Dragging ourselves out of bed after 2 action packed ECTC days, the Wireless and RF TC meet at 7am. Chair Craig Gaw of Motorola fled the >100 degree Phoenix weather to lead the Committee in planning for the next year. First he reviewed the success of this year's RF contribution to ECTC. Sixty papers were submitted to the ECTC committee. About 1/4 ended up in the two RF sessions and another 1/4 went in the high speed circuit modeling or embedded component sessions.
The key to this success was in picking RF topics that emphasized components, module packaging, and modeling. Then getting the work out to a carefully assembled list of experts in these areas. The decision was to repeat this process again adding a bit more to the subject lists and the colleague lists. Each TC-16 member will try to submit a list of 10 more names to the mailing list.
In addition, we will try to get the word out in more newsletters. If you want to be added to the TC mailing list contact Craig Gaw at [c.a.gaw@ieee.org]. In particular, if you find that much of your output does not fit into the IEEE MTT annual meeting, please join this effort to spotlight RF components, microsystems, and manufacturing by submitting a 2 page summary for the next ECTC (deadline is October).
The TC decided to choose the topics of "modules/microsystems with RF functionality" which can include RF embedded components and require RF computer modeling. RFIDs looked at as rugged components and as low cost manufacturing challenges will also be considered. If the turn-out of papers continues to increase it is possible to get a third session at ECTC or a plenary session. In addition, manufacturing papers could be presented at IEMT symposium held with the Semi Technology Symposium.
It was also pointed out that we should tell the presenters
at ECTC that they should consider submitting a formal version
of their paper to the IEEE/CPMT transactions since the new electronic
editing process makes the time to publishing a matter of months.
CPMT has become the publisher of choice for this part of the RF/wireless
business.
Figure 2 Manos Tentzeris (Georgia Tech), Craig Gaw (Motorola), Len Schaper (University of Arkansas)