Filtronic has received a grant of £150,000 to contribute towards its expansion project which will accelerate growth and increase its workforce.
The firm, which operates from NETPark in Sedgefield, was awarded the capital grant from the County Durham Growth Fund and is using the money to help bolster the company’s manufacturing and testing facilities as well as create up to 36 new jobs.
Filtronic, which designs and manufactures advanced RF products and solutions for critical communications markets, has invested £1m in its expansion project. The investment, supported by the County Durham Growth Fund, will allow the company to increase its capacity significantly and win contracts with other customers, leading to accelerated growth.
Filtronic Chief Financial Officer, Michael Tyerman, said: “The way we communicate is changing dramatically and with the increased growth in traffic expected from 5G, network capacity has to be improved.
“In order to address this challenge, we have invested significant R&D activity in developing a number of E-band products which can deliver high performance at a competitive cost, which have understandably attracted interest from a number of potential new customers.
“Now, thanks to our own capital investment and the fantastic support we’ve had from the County Durham Growth Fund, we have been able to expand our manufacturing and testing facilities, allowing us to produce in larger quantities which will enable us to win work with other companies, accelerating our plans for growth.”
The County Durham Growth Fund, overseen by Business Durham, the economic development arm of Durham County Council, is a £8.9m investment scheme providing funding to small and medium sized businesses in County Durham to accelerate their growth.
Sarah Slaven, Interim Managing Director of Business Durham, said: “The support we have given to Filtronic has not only led to the creation of new jobs and significant expansion at the company’s NETPark facility, but also demonstrates the diversity of the fund to support companies across a broad range of sectors in our area.”
Cllr Carl Marshall, Durham County Council’s cabinet member for economic regeneration, said: “We are pleased to be able to support Filtronic in expanding its enterprises, allowing it to accelerate its plans for growth, keep business in County Durham, and create new jobs for the region’s people. This investment also supports our long-term ambition as a council, which is to preserve a thriving environment for businesses to grow while creating and safeguarding more and better jobs.”
The fund is being delivered in partnership with UMi, which has a dedicated team of advisors ready to help with initial eligibility checks and funding applications. All successful grants applications are appraised by UNW LLP, an independent firm of chartered accountants and business advisers. The funding has been secured from the England European Regional Development Fund as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020.
Simon Allen, Investment Centre Director at UMi, said: “Filtronic is a fast-growing, hugely ambitious company which, thanks to the investment committed by the County Durham Growth Fund, has been able to roll out expansion plans which will cement its continued growth in County Durham for many years to come.”
John Healey, Corporate Finance Partner at UNW LLP, said: “It is encouraging to see an innovative technology company be supported by the County Durham Growth Fund to create new jobs and increase its capacity.”
Editorial contact details:
Fin Farrelly, Marketing Manager, Filtronic plc
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.filtronic.com
About Filtronic:
Filtronic plc is a designer and manufacturer of advanced RF communications products, supplying leading Original Equipment Manufacturers and Mobile Network Operators in the mobile telecommunications infrastructure and mission-critical communications markets.
Over 50,000 E-band transceivers shipped to further expand its leadership in mmWave solutions
NETPark, Sedgefield, UK — 23 July 2020 — Filtronic plc (AIM: FTC), the designer and manufacturer of RF, microwave, and mmWave products for the wireless telecoms, mission-critical communications and defence applications markets, today announced that it has now shipped a total of 50,000 high-performance E-band transceiver modules targeted at the growing 5G backhaul market.
E-band spectrum (in the mmWave frequency ranges 71 – 76GHz and 81 – 86GHz) offers OEMs wide bandwidth, enabling them to provide 5G mobile network operators with high-capacity and high data rate backhaul, midhaul and front-haul (collectively known as XHaul). E-band has been identified as one of the critical wireless technologies required to address the demanding XHaul capacity requirements of 5G networks, and is now experiencing significant growth. Systems containing Filtronic’s core E-band technology have been successfully demonstrated at data rates up to 40Gbps.
“There has been a record demand this year for our flagship E-band transceiver module, Orpheus, which has been delivered in volume to a number of customers for integration into high-capacity mobile backhaul radio solutions,” said Reg Gott, Executive Chairman of Filtronic. “Earlier this year we added the new-generation Morpheus II to our product range, and demand for this module is beginning to take off as well, in particular for the high power option that is desirable for implementing carrier aggregation.”
