You should learn how to present18 You should learn how to present18 You should learn how to present18 You should learn how to present

YOU SHOULD LEARN HOW TO PRESENT

Picture the last presentation you attended. What was it about? How did it make you feel? Were you inspired? If you’re a high-tech professional, the respective answers are probably – don’t know, bored and not in the least. Mark Robinson, senior software consultant at ASML through TMC, is out to change that.

Jessica Vermeer

Mark Robinson isn’t a natural presenter. “I was terrified of standing in front of a group. Hated it.” That was until he took a course called “Verbal mastery,” taught by Remco Claassen. “Remco was able to keep our attention from early in the morning until late in the evening for days in a row.” In that course, Mark learned all of Claassen’s techniques.

It was an eye-opener for Mark. “I spend the next ten years applying all these techniques to keep people’s attention and my presentations kept getting better,” he reminisces. In the meantime, he saw how his technical co-workers really struggled with speaking. “Not that they found it hard, just that the presentations were often so boring.”

Reading party

So why are most presentations so mind-numbingly boring? Mark hit his boiling point in 2013. He had just attended a talk by a very senior technical manager. The manager had stood in front of a packed room. His slides were full of text and he literally read the text from the slides to the people.

Mark was baffled. “These technical people are super smart. They don’t want people reading to them, they can read themselves. So what’s the added value of the presenter? Nothing.”

As Mark walked past the company reception, an idea suddenly hit him. “I thought of a way to communicate the problem,” he says. He decided to take one of the best speeches of the 20th century and deliver it using the technical Powerpoint presentation format. “I could show how ridicu-

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lous it was: how you can completely destroy a message by presenting it in a bad way.”

Exactly fi fty years to the day after Martin Luther King made his famous “I have a dream” speech, Mark delivered his version through Powerpoint at TMC. Th e evening was a success and he went on to give several similar talks, at his then customer, ASML, fi nally culminating in a presentation at TEDX Eindhoven in 2016.

After seeing the TEDX talk, people asked Mark to train them. “So I started giving workshops,” he explains. “First in the evenings and then as a full-day workshop. TMC completely supported this entrepreneurial behavior, even when I later did it under my own name: Mark Robinson Training.”

Stuck in a box

Th ose workshops were popular. “Th e average score went up from a 9/10 at the start to now 9.5/10,” boasts Mark. Th ere was just one frequent criticism – where’s the handout? Can you recommend a book? And

Mark couldn’t. “So I decided to write one.” He started writing in September 2019 and in June 2020, his book “Speak inspire empower – how to give persuasive presentations to boost your confi dence and career” was published.

Mark: “I’ve already had many glowing reviews of my book. One person said it was like a TED talk in book form. Another said it was like getting a complete workshop, because of all the practical exercises I give the readers.”

It may seem strange, a software engineer publishing a book on presenting. But Mark dislikes such labeling. “People can very easily put a label on you. For example, I’m a software engineer. But that’s not my core. Don’t let yourself be stuck in someone else’s box: be who you’re meant to be. Don’t be limited by other people’s expectations.”

“If you can present well on any topic, you’ll be seen as the expert on that topic. Th at’s great for your self- confi dence, which benefi ts every area of your life, both personally and professionally. My book will teach you not only to present well but also how to speak persuasively. So everyone should read it,” Mark laughs.

Positive feedback

And self-confi dence is key, especially in presenting. Th at’s the magic of his workshops, says Mark. “During my workshops, everyone gives only positive feedback. Th ey fi nd it hard to receive at fi rst, but by the end, the atmosphere is amazing. Th e participants are fl oating off the ground.”

But how can we learn with just positive feedback? “It’s a powerful technique,” Mark reveals. “As you’re giving positive feedback, you teach yourself what’s great. Besides, 90 percent of giving a good speech is confi dence. 9 percent is the techniques I teach and just 1 percent is the little details. So why focus on the 1 percent?”

Mark is hence convinced that anyone can learn what he learned. “If a shy, nerdy guy like me can go on to give a TEDX talk and write a book on this topic, you can learn how to present as well. And you should.”

