Analog designers entering the field of RF electronics are often baffled by the mysterious design and characterization methodologies used by traditional RF and microwave engineers. The two groups appear to have vastly different mentalities, design tools, and vocabularies. As the level of integration in RF transceivers increases, should the RF designer adopt the mind set of the analog designer or vice versa? What is a better approach: highly-integrated circuits or intelligent system partitioning? Which simulation tools are better suited to today's RF design? Are the performance metrics used in characterizing traditional RF circuits necessary and sufficient? Do they apply to new techniques such as sub-sampling mixers?
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