WaveCore's technical capabilities include requirements development, concept development, detailed design, analysis and modeling. We bring you decades of experience developing products as RF Engineer, RF lead, Project Engineer and System Engineer. 

Specific RF Design Skills 

Synthesizer Design

Synthesizer design is a key strength of WaveCore; with decades of design experience in a large variety of synthesizer designs such as fractional-N, DDS, multi-loop high-performance PLL, low-cost designs, low-power designs, discrete VCO design for low-cost PLL synthesizers, high-speed PLL synthesizers, fast and low-current pre-tune circuits, and complex loop filters for very low phase noise contribution. Frequencies have ranged from HF to microwaves. 

Tuner/Exciter RF Signal Path

Tuner and exciter design are key strengths for WaveCore. WaveCore has the ability to; develop requirements and specifications, select the best topology, perform the analysis for gain/noise-figure/intercept point and the frequency plan, develop the AGC algorithm, perform detailed design from antenna input to digital output (complex or real). WaveCore understands the key parameters of the RF signal path design and how to achieve them, and where to best provide shielding and filtering to ensure acceptable radiated emissions as well as susceptibility to external signals sources. 

General Design 

WaveCore’s experience has covered all elements of RF product design, and many unique analog, digital, RF, and system designs to support those products. Therefore it is impractical to list all areas of design experience. However a partial list of Analog/RF design experience that resides outside the normal RF product development includes: 

• Wideband analog demodulators (synchronous AM, delay-line FM) 
• TDR based oscillator design (cable length measurement) 
• HF – Microwave frequency VCO design (for power and phase noise) 
• SRD-based comb-line generator 
• High dynamic range HF switches (discrete transistor design) 
• ESD protection 
• Sample and Hold (discrete design) 
• Analog polyphase filter (complex in, real out, bandpass response)

Analysis/Simulation and Tools 

• WaveCore has a variety of tools available to perform system analysis, circuit design analysis, and performance analysis. These are applied to such engineering tasks as: 
• Signal path gain, noise figure, IIP3, and IIP cascade analysis. 
• Microwave and PLL circuit and system analysis 

• General mathematical analysis such as effect of RF performance on geolocation accuracy, clock jitter analysis, path loss calculations, and more.

Tools Available:  

• Genesys (Agilent) 
• Capture schematic (Orcad) 
• Matlab (Mathworks) 
• Mathcad (PTC) 

Tool Preferences:

• WaveCore’s preference is to use the customer’s tools to more efficiently integrate our work into the customer’s processes. 

Innovation 

Creative design to solve difficult problems is a hallmark of WaveCore. These have been particularly necessary for miniature low-power microwave tuners and receivers where power consumption and small size required unique designs to achieve the desired goals. WaveCore is proud of its history of accomplishments and desires to continue this trend to develop superior products. 

• TDOA knowledge relative to the effects of the tuner design on TDOA geolocation accuracy; effect of time-stamping clock variation, effect of SNR, BW, relative sensor/sensor and sensor-pair/target geometry on geolocation accuracy. And experience with the Chan-Ho algorithm; and its strengths and weaknesses. 

Miniature Low-Power Products 

• Vast experience in low-power product design; concept and detailed design. This includes conceptual design to support low-power operation, working with software and firmware engineers to support interaction required for low-power operation, and circuit design that provides high-performance at reduced power consumption. This is a key strength of WaveCore and is especially applicable to portable products and those intended for small airborne platforms.