UNDERSTANDING HOW TO GENERATE VALUE – WITHIN TIME AND BUDGET

As a project manager, system architect and crisis manager in the high-tech industry, Luud Engels has a reputation for not mincing words. In addition to his consultancy work, he recently started as a system architecture trainer at High Tech Institute. “Clear communication is key in complex development environments.”

René Raaijmakers

You don’t want to start with Luud Engels about how open-minded and communicative we are in the Dutch high tech. He’ll be forceful in his response, underlining just how hypocritical it is to believe that. “Here in the Brabant region, we’re not that open at all. Just stand at a coffee machine and listen. We’re not talking with you, we’re talking about you.”

When it comes to direct communication – or rather, confrontation – Engels has a reputation. A few months ago, he was sent packing after strongly expressing – according to his client – what was wrong within the company. “I’m convinced that at the right time, you can say anything to anyone – be it in a team meeting or a discussion between two people. Of course, most Dutch don’t do that. But I don’t seem to excel at it either because I sometimes put things so bluntly that people tell me to get lost.”

Engels’ appreciation of factual and clear communication comes from his many years of experience as a project manager, a system architect, a crisis manager and a member of the management team at engineering firm TMC. His advice for development environments: “Speak your mind. Also, about personal stuff. It’s perfectly fine to tell someone his blue shirt bothers you. But statements like ‘Microsoft sucks and Apple is good’ don’t help. Make it factual: are we going to work object-oriented or process-oriented? Are we going to use glass or titanium? What are the advantages? What are the disadvantages? Talking about glass, I don’t need to know the whole history of glassworks. I want the five key criteria – in numbers, not in positives and negatives. If you know the dominant parameters, you also know how to measure them and we can agree on the first development steps to make the measurements possible.”

Engels emphasizes that in the development of high-tech systems, several roads lead to Rome and that it’s important to stick to the choice made. “Make sure the whole team is at least on the same path, rather than endlessly searching for the only right solution – which, by definition, doesn’t exist.”

But sometimes, even the simplest of things can go wrong. “Once, after a positive conversation with a client, I received the report in colloquial Dutch. I asked if the client representatives had approved the text. Of course, they had not. So I insisted on writing it down in English, presenting it to the client and asking them for their approval. After all, it’s often about decisions with far-reaching consequences. Still, syncing with the customer proved a daunting task.”

The outsider

Engels’ extensive technical career started with a study of electrical engineering, after which he joined Sattcontrol, a Swedish industrialautomation specialist. He programmed PLCs for egg-grading machines, dairy factories and automated

The laws of Luud

• If the financial people take over, the engineering interest becomes secondary; if the engineers take the lead, it will be financially broken (About balancing tech and money in high-tech OEMs) • The client who asks for a crisis to be averted is half the culprit or part of the crisis in question (About crisis management) • I firmly believe in the power of the outsider (About the crisis manager) • We talk past each other: one talks in Newtons per square meter, the other in bits per second (About communication and collaboration in high tech) • A crisis doesn’t go away by getting rid of the people who put their finger on the sore spots (About stranded development projects)

warehouses. Later, he switched to Fortran for PDP and Vax minicomputers. After five years, Engels moved to Cap Volmac (later Cap Gemini), where he did projects. While he mainly worked in engineering, Cap’s core was business automation. “I learned a great deal about developing computer systems and software according to the rules.”

Engels started for Cap at ASML, he then worked on highway signaling at the Dutch Department of Waterways and Public Works, eventually taking on leadership roles. Later, audits were added to the mix. He estimates that he’s assessed about twenty projects. “After a day of walking around, you know what’s going on and where the project went wrong,” he says. Smilingly: “And certainly not because I’m so smart, or because I saw so much, but mainly because I was an outsider.”

Engels firmly believes in the power of the outsider. “You arrive at companies where things have gone completely wrong and then you’re allowed to walk around and speak to 5-10 people. They all have an opinion about the project in crisis. You get to hear the whole story. People want to pour their hearts out. You hear what’s wrong, and above all: what others aren’t allowed to say.”

