Labtech to participate in EU Broadband Wireless Research Programme

Citation

(2002), "Labtech to participate in EU Broadband Wireless Research Programme", Circuit World, Vol. 28 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/cw.2002.21728cab.010

Labtech to participate in EU Broadband Wireless Research Programme

Labtech to participate in EU Broadband Wireless Research Programme

Keywords: Labtech, EU

Labtech has received funding from the European Union's Information Society Technologies programme for participation in the SMACKS (Surface Mount Assembly for Communications Ka band Systems) project. Together with partners Alcatel Wireless Transmission Division, Thales Microwave, TMI, the TNO Physics and Electronics Laboratory and UMS, Labtech will be developing surface mount insertion techniques suitable for broadband communications devices operating at Ka band frequencies (27–40 GHz).

The European Union estimate that the market for broadband communications equipment will be worth tens of billions of Euro by 2007 reaching more than 100 million subscribers and they want to ensure that European manufacturers benefit from this demand. The key issue is the ability to make low–cost consumer terminals, which is not possible at present. Current techniques for Ka band product manufacture involving the assembly of MMICs in die form using automatic “pick–and– place” and automatic wedge bonding onto organic substrates, assembled in a large metal housing are not suitable for high volume manufacture. Surface mount packaging techniques are very cost– effective for high volume, for example in the manufacture of satellite DBS (Direct Broadcast by Satellite) TV receivers, but are only suitable for applications up to X band (8 GHz). The SMACKS project will include research on the passivation of low–cost GaAs power MMICs for use in cheaper non hermetic packaging, new techniques to integrate filters onto printed circuit boards and the optimisation of microwave printed circuit substrates, finishes and metal backed circuits for surface mount and easy insertion, so that cost– effective high volume surface mount manufacturing techniques can be used for Ka band products. The resultant cost–savings and time to market improvements will enable European companies adopting these techniques to manufacture broadband communications devices competitively in high volumes.

The project is of 30 months duration, with Labtech responsible for the development of the power surface mount package. According to the EU's Information Societies Technology programme, Labtech was chosen for this work because of its “unique expertise in microwave PCB.” Labtech will receive 90,856 Euros for its participation in this project but the long–term benefits to the company are likely to be considerably greater, with the EU predicting that the SMACKS project will provide “the groundwork for the partners to expand and become major suppliers to the wireless industry with consequent employment benefits” and that, longer term, Labtech will supply both power packages and microwave circuit boards to the broadband communications market.