Requirements and Initiatives for 5G Smartphones

Irvine, March 02, 2017 —Stephen J. Kovacic, director of technology for Skyworks Solutions spoke today at CALIT2’s Distinguished Lecture event on the topic of Technology Requirements and Initiatives for 5G Smartphones. 

Kovacic highlighted the three basic-use cases that have emerged for 5G ‘new radio - NR’: eMBB (enhanced Mobile Broadband), mMTC (massive machine-type communications) and URLLC (ultra-reliable and low latency communications). His presentation reviewed the context of the 5G NR specification development and different component technology platforms for user equipment (UE) RF front-ends (RFFE). He also examined current requirements of UE RFFE systems associated with 4G and the technology trends that might provide a natural evolution to 5G RFFE systems.

Kovacic has has worked with semiconductors and optical devices for 25 years. His technical experiences include work on device physics, model parameter extraction, BiCMOS process flow engineering and RF circuit design. Prior to joining Skyworks Solutions in 2011, he held positions at SiGe Semiconductor including Director, R&D where he managed the development of technology and products in the area of RF integrated circuits for wireless applications. In addition, Kovacic holds 16 patents in the area of opto-electronics and semiconductors.