Charting test's road to recovery (continued)
A continuation of our interview with Ron Nersesian, Senior VP and General Manager for the Electronic Measurement Group of Agilent Technologies, which appeared in the July 2009 Viewpoint column.
By Larry Maloney, Contributing Editor -- Test & Measurement World, 7/1/2009 2:00:00 AM
 Ron Nersesian Senior VP and General Manager, Electronic Measurement Group Agilent Technologies Santa Clara, CA In March, Ron Nersesian was named senior VP and general manager of Agilent Technologies’ Electronic Measurement Group. He began his career with Computer Sciences Corp. as a systems engineer in satellite communications. In 1984, he joined Hewlett-Packard, serving in various management roles before moving to LeCroy in 1996 as VP of worldwide marketing and later as general manager of the digital storage oscilloscope business. Nersesian joined Agilent in 2002 as VP and general manager of the Design Validation Division. He holds a BSEE from Lehigh University and an MBA from New York University. Contributing editor Larry Maloney conducted an e-mail interview with Nersesian on the outlook for the test industry and new technology development at Agilent. Read the first part of this interview. |
Q: Despite the sluggish economy, how is Agilent helping customers pursue important R&D projects?
A: R&D is at the heart of any strong company, and this is especially true in the electronics industry. Survival in today’s fast-paced environment depends on constant innovation and competitive leadership. Two Agilent products especially come to mind in terms of helping customers pursue innovation: the PNA-X nonlinear vector network analyzer (NVNA) and the PXB MIMO (multiple input/multiple output) receiver tester.
For more than 40 years, S-parameters (scattering parameters) have been among the most important foundations of microwave theory and measurement. S-parameters are easy to measure at high frequencies with a vector network analyzer (VNA). A well-calibrated S-parameter measurement represents the intrinsic properties of the device under test, independent of the VNA system used to characterize it. Essential DUT properties such as gain, loss and reflection coefficient are familiar, intuitive, and important. As a result, S-parameters are still commonly used for nonlinear devices such as transistors and amplifiers.
The problem is that S-parameters properly describe only the behavior of a nonlinear component in response to small-signal stimuli. That’s the point at which the device can be approximated as a linear component at a static operating point. The need for a rigorous—but practical—solution for characterizing, modeling and designing nonlinear components at high frequencies has never been more urgent. For example, the communications revolution is inexorably pushing active components into more and more strongly nonlinear regimes of operation.
Our new PNA-X is great for linear network analysis but it can also easily switch into the NVNA mode for direct nonlinear measurements of amplifiers and other nonlinear components. The NVNA capability features a breakthrough in X-parameters that allows engineers to quickly and accurately design and develop linear components and subsystems by reducing or removing trial-and-error loops from their design process.
Another exciting new product that is very useful for R&D is Agilent PXB MIMO receiver tester for simulating real-world signal conditions. MIMO is very complex and presents unique challenges that demand specialized measurement equipment. One such challenge lies with the wireless channel and channel-correlation effects, such as path loss and multipath fading. Understanding these effects is crucial to optimizing MIMO performance.
If we look specifically at the complexity of MIMO technology, the ability to ensure its optimal operation requires the engineer to accurately test the MIMO receiver—a challenging task given the large combination of variables that must be tested in a given MIMO configuration. The PXB allows the engineer to not only replicate real-world MIMO conditions and channels, but also to generate realistic fading scenarios including path and channel correlations.
Q: What is Agilent’s competitive edge in communications test, a market that has attracted so many test companies?
A: The communication test business offers many opportunities for us in design, protocol test, and installation and maintenance (I&M). Our Advanced Design System (ADS) software enables X-parameter nonlinear model generation from simulation, allowing design houses to create nonlinear X-parameter models of their radio frequency ICs and monolithic microwave ICs, power amplifier modules, front-end modules, and multiport devices, such as mixers. This gives RF and microwave system designers the ability to fully characterize systems early in the design cycle and before the hardware is fabricated.
Our technology helps save time and speed products to market all along the design chain. Literally in five minutes, you can generate a nonlinear X-parameter model from an off-the-shelf amplifier by measuring it with Agilent's Non-Linear Vector Network Analyzer (NVNA), and then start doing non-linear designs with it in ADS immediately. System integrators can quickly simulate X-parameter RF modules and provide fast feedback to component suppliers before hardware is committed. This potentially represents for design houses at least a million dollar savings in reduced IC foundry turns and development costs, along with months of savings in development cycle time.
