwidth available for dense 5G networks.

Specialists in mmWave technology 

Filtronic is a specialist in the design and manufacture of high-performance E-band subsystems for both traditional telecoms and critical communications networks. Our advanced transceiver technology has been developed over the past decade to provide the quality, performance and reliability required for 5G backhaul applications.

Our E-band technology has also been customised for use in HAPS backhaul networks, incorporating the higher power amplifiers necessary to transmit and receive signals over longer distances. The core technology offers the flexibility for customisation to meet the demands of application specific requirements. Filtronic has extensively field proven technology ready to support the expansion of 5G backhaul in the UK.

Design and manufacturing challenges  

At higher frequencies, the technical challenges for designing and manufacturing RF sub-systems are much greater. The components and circuit features required at high mmWave frequencies are significantly smaller than those in lower frequency systems, requiring extreme precision in manufacturing.

At Filtronic, we have been honing our mmWave design and manufacturing capabilities over the past decade. Crucially, we have developed our own core technology, including monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs), and integrated filters and diplexers so that we can produce these advanced products cost effectively. What’s more, because we have full control over our own precision manufacturing facilities, we can achieve the critical tolerances required for intricate mmWave components. Our design teams work hand-in-hand with our production teams, enabling us to deliver high-performance mmWave components consistently and repeatedly – at scale.

Importantly, for the UK levelling up agenda, Filtronic is the only UK-based manufacturer of high-performance E-band transceivers for 5G backhaul networks.

Data growth demands constant innovation

Looking to the future, as demand for data grows exponentially, E-band itself is likely to become congested and the demand for data will continue to rise – meaning even greater bandwidth will be required. Transceiver technology will be needed to support expansion into W-band (92-114GHz) and even D-band (130-174GHz) – Filtronic is already advanced in developing solutions for these frequencies. By the time we reach 2030, 6G capability will be on the agenda. The drive to enable fast, uninterrupted connectivity to even more mobile and IoT devices will remain a major challenge for the telecoms industry. Filtronic is well placed to provide the mmWave sub-systems required to support universal high-speed connectivity across the UK.

To learn more about our mmWave capabilities click here

To talk to Filtronic about backhaul, mmWave or transceivers contact us today

Find out more

• RF Solutions for Public Safety Critical Communications
• Aerospace and defence Applications
• Telecommunications
• RF Solutions for Space
• RF Testing and Measurement

The post High-performance E-Band backhaul networks vital to achieving 5G levelling up appeared first on Filtronic.