The headstrong technician

Technicians are a stubborn, headstrong type – and Engels should know, as he certainly fits that mold. “We’re engineers, aren’t we? We think like this: ‘I’m an electrical engineer and according to my calculations, it’s 5 volts. If you don’t get it, I’ll explain again, but the outcome remains 5 volts. You’re crazy, not me.’ While in projects, it’s mainly about effective collaboration. That’s the difficult part. One talks in newtons per square meter, the other in bits per second. One talks about the goal, the other about the solution. The high tech is one big Tower of Babel. That starts with requirements and continues through to design, integration and testing. Just as well: if I do a project myself and an outsider comes in, he or she will also shoot holes in it.”

Engels prefers to step in when the crisis is at its deepest. Take the Fusion project that ran at Philips at the end of the nineties. Its ambitious goal was to use a single platform to cover the mechanical, electrical and software construction for medical diagnostic systems. The idea was that cost savings through reuse would justify the extensive operation. “The director

outlined his problem as follows: every month, thirty new developers joined the project and every month, they told him that completion was delayed for another two months.”

Engels, again, applied the power of the outsider. “The outsider is allowed to speak up. The deeper the crisis, the more receptive one is to outside messages. Usually, other people have already had a look at it. But often, they put their fingers on sore spots that they weren’t allowed to point to and ended up having to leave. They asked me to replace the current project leader because he couldn’t make up for the delay. But a crisis doesn’t go away when you get rid of the people who put their finger on the sore spots. Instead, I went to help the incumbent project leader. Together, we contained the crisis by adjusting the scope and working with early feedback. One of my laws is: the client who asks for a crisis to be averted is half the culprit or has at least a dominant part in it.”

Is it tunnel vision?

“Please note: you’re talking about very competent people with very relevant arguments and tons of knowledge. But gradually, the solution or working method has been placed in different silos. Very skilled people wear down paths, creating trenches that are so deep that you can barely look over the edge. Everyone has his trench and is defending it stubbornly. You hear people say things like: ‘This isn’t negotiable!’ When you hear that, it points you to where it went wrong and where a possible beginning of the solution lies.”

Where does the solution start?

“The first law of crisis management is containment. With Fusion, it meant that they had to stop adding thirty people per month. Instead, they had to cut twenty a month and reduce scope. The deeper cause – in my opinion – was pure self-overestimation. The platform idea for software alone is a major challenge. But when you start including mechanics and electronics, for all diagnostic products, it becomes too much at once. It’s difficult enough to develop electronics, software and mechanics together for a single system, but trying to develop one platform for different product lines in one project is naive, to say the least. At the time, they also had to work with developers in Bangalore, and they wanted to go from CCM level 2 to level 3 at the same time. That had to stop right away. You need to limit the scope of a project in crisis and postpone long-term improvement initiatives.”

“It’s often the case that the technicians already know what’s wrong and so does management. Both are right, but they won’t reach a solution together. Much later, I did a job at Philips DPS, where I saw that Philips had made significant progress. Putting fingers on sore spots, however, was still not allowed, unfortunately.”

How does this get done the right way?

Start small, says Engels. “You need early feedback, preferably a launching customer. I’ve heard Martin van den Brink say it many times at ASML: put everything together, show me that it works. Then he challenges people by stating: ‘Your physics don’t work.’ There was a lot of that during early integration. Much later, the industry introduced fancy words for it, calling it Scrum, Agile and rapid development. But the point is that you need feedback, and it’s important to start getting it at an early stage. The goal has to be to deliver every six weeks and to deliver something that actually works. If not, you have the means available to find out why it failed, why the physics didn’t work. At that point, you might have to accept that

System architecting in Leuven

Luud Engels will lead the mid-November edition of the System Architect (Sysarch) training in Leuven. Engels has extensive experience as a project manager, system architect and crisis manager in the high-tech industry. For more information and to check availability, be sure to visit the High Tech Institute website. you’re not going to meet your deadline. What you definitely shouldn’t do is bring in more people.”

“When technicians tell you they need more time to investigate something, you have to get suspicious. Van den Brink is also a master at assessing or challenging that.”

Another necessity: “Make people owners of a problem. Certainly in environments with complex developments, where there’s not even a beginning of a solution and new inventions are required, everyone feels like the master of their idea, with their personal insight. We Dutch are also very good at seizing every opportunity to talk about this in a very broad sense. But you simply need to take the next step. That’s the only thing from which a project benefits. So if you’re sitting in a room with thirty people and problems come up, the project manager, the crisis manager or the system architect must assign a person responsible to each problem. This also includes deadlines for results and decisions.”