Both Morpheus II and Orpheus have a highly-integrated architecture with an embedded diplexer and are 100% tested prior to despatch. They contain all the necessary RF transmit and receive functions for an E-band radio link, enabling the module to simply drop in between the antenna and baseband modem, and include a control board that calibrates the whole RF system. Morpheus II also incorporates a new generation of highly linear, high-power amplifier MMICs that have been developed in house by Filtronic. Both products have been qualified for deployment in the latest radio platforms specifically developed for 5G XHaul applications, and Filtronic transceiver modules have been widely deployed and field-proven in wide-bandwidth, high-capacity applications up to 10Gbps per channel.
Filtronic’s leading-edge E-band solutions feature a readily-configurable architecture, and provide an ideal platform to develop systems for other applications globally. These include long-range defence, enterprise, and both high-throughput Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites and High Altitude Pseudo-Satellite (HAPS).
Editorial contact details:
Walter Magiera, Chief Commercial Officer, Filtronic plc
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.filtronic.com
PR contact:
Helen Duncan, MWE Media Ltd
Tel: +44 (0)7765 250610 Email: [email protected]
About Filtronic:
Filtronic plc is a designer and manufacturer of advanced RF communications products, supplying leading Original Equipment Manufacturers and Mobile Network Operators in the mobile telecommunications infrastructure and mission-critical communications markets.
Amplifiers and control units for P25 public safety networks are fully compliant with the latest industry specifications
SALISBURY, Md. — 6 May 2020 — Filtronic plc (AIM: FTC), the designer and manufacturer of RF, microwave, and mmWave products for the wireless telecoms and mission-critical communications markets, today announced the launch of a range of Tower Top Amplifier (TTA) systems designed for use in two-way radio networks, particularly for public safety systems such as P25.
Filtronic’s “SGG” Series TTA systems operate in the 700MHz and 800MHz public safety bands. The SAC Tower Amplifiers combined with the SEG Control Units (CU) provide a high-performance, lightweight, integrated tower top system solution for mission-critical radio networks. A key feature is smart redundancy, which continuously monitors the health of the balanced quadrature-coupled amplifiers—in the case of a failure in one of the amplifiers, the system can continue to operate using the redundant amplifier. If both amplifiers are compromised, the system can operate in a fallback-mode.
The TTA system features gain flatness across the band typically less than 0.5 dB, a third order intermodulation of greater than +13dBm and a noise figure of typically less than 2.5dB. This gives radio system operators the confidence knowing their mission-critical networks will reliably operate with resilient connections and higher quality audio, especially in congested environments.”
“These new Filtronic TTA systems are among the few tower top amplifiers on the market that are fully compliant with the most stringent public safety RF specifications,” said Walter Magiera, Chief Commercial Officer of Filtronic. “The amplifiers have excellent system flatness across the passband and low system noise figure, while retaining linearity and out-of-band rejection. This provides optimum inbound coverage and dependable performance in mission-critical applications.”
The compact TTA units measure approximately 9 x 6.8 x 2 inches (229 x 173 x 51 mm) and weigh less than 3.6kg (8 lb). The 19” 1 RU rack-mounted SEG units are available in a multicoupler model with eight output ports, expandable to either 16 or 32 ports using optional expansion kits.
Morpheus II modules are smaller and 50% lighter than current Orpheus transceiver, enabling 10Gbps mmWave backhaul for 5G
LEEDS, UK — 13 February 2020 — Filtronic plc (AIM: FTC), the designer and manufacturer of RF, microwave, and
mmWave products for the wireless telecoms, mission-critical communications and
defence applications markets, today announced the launch of Morpheus II, its
new generation of mmWave transceiver modules for E-band (71 – 76GHz and 81 – 86
GHz) applications in carrier grade mobile backhaul.
Morpheus II
is based on Filtronic’s proven E-band transceiver platform, of which over
36,000 units have already been shipped and deployed worldwide. Each fully-integrated
Morpheus II transceiver module contains all the transmit and receive functions
necessary for the RF section of an E-band radio link, and provides a simple
connection to a high data rate full-duplex modem. They are designed for easy
incorporation into outdoor units, giving original equipment manufacturers (OEMs)
the advantage of a rapid time-to-market while requiring minimal engineering
resource.
