The 106th ARFTG Microwave Measurement Symposium was held from January 18–21, 2026, at the Loews Hollywood Hotel in Hollywood, California, USA. The conference was co-located with IEEE Radio & Wireless Week (RWW) 2026, bringing together a broad community of experts in RF, microwave, millimeter-wave, and sub-THz measurement technologies.

Under the theme “Microwave Measurements for Communication and Sensing Technologies,” the program addressed measurement techniques that underpin next-generation communication systems and emerging sensing applications—spanning device characterization and calibration through to system-level measurements in increasingly complex environments.

A highlight of the conference was the keynote presentation by Marko E. Leinonen (University of Oulu), titled “6G: Unifying Telecommunication, Radio Imaging and Sensing?”, which explored the convergence of communication and sensing technologies in future 6G systems.

In addition, the joint ARFTG/RWW plenary talk by Joel Dunsmore (Keysight Technologies), “VNA Everywhere, VNA Everything: The History and Evolution of the Modern Network Analyzer, and why SATCOM and 6G Needs It,” provided a compelling perspective on the evolution of vector network analysis and its critical role in modern high-frequency system design.

ARFTG-106 contributed to a dynamic week of technical exchange as part of the broader RWW 2026 program, encompassing workshops, short courses, and user forums. True to its founding mission, the conference brought together established experts and emerging researchers from industry and academia to exchange ideas and push the state of the art in microwave measurements.

TECHNICAL SESSION

The ARFTG-106 technical program comprised five focused sessions and an interactive forum, covering a broad spectrum of topics aligned with the symposium theme. Together, they reflected both the maturity of established measurement techniques and the rapid expansion of new application domains.

The program opened with Session A: Wireless Measurements, including the keynote presentation on future 6G systems. Session B: On-Wafer Measurements highlighted advances in broadband device characterization and probing technologies up to sub-THz frequencies. Session C: Material Characterization focused on dielectric and material property extraction at microwave and millimeter-wave frequencies.

An Interactive Forum encouraged direct technical exchange between presenters and attendees in a hands-on, discussion-driven format.

Session D: Calibration and Other Metrology Aspects addressed fundamental challenges in measurement accuracy, including calibration techniques, uncertainty quantification, and traceability. Finally, Session E: Cryogenic and Non-linear Measurements explored emerging requirements driven by quantum technologies and advanced nonlinear systems, including an invited presentation by Grayson Noah (Quantum Motion, UK) on cryo-CMOS RF device characterization.

Overall, the technical program demonstrated strong engagement from the research community, with approximately two-thirds of contributions originating from academia and national metrology institutes, complemented by significant participation from industry. A total of 10 student papers were presented across oral and interactive sessions, highlighting the continued growth and vitality of the next generation of microwave measurement engineers.

Geographically, the contributions were predominantly led by authors from the Americas (approximately 70%), with solid representation from EMEA and contributions from Asia. This distribution reflects both the strong North American base of ARFTG and its continued international engagement across industry and research institutions.

EXHIBITS AND SPONSORS

ARFTG-106 was supported by a strong group of industry partners, whose contributions helped enable a high-quality technical program and an engaging conference experience.

The symposium featured Gold Sponsors including Keysight Technologies, MPI Corporation, FormFactor, and Eravant, as well as Silver Sponsors Anritsu, Qorvo, and Virginia Diodes.

In conjunction with the RWW-2026, the ARFTG-106 hosted a vibrant exhibition with participation from a wide range of companies showcasing the latest advancements in RF and microwave measurement equipment, components, and solutions. Exhibitors included ACE (Accurate Circuit Engineering), Anritsu, Berkeley Nucleonics Corp. (BNC), Eravant, FormFactor, Focus Microwaves, Junkosha, Maury Microwave, Microsanj, MPI Corporation, Keysight, Presidio, Rohde & Schwarz, Spinner, TMYTEK, and TRL.

The exhibition area, colocated with the technical sessions and interactive forum, provided ample opportunity for attendees to engage directly with industry experts, explore new technologies, and discuss practical measurement challenges.

AWARDS

ARFTG-106 recognized outstanding contributions across oral presentations, the interactive forum, and industry exhibition. The award recipients were determined by attendee voting, tallied following the conference. The awards will be formally presented at the 107th ARFTG Conference Luncheon in Boston, MA, in June 2026.