According to Engels, it’s definitely in the culture of ASML, but there was a point in time when it got out of hand there. “They appointed an owner for everything and called him a project leader. McKinsey once did an analysis at ASML of project leaders and project sizes. They found that, on average, there were 1.2 people on each project, including the project leader! Then you run the risk that these owners, these project leaders, start competing over available resources and the underlying issue disappears into the background.”

The product manager defines the product that will perform well in the market. He determines the available budget – often too little – and negotiates with the system architect whether it can be made for that money. Engels: “It’s a balancing act. With mature products, it works differently, but with a first development, you want a proof of concept as soon as possible. Or at least a confirmation that your ideas are right and that you’re on the right track.”

To what extent should the system architect, like the product manager, talk directly to customers?

“In high tech, that’s beyond dispute. That’s where the product manager and the system architect come together. They have to. The former has more business focus, the latter looks at the technology and whether it’s feasible. They’re two sides of the same coin. This collaboration between the product manager and system architect is becoming more and more commonplace. However, I still see system architects who downplay the necessary coordination with the project manager or operational management. You then run the risk that a solution that perfectly meets market needs will ultimately fail in the realization phase.”

In smaller development projects, with ten to twenty developers, one person can take on the role of both project manager and system architect. In larger projects, with tens or hundreds of developers and several dozen suppliers, it’s important to split up. Engels has experience in both roles. “The project manager sets hard deadlines and a system architect has to work with them.”

“The project manager must define which issues the system architect still has to solve and with whom. Together, you discuss the ins and outs, weigh the benefits and concerns, decide on key parameters, and then the project manager calls the system architect: at the end of next week, we’ll make a decision! It’s all about direction, coming up with a format that involves knowledgeable people to arrive at quantified statements with which you can really make an assessment.”

A system architect has a major impact on product development, yet often has a less than visible role.

“He’s an experienced technician, but his value lies primarily in his view of the business. Ninety-nine times out of a hundred, the system architect knows the market in which his product or system is going to land. This is necessary to translate the market and product requirements into the system requirements and then outline the design.”

It takes quite a bit of experience to reach that level. At the same time, Engels observes that the concept of a system architect is subject to inflation. “Nowadays, there are architects all over the place. A software architect is usually a senior software developer, a requirements engineer or someone in charge of engineering. I wouldn’t say anything to the detriment of such a lead engineer. Still, the difference with the system architect is that the latter has to know the business, understand how value is generated and thus understand why it has to be done within a certain amount of time and money.”

“This is also the case in construction. Your architect asks you what you are going to do with your future house and adapts his design accordingly. Are you going to cook a lot, or do you mainly want to drink wine? That’s why Van den Brink does so well at ASML. He goes to customers and explains what kind of litho systems they need. He knows the market like no other. Even stronger, he dictates the market. That means he understands the goals and the timing of chip manufacturers like no other, including what their production processes look like. If they talk about critical dimension and overlay, he can explain that his machine can do that and also substantiate why.”

Anton van Rossum anton.van.rossum@ir-search.nl

Ask the headhunter

H.K. asks:

At the beginning of this month, my annual contract with a large American technology company in the east of the Netherlands ended. I’m looking for a C-level position from operations to global logistics and trade compliance, preferably within the high-tech industry. I also have solid experience in the eld of marketing communication and portfolio management. During my career in Tunisia, I progressed to a position with great responsibility, in which I reported directly to the CEO.

To challenge myself, I came to the Netherlands as an independent young woman looking to build a career. I hadn’t expected to be judged on my appearance. I’m 36 years old, have a BBA and 15 years of work experience, but people always think I’m at least ten years younger than my age. My height will also play a role here – I’m 1.55, shorter than most of my colleagues. I feel like I’m considered a sex object and that I’m not being judged on my abilities.

A good case in point is a recent job interview in which I didn’t get a single question about my skills or ambitions. It seemed that the interviewer was only interested in how my employer had set up several business processes. My role and possible contributions were apparently not important. I also had the feeling that the interviewer was undressing me with his eyes. It got to the point where I told him, at the end of the conversation, that I wasn’t interested in a follow-up.

