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Technical
Glossary - M
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Char., Number |
m
(see ""micro")
mW
Microwatt.
M
(See "mega")
m
(See "milli")
Majority
Carrier
The type of charge carrier (electron or whole)
that constitutes most of the charge carriers in
a semiconductor material. The majority carrier
in n-type material is the electron (negative charge)
and for p-type material is the hole (positive
charge).
MDS
(see "microwave distribution system")
Mean
Time Between Failure
The average time between failures for a continuously
operating system.
Mean
Time to Failure
The measured operating time of a system or component
divided by the number of failures that occurred
during that time
mega
A prefix that indicates a factor of one million
or 106, abbreviated as "M."
Metal
Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor (MESFET)
A field effect transistor (FET), often made of
gallium arsenide, that uses a metal-on-semiconductor
gate. See also "gallium arsenide field effect
transistor" and "Metal Oxide Semiconductor
Field Effect Transistor."
Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor-Field-Effect-Transistor
A transistor that consists of electrodes (the
source and drain) placed at opposite ends of a
silicon channel. On top of the channel and between
the electrodes an insulating layer of silicon
dioxide is formed, on top of which a metal pad
(the gate) is deposited. An electric field is
induced into the channel as a result of a potential
that is externally applied to across the source
and gate. This field modulates the resistance
of the channel between the drain and source.
MIC
(See "microwave integrated circuit")
micro
A prefix that indicates a factor 10-6, abbreviated
as "m."
Micron
One-millionth of a meter; A micrometer.
Microstrip
An unbalanced transmission line structure that
consists of a ground plane on the back side of
a printed circuit board, the dielectric material
of the printed circuit board and a narrow strip
on the top side of the circuit board. The impedance
of microstrip is determined by the dielectric
constant and the thickness of the dielectric and
the width of the strip.
Microwatt
One millionth of a watt.
Microwave
Distribution System
A network of microwave radio links used to distribute
data or video signals to subscribers.
Microwave
Integrated Circuit
A circuit that is contained either on a single
die or in a single package, intended to operate
at microwave frequencies
Migration
Physical movement from one location to another
Mil
One-thousandth (10-3) of an inch, equivalent to
0.0254 millimeters or 25.4 micrometers.
milli
A prefix that indicates a factor 10-3 (one thousandth),
abbreviated as "m."
Milliwatt
One-thousandth of a watt.
MIM
Metal-insulator-metal, a common structure of series
capacitors on integrated circuits.
Minimum
Discernable Signal
The smallest input signal level to a receiver
that will produce a discernable output signal.
Minority
Carrier
The type of charge carrier (electron or whole)
that does not constitutes most of the charge carriers
in a semiconductor material. The minority carrier
in n-type material is the hole (positive charge)
and for p-type material is the electron (negative
charge).
Mismatch
Loss
The power that a device could absorb if its impedance
were perfectly matched to that of its surroundings
divided by the power that it does absorb.
Mismatch
The degree to which the impedance of a component
differs from the transmission line or component
to which it is connected. The degree to which
the lattice constant of one crystalline semiconductor
differs from the lattice constant of another.
Mixer
A three port device that employs at least one
component with nonlinear impedance to perform
time domain multiplication of signals incident
on two of the ports, typically designated RF input
and LO input. Among the products of this multiplication
at the third port are signals whose frequencies
are the sum and the difference of the LO and RF
frequencies (see "up converter" and
"down converter").
MMDS
Multipoint microwave distribution system (also
known as wireless cable).
MMIC
(See "Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit")
Mode
of Failure
Also see "Failure Mechanism."
Modulate
To change some characteristic of a carrier wave
in accordance with an intelligence signal, such
as speech or data
Modulation
Frequency
The frequency or frequency interval of the intelligence
signal used to modulate a carrier wave.
Modulation
Sensitivity
For a voltage controlled oscillator that is frequency
modulated, the change in VCO frequency divided
by the magnitude of the control voltage that produced
the change in VCO frequency. Modulation sensitivity
is expressed in terms of MHz per volt for RF/microwave
VCO's.
Modulation
The process by which some characteristic of a
carrier wave is modified in accordance with an
intelligence signal. Commonly used modulation
methods include but are not limited to amplitude
modulation (AM), frequency modulation (FM), phase
modulation (PM), frequency shift keying (FSK)
and quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM).
Monolithic
Microwave Integrated Circuit
A semiconductor circuit that contains more than
one component and is fabricated on a semiconductor
die.
Monotonicity
The degree to which the slope of a function does
not change sign
MOSFET
(See "Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor-Field-Effect-Transistor")
MTBF
(See "mean time between failure")
MTTF
(See "mean time to failure")
Multiplex
The simultaneous transmission of more than one
signal over a given system or frequency spectrum
through the use of techniques designed to minimize
interference between these signals.
Multiplexer
A circuit that combines signals to be simultaneously
transmitted over a given system or frequency spectrum
with minimal interference between the signals.
Multiplier
A circuit whose output frequency is an integral
multiple of the input frequency and whose output
signal is coherent with the input signal. The
critical component in a multiplier is typically
a step recovery diode, Schottky diode, FET or
varactor diode.
mW
(see "Milliwatt")
MW
(See "Milliwatt")
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