Demand for
E-band mmWave radio links is growing rapidly, as they can provide high capacity
and high data rate XHaul for the latest 5G networks that are being rolled out
globally. In 2018 E-band accounted for around 7% of wireless links, and is forecast to continue with year-on-year growth
rates of around 36%, according
to Dell’Oro Group.
Standard modules
have a linear transmitter power control range of -4dBm to +16dBm, with an
output third order intermodulation product (IP3) of typically up to +34dBm at
the top end of the range. An enhanced power option, extending the control range
up to +25dBm, is also available. With a low phase noise of ‑112dBc/Hz at 1MHz,
the transceiver modules support a channel bandwidth in excess of 2GHz. They
have demonstrated system performance at data rates of 10Gb/s with spectrally
efficient 256QAM, and are capable of supporting even higher order modulation
schemes. The internal low phase noise VCOs can
be adjusted via an SPI interface in 31.25MHz steps, to support ECC/ITU channel arrangements.
A single
transmit/receive interface is provided by the
integrated diplexer, which connects directly
to an external antenna via a standard WR12
interface. The interface between the Morpheus II E-band module and the
customer modem is via a single 50-way connector that supplies all communication
between the module and the modem, as well as DC power, baseband data and
control signals.
With a
footprint of 90 x 80mm and weighing only 110g, the Morpheus
II transceiver modules are 20% smaller
and 50% lighter than the current Orpheus models, with which they retain
interface compatibility.
“Morpheus
II transceiver modules are 100% calibrated and tested, and are based on a
platform that has extensive field-proven performance,” said Dan Rhodes,
Director of Business Development ‒ mmWave Technology at Filtronic. “Their
compact form factor makes them suitable for use in all types of mmWave XHaul
applications, and their readily reconfigurable architecture also provides the
ideal basis from which to develop systems for application in high throughput
satellites and High Altitude Pseudo-Satellites (HAPS).”
Originally published on RF Globalnet.
MIKE GEEN – Chief Scientist – Filtronic
The challenges of implementing 5G radio access have been widely discussed, and one of 5G’s most pressing areas of
need is the technology connecting the network to the core. As the first 5G networks are rolling out, network architects
are seeking the highest capacities and data speeds possible for backhaul, in a format that can be rapidly and flexibly
deployed wherever it is needed.
The backhaul segment of the network is traditionally made up of the intermediate point-to-point links between the
core (or backbone) network and the small subnetworks at the network edge, where the base stations are. Since 5G is
aiming for multi-Gbps data rates for subscribers, all this data will need to be backhauled at much higher rates, too.
In addition to the evolution of the air interface, the radio access network (RAN) is itself evolving, with its functions
being ‘decomposed’ into a number of different locations. In 4G LTE, distributed RAN (D-RAN) and cloud (or centralised)
RAN (C-RAN), respectively, have allowed a remote or centralised baseband unit (BBU) to be used, connected to the
remote radio unit (RRU) via an eCPRI ‘fronthaul’ interface.
In 5G, the BBU will further be split into a distributed unit (DU) and one or more central units (CU), and these will be
connected using a ‘mid-haul’ link. Collectively, all these types of link are known as X-haul. More details may be found
in a new report published by ETSI’s millimeter Wave Transmission Industry Specification Group (mWT ISG), GR mWT
012.
Now more than ever, a wireless solution — rather than fibre — will be the obvious choice for X-haul. Already in Europe,
around 50 percent of backhaul between the edge and the core network is wireless. In some countries, including India,
the proportion is greater1. With the higher densities of small cells necessary to implement 5G, this share is set to
increase rapidly.
Wireless backhaul is quicker and simpler to deploy than fibre, and it is more cost-effective. Laying new fibre typically
costs between $35,000 and $100,000 per kilometer2,3, whereas the cost for a wireless link is an order of magnitude
lower2. Furthermore, in a complex urban environment, it can often be impossible to lay new fibre exactly where it is
needed.
The traditional bands for wireless backhaul between 6 GHz and 42 GHz served well for 3G and 4G. However, they
would struggle to meet the needs of 5G, where the dual requirements of higher data rates and increased capacity
mean much higher bandwidth requirements.