I thought maybe we could have a call and discuss options?

The headhunter answers:

I must admit that I’m not familiar with the market segments that may be relevant and interesting for you. I limit myself to the semiconductor and high-tech/deep-tech sectors.

I don’t think you’re ready yet

Other headhunters, such as Michael Page and Mercuri Urval, have a broader focus and can certainly help you further.

I would like to add a few comments to what you write about your ambitions. You’re quite demanding on yourself and others. You have to watch out for the pitfalls this can bring, such as frustration, stress and burnout. You desire a “C-level” position and the appropriate salary, but you’re constantly concerned about being underestimated in your work and being assigned less important jobs. However, keep in mind that there may be people in your department who may have very di erent ideas and perhaps the same ambitions as you. ey may also have been working there for longer and have better quali cations than you.

If you’re looking for a managerial position, you need to have the right social and communication skills – in addition to your ambition. You also need to have the necessary mental resilience and perseverance.

Considering, I wonder whether it’s realistic to already pursue a “C- level” position in a company the size of your current or previous employer. After all, thousands of people work there and they turn over billions. With all due respect for your resume, skills and personality, I don’t think you’re ready for that yet.

Instead, I think it’s better to focus on growing companies of a smaller size (SME), where you can make a difference through your experience and commitment. You can grow with them and achieve your aspired top position.

You certainly don’t have to tolerate inappropriate behavior and comments of a sexual nature in the workplace. Any self-respecting organization will take appropriate action against this. I completely understand that this annoys you, but all you can do is keep your cool and report incidents.

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Opening keynote Implementation challenges and opportunities in beyond-5G and 6G communication Ulf Gustavsson (Ericsson)

Break

5G/6G 5G and beyond – NXP’s contribution to the demand for bandwidth Marcel Geurts (NXP)

6G – Where do we (want to) go? Ulf Johannsen (Eindhoven University of Technology)

Break

Millimeter-wave Vector gain based EVM estimation at mm-wave frequencies Luca Galatro (Vertigo)

CMOS mm-wave radars for smart IoT and cognitive sensing Jan Craninckx (Imec)

Break

Antennas Simulating large antenna arrays Michel Arts (Astron)

Analysis of mutual coupling in antenna arrays using only the far-field data of an isolated element Tomislav Marinovic (KU Leuven) Break

Advanced technologies Antenna in package for mm-wave applications: how to reduce losses? Francesca Chiappini (CITC)

Designing RF circuits using TSMC technology in the new normal Kees Joosse (TSMC)

Break

Closing keynote Broadband circuits for high-speed optical transceivers Johan Bauwelinck (Ghent University)

THE ART OF DESIGNING AND THE ART OF DESIGNING AND BUILDING RF POWER BUILDING RF POWER AMPLIFIER APPLICATIONS AMPLIFIER APPLICATIONS

Market demand for higher speeds and larger bandwidths drives the move from 4G to 5G. Going Market demand for higher speeds and larger bandwidths drives the move from 4G to 5G. Going to higher frequencies makes the power amplifi er application design even more challenging. to higher frequencies makes the power amplifi er application design even more challenging. For the customers of Ampleon, Bruco Integrated Circuits develops effi cient PA modules for For the customers of Ampleon, Bruco Integrated Circuits develops effi cient PA modules for 4G/5G base station applications in the range of 0.6-4 GHz. 4G/5G base station applications in the range of 0.6-4 GHz.