The Best Oral Presentation Award goes to two contributions:

• “Creating a 0.5 mm Coaxial Interface and Calibration Kit for a Broadband 250 GHz Vector Network Analyzer” (D2) by Rusty Myers, Keith Howell, Derik Lee, Nathaniel Horn, Prabh Mann, Bart Schrijver (Keysight Technologies)
• “First Calibration and Measurement Results of a Novel Wafer-Level Single-Sweep 100 kHz–250 GHz System” (B2) by Andrej Rumiantsev, Hung Che Fu (MPI Corporation); Suren Singh, Ziad Hatab (Keysight Technologies)

The Best Student Paper Award goes to “Millimeter-Wave Permittivity of a 93-mm-Diameter Single-Crystal AlN Wafer” (C2), by Chunyi Li*, Xinghao Tong*, Tianze Li*, Lei Li*, James Hwang*, Kasey Hogan**, James Grandusky**, Shana Yanagimoto***, Yoshiyuki Yanagimoto*** (*Cornell University, ** Crystal IS Inc., *** EM Labs Inc.)

The Best Interactive Forum Paper Award goes to “Comparison of Microstrip, Coplanar, and SIW Interconnects on the Same 50-µm-thick GaAs Chip” (P4) by Tianze Li, Lei Li, James Hwang (Cornell University).

The Best Exhibitor Award goes to Keysight Technologies. Keysight’s exhibit featured live calibration and measurement demonstrations on the new PNA-X broadband 250 GHz system with a novel 0.5 mm coaxial interface, directly connecting the exhibition floor with the technical program in a compelling demonstration of measurement capability at 250 GHz.

ARFTG BUSINESS MEETING

The ARFTG-106 Business Meeting offered an opportunity to review the organization’s financial and operational health, and to recognize those who continue to drive the community forward.

Treasurer Jon Martens reported that ARFTG remains a financially healthy organization, continuing to support key initiatives such as student programs and the Roger Pollard Memorial Fellowship, with appreciation extended to sponsors.

The ARFTG community congratulates Jeffrey Jargon, David Blackham, Gia Ngoc Phung, Mauro Marchetti, and Xiaobang Shang on their election to a three-year term on the Executive Committee.

The Executive Committee also confirmed the officers for the upcoming term:

• Patrick Roblin, President
• Jeffrey Jargon, Vice-President
• Jon Martens, Treasurer
• Andrej Rumiantsev, Secretary

Past President Rusty Myers expressed his confidence in the newly appointed leadership team.

AWARDS LUNCHEON

The Awards Luncheon is a longstanding ARFTG tradition, held at every conference as an opportunity for the community to come together, recognize outstanding contributions, and celebrate excellence in microwave measurement science.

At ARFTG-106, the luncheon was held on January 20, 2026, from 12:00 to 13:30, at the Loews Hollywood Hotel, Doheny-Laurel room.

Rusty Myers, ARFTG President, opened the event with remarks introducing the ARFTG organization, its vision, and its mission — providing context for new attendees and reaffirming the community’s shared purpose.

David Blackham, ARFTG Awards Chair, presented appreciation certificates to the ARFTG-106 conference chairs in recognition of their contributions to organizing the symposium:

• Chong Li, General Chair
• Patrick Roblin, General Co-Chair
• Xiaobang Shang, TPC Chair
• Dominique Schreurs, TPC Co-Chair

The luncheon also served as the venue for the formal presentation of the 105th ARFTG Conference Awards.

The Best Oral Paper Award was shared between two contributions:

• Jon Martens (Anritsu) for “On the Performance of True-Differential/True-Mode Stimulus Methods at Higher mm-Wave Frequencies”
• James Skinner, Maximilian Gruber, Sascha Eichstädt, Roger Appleby, Nick Ridler (NPL, PTB, RAMMW) for “Metrology for Time-Domain Transformed and Time-Gated S-Parameters Using PyDynamic”

The Best Student Paper Award was presented to Zerui Gao* , Alec Daalman*, Faisal Mubarak**, Chang Gao*, Carmine de Martino***, Steffen Lehmann****, and Marco Spirito* from the Delft University of Technology*, VSL**, Vertigo Technologies***, and Global Foundries**** for “Automatic On-Wafer Probe Positioning System Based on Convolutional Neural Network Model.”