Agilent is also at the forefront in providing test solutions for digital wireless test, including all the DigRF standards. We’re a contributor member of the Mobile Industry Processor Interface (MIPI). If you are designing and integrating RF and baseband chipsets for next generation mobile handsets that use Digital RF, Agilent provides comprehensive test solutions that bring the fastest insight into the physical and protocol layers in both the Digital and RF domains.
In addition to these examples, we also have a very full set of solutions for the “hot” wireless technology areas, such as WiMAX and LTE, and we are also addressing such emerging areas as HSPA+, Edge Evolution, and Ultra-Mobile Broadband.
Q: Despite the tough economy, can you cite two significant product introductions of the past year that demonstrate Agilent's continued commitment to innovation?
A: The PNA-X microwave network analyzer and PXB MIMO receiver tester mentioned earlier have each made significant contributions to our customers. The PNA-X is an incredible test platform that sets a new industry benchmark with a 30% faster data-acquisition speed than any other antenna receiver (400,000 data points per second simultaneously on each of the five receiver channels). Combining the PNA-X with Agilent’s NVNA software (and X-parameters) gives engineers new levels of power, flexibility and measurement functionality for linear and nonlinear measurements. As testament to the value of this solution, the PNA-X has received numerous honors from a variety of industry publications.
Through the simulation of real-world conditions, the PXB enables LTE and WiMAX developers to quickly test corner cases and stress devices beyond standards requirements. It does this by marrying a signal source, noise source and fader in a fully integrated solution. In addition, the PXB enables seamless integration with Agilent’s suite of RF tools—spectrum analyzers, signal sources—to help ensure proper device performance after deployment.
Among other notable products, our Infinium 90000A Series oscilloscopes were selected by Allion Test Labs to test its clients' devices for compatibility with USB, SATA and DisplayPort standards. Allion is a leading global test house for many high-speed digital standards.
Q: What are some of the most promising growth applications for Agilent’s general purpose instruments?
A: Our general purpose test instrument business is a core offering, and we continue to invest in new products and solutions that meet evolving customer requirements. Looking beyond communications test, Agilent continues to address vital applications such as aerospace/defense, metrology, education, green technology (solar cells) and nanotechnology. In addition, we are uniquely positioned to merge biotechnology and electronic measurement capabilities through solutions built around devices such as scanning electron microscopes.
Two good examples of emerging applications are alternative energy and material measurements. The alternative energy market is creating new sources of electricity, such as wind and solar, which is triggering new challenges. For example, how do you connect these new sources to the electrical grid? Our test instruments are useful for measuring electrical characteristics, efficiency characteristics, and compatibility with the electrical grid.
Material measurements are another key area that is central to nanotechnology and life sciences. These applications require precise, low-level measurements of voltage and current. Many researchers in these applications are not electrical engineers and need assistance when configuring systems and setting up measurements. To address these needs, Agilent is creating solutions that include our nano voltmeter (34420A), semiconductor parameter analyzer (B1500A), oscilloscopes and power supplies. These instruments can be used along with specialized equipment, such as a microwave network analyzer and atomic force microscope.
Q: What role will acquisitions play in Agilent’s future growth?
A: Agilent’s direction with acquisitions has remained consistent since our beginnings in 2000. We continue to view acquisitions as an essential part of our business strategy and look for those that will complement our core technologies and open new opportunities. Of course, the current economic situation has made us even more diligent in scrutinizing every opportunity to ensure that it will contribute to Agilent’s current and long-term directions. Two fairly recent acquisitions added critical measurement capabilities for us in nanotechnology and data acquisition.
Q: From a global perspective, what regions offer the greatest growth opportunities for Agilent’s Electronic Measurement business?
A: There are some exciting growth opportunities in Asia, particularly China. Since 1979, Agilent—then part of HP—has been actively involved in the China electronics market. We have invested in education, R&D, and manufacturing to facilitate regional expertise and ownership in what promises to be a tremendous market opportunity. In late April, for example, Agilent and China’s Datang Telecom Technology & Industry Holdings Co. announced an agreement to collaborate in the development of test and measurement technology for TD-SCDMA (Time Division-Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access) and related 3G technologies.
Another region of note is South America, especially Brazil. Although significantly different from China, Brazil also has the potential for tremendous economic growth in the years ahead. But it is important to not discount Japan, North America and Europe, especially Eastern Europe. The economies and populations of these areas are changing, but there are still some solid growth opportunities.
Read the first part of this interview.
No related content found.
- 0 rated items found.
Datasheets.com Electronic Parts & Inventory Search
185 million searchable parts
- Part Number
- Description
- Inventory
- Products
- Manufacturers
View All Webcasts