Martijn Brethouwer Martijn Brethouwer Mark Gortemaker Mark Gortemaker

F Featuring lower latency, higher capacity and increased bandwidth, 5G is a signi cant evolution of eaturing lower latency, higher capacity and increased bandwidth, 5G is a signi cant evolution of today’s 4G LTE (Long-Term Evolutoday’s 4G LTE (Long-Term Evolution) standard. e 5th generation of tion) standard. e 5th generation of mobile networks has been designed mobile networks has been designed to meet the steep growth in data and to meet the steep growth in data and connectivity demand of modern soconnectivity demand of modern society, the ever-expanding internet ciety, the ever-expanding internet of things with billions of connected of things with billions of connected devices and tomorrow’s innovations. devices and tomorrow’s innovations. ey’ll initially operate in conjunc ey’ll initially operate in conjunction with existing 4G networks betion with existing 4G networks before evolving to fully stand-alone fore evolving to fully stand-alone networks in subsequent releases and networks in subsequent releases and coverage expansions. coverage expansions. 5G applications operate in three 5G applications operate in three frequency bands. e low-band (600frequency bands. e low-band (600700 MHz) base station tower has a 700 MHz) base station tower has a large area coverage with a ten kilolarge area coverage with a ten kilometer radius, combined with a narmeter radius, combined with a narrow bandwidth and speeds of 30-250 row bandwidth and speeds of 30-250 Mb/s. In the mid-band (3.4-3.8 GHz Mb/s. In the mid-band (3.4-3.8 GHz in Europe), the tower covers a radius in Europe), the tower covers a radius of four kilometers and supports 100of four kilometers and supports 100900 Mb/s. Together, these are called 900 Mb/s. Together, these are called sub-6 GHz bands. e high band (26sub-6 GHz bands. e high band (2627.5 GHz) in the millimeter-wave 27.5 GHz) in the millimeter-wave (mm-wave) spectrum services a ra(mm-wave) spectrum services a radius of less than one kilometer with dius of less than one kilometer with typical speeds of 1-3 Gb/s. Higher typical speeds of 1-3 Gb/s. Higher frequencies bring higher bandwidth frequencies bring higher bandwidth and speed, but lower area coverage. and speed, but lower area coverage.

To be able to send and receive more To be able to send and receive more data simultaneously, and thus condata simultaneously, and thus connect more users at the same time, 5G nect more users at the same time, 5G employs ‘massive’ MIMO (multiple employs ‘massive’ MIMO (multiple input, multiple output) antennas, input, multiple output) antennas, consisting of a very large number consisting of a very large number of antenna elements. Rather than of antenna elements. Rather than broadcasting in all directions, beam broadcasting in all directions, beam steering technology allows the base steering technology allows the base stations to send the radio signal distations to send the radio signal directly to the targets, with advanced rectly to the targets, with advanced signal processing algorithms detersignal processing algorithms determining the best path. Bundling all mining the best path. Bundling all transmitted power to the user intransmitted power to the user increases e ciency. 5G MIMO commucreases e ciency. 5G MIMO commu-

For customers For customers of Ampleon, of Ampleon, Bruco Integrated Bruco Integrated Circuits designs Circuits designs so-called Doherty so-called Doherty amplifi er module amplifi er module prototypes. prototypes.

nication to mobile devices will ride nication to mobile devices will ride the mm-wave (27 GHz). the mm-wave (27 GHz).

From the antenna, the base stations From the antenna, the base stations run a wired backhaul to a receiver/ run a wired backhaul to a receiver/ ampli er subsystem that boosts the ampli er subsystem that boosts the cellular signal to the mobile device cellular signal to the mobile device and an optical ber connection to and an optical ber connection to the core network. Typically, there are the core network. Typically, there are multiple ampli ers, each tuned to a multiple ampli ers, each tuned to a speci c frequency band, with power, speci c frequency band, with power, e ciency and linearity as important e ciency and linearity as important parameters. For customers of Ampleparameters. For customers of Ampleon, Bruco Integrated Circuits designs on, Bruco Integrated Circuits designs

so-called Doherty amplifier module prototypes, the schematic and PCB layout of which are used as a basis for base station equipment development and tests. These prototypes incorporate more broadband amplifiers, covering multiple frequency bands (eg 700-900 MHz or 1.8-2.3 GHz).

Ideal model

The specifications of the Doherty amplifier are a combination of requirements from wireless standards and Ampleon’s customers. The full set includes electrical specs like frequency range and output power but also mechanical specs like size constraints and PCB material. Incorporating these mechanical constraints already in the prototype design will make the integration process easier for the customer.

