5G and 6G Communications — from Lab to Fab

The 5G deployment ramp is well underway in multiple countries around the world, with the potential to connect not just billions of mobile phones – but also tens of billions of IoT devices, including wearables, smart cities, vehicle to everything (V2X), industrial automation, and more, with a wide variety of speed and data volume requirements.

6G deployment may still be a decade away, but exploration has already begun in earnest. Researchers are investigating materials and structures capable of delivering very high data rates by utilizing broader bandwidths at higher frequencies from tens of GHz into the THz regime. FormFactor’s probe systems and probes are already at work supporting this next wave of innovation in high-frequency communication.

Engineers developing 5G/6G are looking at phased arrays and may have >60 radio frequencies to handle in the same device. A key test challenge for 5G/6G devices is covering a broad spectrum of higher frequencies while maintaining high throughput.

For production testing, we’ve responded with an expanded Pyramid portfolio to enable sub-6 GHz to 80+ GHz testing in multi-site configurations for the lowest cost of test, while also utilizing membrane probe technology for ultra-low inductance and superior signal integrity.

Our deep engineering expertise includes RF simulation, high-performance probing, calibration and general performance diagnosis. Our latest automation features and thermal capabilities provide the most flexible and highest-throughput tools available for bringing RF and mmW devices from concept to launch.

Applications in the RF/mmW regime (up to about 300 GHz) continue to grow, including: 5G, 6G, WiFi/WiGig, automotive radar, virtual reality, security scanners, and even medicine.

FormFactor has long been the industry leader for RF/mmW probing solutions in the lab, continuously innovating powerful analytical probe systems, high performance probes, and calibration substrates/software. As producers of the world’s first probe card capable of 80+ GHz, we continue to offer the industry’s broadest and most proven production probe cards for high-frequency applications. With this unmatched portfolio, we are uniquely situated to empower our customers’ success at all points in the RF/mmW device product lifecycle from initial development to high-volume production.

A fundamental requirement of 5G devices is maximizing their performance by optimizing power and/or efficiency of the contained amplifiers and transistors. This is done by measuring the performance characteristics of the device under test at different impedances that are systematically changed using load-pull tuners.

FormFactor has partnered with Maury Microwave, Focus Microwaves and Keysight Technologies to deliver fully integrated solutions for accurate on-wafer mm-Wave load-pull measurements.