How it Works

Sophia’s focus is on integrating those devices. The company’s patented process uses silicon and micromachining techniques for microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) to make the lowloss resonant passive structures. The silicon-MEMS approach also is good at providing a substrate and a sort of second-level packaging for the MMIC, integrating the usual MMIC pieces with the resonant passive components to form integrated transceivers. Sophia uses the term “waferlevel integrated transceivers” to describe its technology.

The benefits should appeal to makers of electronic equipment such as radars, sensors, and communications devices in which size and weight are issues, such as in aircraft or satellites. Sophia expects the technology to be a good fit for equipment that runs on frequencies of 8 gigahertz or higher.

Sophia is currently marketing and selling its line of solid-state power amplifiers (SSPAs) for satellite communications and broadcasting applications. Both of these mobile applications represent areas in which size and weight can be critical. Sophia’s solidstate amplifier line uses some of the same integration and miniaturization techniques.

Sophia’s technique eliminates the need for circuit boards and housing, making for circuits that are about one-fifth (or even one-tenth) the weight of competing circuit assemblies. Sophia researchers also claim their product is about one-third the size of competing circuits comprising MMICs with resonant passive components. Another key benefit of the approach is fewer manufacturing steps. A MEMS approach (involving nonmoving parts and using micromachining surface-mount techniques) eliminates hand-tuning and hand-assembly.

Where it Stands

The company’s commercialization approach has been to sample the technology, in a “proof of concept” fashion, for systems under development and likely to be fielded within a year. The company has pursued qualification of its technology for systems used in flight, and Sophia has supplied product to the Boeing Company for some advanced systems that Boeing is developing.

The unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) market is particularly attractive to Sophia because of the growing number of missions involving UAVs and the performance demanded from systems used in these missions, which can include transceiver-equipped radar and surveillance applications.

The automotive radar market is also a potential application area. An allocated band of 77 gigahertz for automotive radar applications is an appropriate fit for Sophia’s technology, and represents an environment in which size and weight are essential components, as are cost, vibration performance, and temperature performance.

More Information

For more information on Sophia Wireless’s MMIC assembly system, click here. (Source: MDA TechUpdate, Missile Defense Agency, National Technology Transfer Center Washington Operations.)