SANTA CLARA, CA – Agilent Technologies Inc. announced the availability of the next major release of its core high-frequency electronic design automation (EDA) software, the new Advanced Design System (ADS) 2006A.
 
"The ability to create an RF system, rearrange system blocks quickly to improve performance, and then implement some of the circuits straight from the simulator makes the communications system design process faster and more efficient than ever before," said Daren McClearnon, product marketing manager with Agilent's EEsof EDA division. "By building bridges from these RF architect tools to ADS, we've given ADS users access to new technology without disrupting their established design flow. Some key customers are already adding RF Architect for ADS to their license pools, so clearly they agree."
 
Agilent received the RF system architecture capabilities in Genesys when it acquired Eagleware in August 2005. The company is retaining the Eagleware platform while integrating key technology into the ADS design flow to increase designers' speed and efficiency. The integrated capabilities in ADS 2006A include:
 
·          WhatIF - an intermediate frequency (IF) planning tool for RF system architects
·          Spectrasys - a continuous-spectrum RF system simulator with root-cause analysis
·          Synthesis - eight design assistants that implement manufacture-ready circuit-level designs, such as image-reject filters for RF boards
 
The ADS release also contains links to the Agilent Knowledge Center for real-time application help and problem solving. The Agilent Knowledge Center is an online technical support forum and support data archive that is accessed by more than 10,000 registered users worldwide. The ADS 2006A user documentation is similarly linked.

BILLERICA, MA – Thermo Electron Corp. released its new NITON XLt 797X portable analyzer. It is reported to quickly identify and analyze individual electronic components for RoHS compliance that until now could only be analyzed with stationary bench top equipment.
 
With a reportedly smaller sample analysis capability than any previous portable x-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyzer, the NITON XLt 797X portable analyzer is said to incorporate new miniature x-ray tube technology that enables users to isolate and analyze solder joints and small components on populated PCBs with element detection limits and rapid measurement times.
 
It also incorporates a camera to allow users to pinpoint where they want to measure and record images together with the chemical analysis of the individual components they measure.

MELVILLE, NY – Park Electrochemical Corp. announced the introduction of its new Nelco N8000Q quartz fabric reinforced cyanate ester substrate.
 
N8000Q is designed to provide Park’s customers with exceptional electrical and mechanical properties for demanding RF/microwave applications, such as radomes. N8000Q reportedly enables customers to combine structural radome components with printed circuit components by providing a material with the properties of the Nelcote V-376 composite prepreg and the fabrication methods of Park’s N8000 cyanate-ester PCB laminate material.
 

ELKTON, MD  - W.L. Gore introduced a new thermal interface material. The Gore Polarchip is a SF3000 silicone-free thermal interface material for use as a thermal gap pad. According to the company, the absence of silicone eliminates the problems of silicone outgassing and silicone oil migration.
 
The compressible, thermally conductive material is used for filling the undesirable air gaps between heat generating devices on the PCB and the heatsinks, heat spreaders and metal chassis that are used to dissipate the heat. The Polarchip thermal interface material is a fluoropolymer composite that consists of an expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) matrix filled with boron nitride (BN) particles. The low elastic modulus of the ePTFE matrix imparts softness, conformability and compressibility to the composite, while the high thermal conductivity of the BN particles gives the composite its good thermal transport characteristics. 

Polarchip thermal interface materials are produced in continuous rolls with a pressure sensitive adhesive on one side. It can be supplied in sheets or rolls of precision die-cut parts suitable for high volume assembly.