Editorial Schedule 2002

February: Passive component integration and packaging

Passive components are increasingly becoming integrated onto ICs and into packaging, but several technical challenges still exist for this technology. Our February focus will review recent progress in state-of-the-art integration techniques such as micromachining, or MEMS. Discrete passive components such as resistors, capacitors, filters, switches and attenuators will also be within the scope of the feature, as will recent innovations in packaging and interconnect technology.

March: Wireless front end technology

The March issue will review all the current technology issues surrounding the design of front end transmit/receive circuits, including zero IF and near-zero IF techniques as well as heterodyne conversion. Amplifiers and oscillators, including linear power amplifiers for basestations, will also feature in this review.

April: MMICs and RFICs

All types of monolithic integrated circuit technology for microwave and wireless applications will feature in the April issue. Microwave optoelectronics also falls within the scope of this Focus. Chipsets for 3G and Bluetooth will be reviewed, with a look at the progress towards "systems-on-a-chip". Both silicon and compound semiconductor technology will be featured.

May: Computer-aided design, test and manufacture

The topic for the May focus is computer-aided design and simulation of microwave and wireless circuits and systems, including the link between the design process and automated manufacture and test. All types of CAD will be considered from system-level simulation down to active device modelling, along with 2.5D and 3D electromagnetic simulation.

June: Antenna technology

This Focus will cover all types of antenna, from those used for mobile phones and GPS receivers, through planar arrays for cellular basestations, to synthetic aperture antennas for satellite and radar applications. The measurement of antenna propagation and electromagnetic field properties will also be addressed.

July: The 2002 Directory and European Review

The Global Suppliers Database, on which the European Directory is based, has been completely re-designed and is now available online with full product and keyword search facilities, on Microwave Engineering Online ( www.mwee.com ). The Directory of European manufacturers and distributors is published annually in our July issue, and is accompanied by a selection of articles reviewing the overall status of the European industry, including standards and regulatory issues. These features combined make the issue an invaluable work of reference for the microwave and wireless engineer throughout the succeeding 12 months.

August/September: Wireless data

The wireless applications Focus in this issue will look at the progress in broadband wireless access in Europe and the USA, and also at data networking applications such as HiperLAN2 and IEEE801.11b. Bluetooth should by this time be fully operational, and we will assess its progress and look at potential technologies to take short range communications to higher data rates.

An extended New Products section will feature highlights of the new components and equipment that will be on show at European Microwave Week 2001 in London.

October: Test and measurement

The regular October test and measurement focus will describe the latest developments in RF and microwave test instrumentation, including network analyzers, power meters, spectrum analyzers, frequency counters, and also in associated hardware such as on-wafer probing equipment.

November: Components for wireless communications

This issue will focus on the progress in both active and passive devices for use in the RF sections of handsets and basestations for wireless systems, including 3G and broadband wireless access. The November issue also includes the latest in our popular series of CAD Benchmarks .

December/January: Active components and subsystems

Discrete and hybrid active components continue to hold an important place in the industry, despite the trend for increased integration. This issue will focus on discrete devices, hybrid amplifier, oscillator and transmit/receive modules, and on the various active subsystems which are used in communications and radar applications.