The Best Interactive Forum Presentation Award was presented to Talley Amir, Jan Verspecht, and Sam Kusano (Keysight) for “Loadpull Behavioral Modeling for Power Amplifiers Under Modulated Operating Conditions.”

The Best Exhibitor Award was presented to Keysight Technologies.

SHORT COURSE

The ARFTG/NIST Short Course on Microwave Measurements is an integral part of every ARFTG winter symposium, reflecting a long-standing collaboration between ARFTG and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Over decades, this partnership has played a key role in bringing both the fundamentals of microwave measurement metrology and the latest advancements in the field to the ARFTG community.

At ARFTG-106, the short course was organized by Angela C. Stelson the Short Course Chair. It provided a comprehensive program covering measurement fundamentals, uncertainty and traceability, modern calibration techniques, on-wafer measurements, cryogenic testing, and nonlinear measurement methods. The course offered a well-balanced perspective from foundational metrology concepts to advanced applications, benefiting both new and experienced practitioners.

WORKSHOP

On Sunday, January 18, 2026, ARFTG-106 hosted a joint workshop co-organized with RWW-2026 titled “Measurement Techniques for Future Communication Systems in 5G and 6G.” The workshop ran from 1:30 to 5:00 pm and was organized by Nizar Messaoudi (Keysight Technologies) and coordinated by ARFTG Workshops Chair Mauro Marchetti and RWW Workshops Chair Jan Budroweit.

The session addressed the growing measurement challenges posed by LEO satellite networks and beamforming architectures, with a focus on power amplifier (PA) and beamformer IC (BFIC) design and validation for space-based communications.

USERS FORUMS

ARFTG-106 continued its strong tradition of community-driven exchange through dedicated user forums.

The NVNA Users’ Forum, moderated by Patrick Roblin, focused on nonlinear measurement techniques, including RF trapping characterization and harmonic power amplifier analysis, and featured active discussion and participant interaction.

The 23rd On-Wafer Users’ Forum, chaired by Gia Ngoc Phung, addressed wafer-level measurement challenges, including millimeter-wave characterization, multi-port de-embedding, and high-volume testing considerations.

Both forums emphasized open discussion, informal exchange, and collaboration, serving as important platforms for advancing practical measurement techniques and fostering community engagement.

IEEE STANDARDS WORKING GROUP MEETINGS

As part of the ARFTG-106 program, IEEE Standards Working Group meetings, including P3136, P2822, and P1765, were held following the conference. These working groups play a key role in advancing standardization efforts in microwave measurements, covering waveguide interfaces, and recommended practices for on-wafer calibration and measurement techniques, and estimating uncertainty of digitally modulated signals.

OTHER CONFERENCE ACTIVITIES

Beyond the technical sessions, ARFTG-106 offered a rich program of activities supporting networking and professional development, including workshops, forums, and social events such as the Women in Microwaves session, Young Professionals panel, and the joint ARFTG/RWW reception.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Full details from the ARFTG-106 Microwave Measurement Symposium remain available on the conference page, including the technical program, short course materials, and workshop program. Visit the ARFTG-106 Conference Page for complete information.

The ARFTG-106 conference papers are now available on IEEE Xplore. Visit the ARFTG-106 IEEE Xplore page to access the full proceedings.

A photo gallery capturing the events and highlights of ARFTG-106 is also available. Browse the ARFTG-106 Conference Gallery to relive the week (Courtesy of LylePhotos).

LOOKING AHEAD: ARFTG-107

The ARFTG community now looks forward to the 107th ARFTG Microwave Measurement Symposium, titled “Measuring the Future: High-Frequency Metrology for Intelligent, Connected, and Quantum Worlds.”

The conference will take place on June 12, 2026, at the Westin Boston Seaport District in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, and will be co-located with IMS-2026 as part of Microwave Week.

ARFTG-107 will continue the tradition of bringing together experts from industry, academia, and national laboratories to address the latest challenges and innovations in microwave measurement science.

In addition to the conference program, ARFTG Users’ Forums and IEEE Standards Working Group meetings will also be held during Microwave Week, extending the opportunities for technical exchange, standardization, and collaboration. We look forward to seeing you in Boston.

Registration for IMS-2026 and ARFTG-107 is now open. Mark your calendar, plan your participation, and take advantage of early registration to secure your place at Microwave Week 2026.

Andrej Rumiantsev
ARFTG Secretary