One way to achieve the additional bandwidth required is to move higher up the spectrum into mmWave bands —
particularly effective in urban environments, where link distances are relatively short. In the existing bands, there exist
a number of narrow channels; the total bandwidth available for mobile backhaul below 42 GHz is just 15 GHz. This
bandwidth is heavily used, and expensive licences are required to operate within it.
In contrast, the mmWave bands above 50 GHz will provide over 20 GHz of additional bandwidth in large chunks,
allowing very high data rates to be achieved. Some of the traditional wireless bands — notably, 26 GHz and 28 GHz —
have an uncertain future for backhaul, since they are now being targeted for 5G radio access.
ETSI’s mWT ISG already has expressed its concern regarding the need, when allocating mmWave bands for 5G, to
consider the ability of operators to continue operating backhaul for their 3G and 4G networks, as well.
The main mmWave bands for telecom transport are V-Band (57 – 71 GHz) and E-Band (71 – 86 GHz). There is even
some interest for the future in W-Band (92 – 114.25 GHz) and D-Band (130 – 174.8 GHz) but working at such high
frequencies introduces additional technical and manufacturing challenges.
In 2015, just 0.2 percent of fixed wireless links were at V-Band and less than 2 percent were at E-Band4. E-Band,
however, is increasing its share very rapidly — by 2018 E-Band accounted for around 7 percent of links and, as it is now
accepted as an essential element in 5G transport networks, this trend is forecast to continue with year on year growth
rates of around 36 percent, according to Dell’Oro Group5.
The licensing situation for V-Band has restricted its development. Although V-Band may seem attractive because it is
licence-free in many countries, operator concerns over interference and availability have hampered its application for
mobile backhaul.
V-Band is, however, finding a place in multipoint-to-multipoint meshed networks in dense urban scenarios, where each
network element, with beam-steerable antenna, could be reached by more than one direction by other equipment. This is helped by the extension of the licence-free band to 71 GHz, which provides more bandwidth and better propagation characteristics.
At higher frequencies, it also becomes necessary to take atmospheric attenuation into consideration. There are
well-characterised bands where absorption by water and oxygen molecules can be a problem, and rain attenuation
increases rapidly with frequency up to around 70 GHz, after which it begins to flatten out. Nevertheless, system
simulations carried out by the ETSI mWT ISG (GR mWT 008) suggest that link distances of several hundred metres are
practical at D-Band frequencies with antenna sizes comparable to those at E-Band.
Broader contiguous bandwidth allocations are not the whole story. Capacity and throughput can also be increased by
techniques such as network topology changes (densification, RAN sharing, increased fibre penetration from the core
to the edge); shorter link distances utilising star topologies from the fibre aggregation point, and; increasing channel
width in the traditional bands by the use of carrier aggregation.
Combining carrier bandwidth from different parts of the spectrum not only offers an increase in the total available
bandwidth, it can ensure availability where one band has superior propagation characteristics, allowing longer links.
Several aggregation scenarios are now either being deployed or being proposed for future deployment: two or more of the traditional microwave and sub-6 GHz bands, offering 1 – 5 Gbps; a microwave band (15 GHz, 18 GHz or 23 GHz) plus E-Band, providing up to 10 Gbps; and, in the future, E-Band plus D-Band can provide up to 100 Gbps.
Higher order modulation techniques can also increase data rates, but these demand higher signal-to-noise ratios and
very linear components in order to keep error rate to a minimum. Multi-channel systems like XPIC (cross-polarization
interference cancelling) and line-of-sight MIMO have also been demonstrated to provide enhanced data rates, but
require more expensive radio equipment.
In considering all these factors, we believe that wide-bandwidth mmWave radios provide the optimum solution to
meet the increasing capacity demands for backhaul and other types of transport in next-generation communications
system. mmWave links currently have the ability to give fibre-like capacity — up to 40 Gbps in multichannel
configurations — and, with carrier aggregation, can operate at high capacity up to 10km.
Further, new spectrum allocations above 95 GHz will provide a path to even higher capacities in the future.