The Doherty topology is a very common choice for base station amplifiers. It consists of two separate paths, both of which serve a specific purpose. The carrier path is always amplifying the input signal and produces output power over a wide range of input powers. The peaking path is biased in class C, which means that it will only produce output power when the input signal is large enough. It’s used to amplify the high power peaks of the input, hence the name. When designed properly, this topology can produce a good efficiency over a wide output power range and with high linearity.

The most important component in a Doherty amplifier is, of course, the

The block diagram of a Doherty amplifier.

transistor itself. This component is selected to match the requirements with the best performance. The transistor data are provided by Ampleon in the form of measurements, models and/or load-pull files.

The first step of the design is entering the specifications and transistor data in a set of general system calculations. Because the Doherty topology is more elaborate than a single PA, these calculations are also more complex. From their result, a separate set of requirements is produced for both amplifier paths

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and the impedances used throughout the design.

For the PA performance, the output matching circuit is crucial. This part of the design has the most influence on the efficiency and output power, which is why it has the initial focus of the design effort. In our simulation environment, Keysight ADS, the data from the main and peak devices are used to create a design for the output matches and power-combining circuitry. At this stage, the match is constructed from ideal lossless components and the performance will exceed the requirements by a specific margin. This margin is such that when the lossless components are replaced by a more realistic model, the performance equals the specs.

With the ideal model for the output match finished, the design focus shifts to the input side of the amplifier. More specifically, to the frequency response and the power distribution between the two paths.

Realistic design

Upon completion of the input match, we’ve constructed a fully functioning Doherty amplifier in our simulation environment. This design will exceed the electrical specifications, but it doesn’t yet adhere to the mechanical requirements. Starting with the critical output match, the accuracy of the design is increased by improving the

The assembled amplifier is put to the test in a specialized measurement setup.

model. On a section-by-section basis, the ideal lossless components are replaced by realistic variants. At the same time, the design of each section is adapted to meet the mechanical requirements. This step requires the availability of accurate models for all components and full electromagnetic

The most important component in a Doherty amplifier is the transistor.

simulations of parts of the PCB layout with Keysight ADS and Momentum.

Depending on the number of iterations and the required accuracy of the model, making a realistic design can become very time consuming. At Bruco, we’ve optimized the process by using design templates. These are created for specific classes of Doherty amplifiers. For example, we have different templates for low or high-frequency designs and high-bandwidth variants. The templates greatly reduce our development time and ensure that the design will meet the customer’s mechanical requirements.

The finished PCB design is manufactured using dedicated RF materials. The assembly of the Doherty amplifier is done in-house. To improve the reliability of this process, we use custom tools for fixation and alignment during assembly.

The assembled amplifier is put to the test in a specialized measurement setup in our lab. This fully automated setup can measure all required parameters to characterize the device. Depending on the accuracy of the transistor data and the accuracy of the design in our simulation environment, adjustments can be required. The same Bruco engineer will perform the design, assembly, measurement and tuning of the amplifier, to have an optimal flow and development time. He or she knows all the ins and outs of the design and therefore has the expertise to know which changes have to be made to the amplifier to improve its performance.

When the required performance has been reached, the amplifier is fully characterized. The resulting data is used for the customer documentation. The complete development, from design to characterization, is supported for peak powers up to 1 kW and frequencies up to 4 GHz.

Martijn Brethouwer and Mark Gortemaker work at Bruco Integrated Circuits, as an RF design engineer and the sales and business development manager, respectively.

Edited by Nieke Roos

KLAUS WERNER COOKS UP A NEW SOLID-STATE RF TRAINING

RF energy systems have undergone a huge transformation since the early days of the tube-based magnetrons. But according to HTI trainer Klaus Werner, while the crude power of the tube is tough to match, the new generation of solid-state RF integrated circuits offers unprecedented control, efficiency and reproducibility.

Collin Arocho

Klaus Werner didn’t get a usual start in the field of RF energy solutions. After studying physics at the University of Aachen, he came to Delft University of Technology to further develop CVD systems for semiconductor technology. “At the time, I was just meant to be there for six months,” remembers Werner. But eight years and a PhD in silicon germanium growth in CVD-type systems later, Werner found himself still in Delft. “It was definitely time for a new challenge,” he recalls. Then, in 1995, Werner joined the MOS-3 fab in Nijmegen for 10 years before going to Eindhoven to the Philips team responsible for laser displacement sensors – those that are still used in computer mice today.

