Marco Spirito, Jeffrey Jargon , Jon Martens, and Dennis Lewis
The Automatic RF Techniques Group (ARFTG) is a technical organization interested in all aspects of RF, microwave, and millimeter-wave (mm-wave) measurement techniques and instrumentation. The group was originally created as a users’ forum focused on the calibration and automation of early vector network analyzers. Since then, ARFTG has grown to encompass all aspects of microwave measurements from RF to terahertz.
ARFTG’s core mission is education, achieved by the group by hosting conferences, workshops, and short courses covering a wide range of measurement topics as well as awarding fellowships and sponsorships to students. Additionally, ARFTG’s close association with the top vendors of measurement instrumentation and components ensures high-quality exhibits at its conferences. The extended breaks from the conference technical sessions enable fruitful discussion and networking among colleagues, students, experts, and vendors.
Figure 2. An industry presentation at IMS2022.
ARFTG sponsors two conferences each year (Figure 1). The fall/winter conference has recently been colocated with Radio & Wireless Week (RWW), while the spring/summer conference is colocated with the International Microwave Symposium (IMS). The 2023 Spring/Summer Conference will be a single-day event on Friday, 16 June.
The theme of this 101st ARFTG Microwave Measurement Conference is “Challenges in Complex Measurement Environments.” Conference topics will cover mm-wave over-the-air and multiple input/multiple output characterization, modulated waveform measurements, on-wafer techniques up to terahertz frequencies, and techniques for connector-less environments as well as many other subjects, including RF/digital mixed-signal measurement and calibration, nonlinear/large-signal measurement and modeling techniques, traceability in calibrations and measurement uncertainty, material properties characterization, and applications and advances in vector network analysis.
Oral technical sessions are presented in a single-track format. Extended breaks combine an exhibition and interactive forum, which provides networking opportunities with vendors and colleagues, whether researcher or practitioner. The conference is preceded by the Nonlinear Network Vector Analyzer Users’ Forum and the On-Wafer Users’ Forum, both held on Thursday, 15 June.
ARFTG also offers student sponsorship and fellowship programs. The sponsorship program gives financial aid to students presenting at an ARFTG conference, and the fellowship program provides financial assistance in support of research.
If you have an interest in measurements from 1 kHz to 1 THz and beyond, be sure to add the 101st ARFTG Conference to your plans in San Diego this June. You will find our atmosphere to be informal and friendly. For further details regarding the conference as well as the student sponsorship and fellowship programs, visit www.arftg.org.
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MMM.2023.3242847