Keysight Technologies has collaborated with Integrated Device Technologies, Inc. (IDT) on component characterisation of 5G new radio (NR) mmWave integrated circuit (IC) beamformers to accelerate development of 5G NR base stations.

Network equipment manufacturers (NEMs) use beamforming technology in 5G NR base stations to improve reliability and efficiency in the mmWave frequency spectrum. Beamforming uses multiple antennas (a phased array) to transmit the same signal, thereby increasing the signal strength to and from a chosen direction to extend cellular coverage, delivering higher data rates and an improved radio environment.

Commenting on the development, Naveen Yanduru, vice president and general manager of IDT’s RF product division, said, “Our close collaboration with Keysight enables us to validate that our 5G beamformers and other components deliver the high performance and low-power consumption essential for 5G network infrastructure equipment.”

As the bandwidth of integrated circuits using 5G technology increases, it is important to characterise their performance over wider frequency ranges.This is why IDT uses Keysight’s high performance family of vector network analysers (VNAs) to validate the performance of its beamformer ICs. Keysight solutions enable IDT, and other leading designers of ICs, to measure key parameters such as scattering (S) parameters, 1dB compression point (P1dB), third-order intermodulation products (IM3), and error vector magnitude (EVM).

Further, Kailash Narayanan, vice president and general manager of Keysight's wireless test group, added, “Our extended collaboration with IDT demonstrates how Keysight’s 5G beamformer IC test solutions enable designers of beamformers to validate performance using high precision measurement and simulation tools, ensuring reliable and efficient designs.”

The two companies will use the Keysight Streamline USB VNA to demonstrate IDT’s active beamforming radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC) for 5G NR at the 2019 IEEE International Symposium on Phased Array Systems and Technology (Array2019) taking place October 15 – 18, 2019 in Waltham, MA.

Earlier this year, at the world’s largest microwave and RF industry trade show – the International Microwave Symposium (IMS) 2019 – IDT showcased a 64-element phased array antenna comprised of its 5G NR beamformer ICs and wideband microwave synthesiser. The demonstration leveraged Keysight’s Signal Studio software for signal creation, the PXI vector signal generator for waveform generation and the UXA Signal Analyser for vector signal analysis, enabling them to validate the signal fidelity performance of its beamforming IC.