The fit wasn’t quite right for Werner, and the 3+ hours of commuting every day for work simply wasn’t working. So back to Nijmegen he went, becoming part of the RF power group at NXP. “The group was mostly concerned with the development of semiconductor technology and devices for high-power, high-frequency applications of RF. Most notably, in the areas of base stations for the cellular network, telephone, radar systems, and to a large extent, radio-TV transmission,” Werner describes. But it was while he was there at NXP that he saw people were applying the electromagnetic waves not for communications and data but using their sheer energy to power plasmas for lasers, lights and even medical applications, for example in hypothermia.

White goods

Suddenly, activity in the solidstate RF energy realm really started to heat up, specifically driven by white-goods companies, which got their name from the standard of white-coated exteriors of home appliances. “Whirlpool and several others saw a business opportunity to improve microwave ovens in the way they heat food,” explains Werner. “That’s when we started the RF Energy Alliance, an industry consortium that set out to establish standards, create roadmaps and develop new generations of the technology to build consensus and bring down cost.” But a few years in, and the white-goods companies pulled out, as it was simply taking too long for them to bring down costs to have a competitive offer against the magnetron-powered ovens.

“NXP, as a semiconductor company, wanted to focus on components and the technology behind the components. At the same time, I was focused on pushing forward with openly spreading the knowledge and interest of the technology and its applications, and in the end, we decided to split,” says Werner. “That’s when I decided to jump into the gap that I saw in the RF-energy field, and created Pink RF – taking on the name ‘pink’ as a nod to the breast cancer support organization Pink Ribbon – with an overall desire to develop the technology for wide use in areas that could really help people’s lives, for example in medicine.”

Sharing knowledge

Despite the RF Energy Alliance folding, Werner was a firm believer in the promise of the technology and knew there was real value in the efforts of the failed consortium. “One of the major hurdles in getting this technology known and used by broader audiences is sharing the knowledge about it,” asserts Werner. “I was writing articles, preparing workshops and trainings, anything to increase the knowledge. I found that many people just didn’t have a solid idea of how to approach this unusual heat source.” Refusing to give up, Werner came across the International Microwave Power Institute (IMPI), which was doing a lot of the same outreach and promotional work on microwave power that he was looking for in the old RF Energy Alliance. Today, he serves as the chairman of IMPI’s RF energy

section and is responsible for di using information around the unique technology and creating training opportunities to share his knowledge.

“ at’s one of the reasons I wanted to join High Tech Institute. It’s a real institution that goes beyond simply giving workshops. It allows us to better reach technical people and connect with a speci c audience and cater to its speci c needs,” Werner says enthusiastically. “One of the best parts is that many participants already have a good understanding of what the technology entails. Everything they’ve already learned in school, about the behavior of waves and di raction and refraction, still absolutely holds true. at idea alone has major implications, from a foundational aspect. It helps loosen the minds and starts to build perspective around this technology.”

New training

Werner’s rst edition of the new “ Solid-state generated RF and applications” training is aimed to do just that. e three-day course will give participants an inside view into the developments of the technology, from the previous generation of high-frequency tube-based magnetrons to the modern-day solid-state electronics-based energy source. “In terms of crude power, the magnetrons are tough to beat. e problem, however, stems from the lack of optimization and control of the tube and the degradation of the signal over time,” illustrates Werner. “ e new generation of solid-state RF is really being driven by cellular communications, where there’s a need for high power linearity that’s created by transistors and semiconductors. is method creates a stable, e cient and,

more importantly, controllable and reproducible signal that could never be realized by the magnetron.”

“ ere are many factors that come into play when determining how best to utilize RF energy and we’ll cover a lot of them in the new training. We’ll use a mixture of theory and practice to dig deeper into the technology. From safety aspects like radiation exposure – which is not a thing – to frequencies, behavior and interaction with matter,” describes Werner. “ e reality is that this technology is extremely useful and completely scalable. From heating minute amounts of liquids under very well-controlled circumstances for Covid testing, up to cooking 1,000 liters of soup every hour. is modular technology is applicable from microjoules up to megajoules, with nearly unending possibilities.”