References
- Ericsson Microwave Outlook 2018: https://www.ericsson.com/en/microwave-outlook/reports/2018
- “Backhauling with fibre?”, Fibre Systems, Winter 2015: https://www.corning.com/media/worldwide/coc/
documents/Fiber/FSwin15pp3334.pdf
- GSMA Mobile Backhaul: An Overview, June 19, 2019: https://www.gsma.com/futurenetworks/wiki/mobilebackhaul-an-overview/
- SkyLight Research 2015
- Dell’Oro Group Press Release, 23 July 2019: https://www.delloro.com/news/17-billion-of-microwave-transmissionequipment-needed-over-five-years/
Sedgefield, UK — 2 December 2019 — Filtronic, the designer and manufacturer of antennas, filters and mmWave products for the wireless telecoms and critical communications markets, today announced that it has invested a significant amount in new capital equipment for its manufacturing facility in Sedgefield, UK. The expansion will enable Filtronic to significantly increase capacity to meet a growing demand for both its highly-integrated E-band transceiver modules for mobile telecoms backhaul infrastructure and its precision hybrid microelectronics assembly and test services, including mmWave device packaging and sub-assembly manufacturing.
The new equipment includes automated pick-and-place and wire-bonding machines to augment Filtronic’s existing assembly and production lines, which already have a reputation for product quality and reliability.
“5G backhaul network deployments are now driving a significant increase in demand for our E-band transceiver modules and a growing demand for microelectronics assembly services, in particular at microwave and mmWave frequencies,” said Reg Gott, Executive Chairman of Filtronic. “In addition to being able to produce high volumes of our own mmWave transceiver modules and filter products, the quality of our microelectronics assembly line and test capability is attracting an increasing level of business for our custom design and manufacturing services. As a result, we are also increasing our workforce to cope with this demand.”
Filtronic’s hybrid microelectronics assembly and test offering includes: low-void die attach and precision component placement; fully-automated wire bonding with deep-access multi-level capability; hermetic sealing; and automated test to 90GHz and above. Proprietary air cavity packages can include mixed GaAs, GaN and Si die within a single package, and are capable of performing at frequencies higher than 90GHz.
The precision hybrid microelectronics assembly facility has received significant positive feedback from its customers, including a major European defence manufacturer who singled out Filtronic’s manufacturing expertise for a special commendation. The award cites Filtronic’s effort and commitment in successfully delivering a large production run of transmit/receive modules as providing an “outstanding contribution” to its state-of-the-art radar system.
Filtronic attends the November 2019 ARMMS conference.
In collaboration with NPL – Xiaobang Shang of NPL and Jian Ding of Filtronic – will be presenting a paper on ‘Calibration techniques for on-wafer S-parameter measurements’.
Abstract: Accurate characterisation of S-parameters (scattering parameters) at chip level is of great importance to the development of next generation electronic devices. Such measurements are usually carried out on a Vector Network Analyzer (VNA), subject to an on-wafer calibration. Calibration techniques play a key role in determining the accuracy of on-wafer measurements. This presentation is intended to provide an overview of conventional calibration techniques, including TRL (Thru, Reflect, Line), Multi-Line TRL, and SOLT (Short, Open, Load, Thru), etc. New SOLT calibration method (using a 10-term error model), developed by NPL, will also be reported. Advantages and limitations of these different calibration techniques will be discussed and summarised. Additionally, this presentation will give an insight into other important factors, related to on-wafer measurements at millimetre-wave frequencies. These factors include design of calibration standards, repeatability of on-wafer measurements, impact from testing environment, etc.
In addition, Filtronic will have a table at the commercial exhibition that accompanies the conference; where Jerry Sanham and Mike Geen will have information on our products and services.
The ARMMS RF and Microwave Society is an independent professional society comprising Electronics Engineers with an interest in high frequency (RF & Microwave) engineering.
The ARMMS conference is being held Monday 18th November to Tuesday 19th November 2019 at Wyboston Lakes, Wyboston, UK.
Further information on the conference can be found here: http://www.armms.org/conferences/
A guest editorial by Mike Geen – Chief Scientist, mmWave Technology – has been published on RF Globalnet.
https://rfglobalnet.com/doc/what-can-mmwave-do-for-g-backhaul-0001
The editorial reviews the challenges of implementing 5G radio access and technology connecting the network to the core.
Looking at why wide-bandwidth mmWave radios would provide the optimum solution to meet the increasing capacity demands for backhaul and other types of transport in next-generation communications systems.
A full copy of the article is also available to download below.
DOWNLOAD: What can mmWave do for 5G Backhaul?
