Transmit/receive modules

This paper begins with a discussion of the microwave functions performed by transmit/receive (T/R) modules for phased-array antenna applications. The paper then addresses performance and cost aspects of semiconductor, packaging, and assembly technologies associated with T/R modules     

Beamformer architectures for active phased-array radar antennas

In active phased-array antennas, the transmit and receive functions are distributed at the antenna aperture using transmit and receive (T/R) modules. The use of T/R modules provides a significant improvement in antenna performance and flexibility in the choice of array architectures. We present a review of various beamformer architectures for active phased-array antennas. This review is limited to corporate-fed active phased-array antennas for radar applications. Beamformer architectures for narrow and wide bandwidth arrays, including the choice of applying an amplitude taper in the T/R module or beamformer network are discussed. Beamformer architectures that increase antenna reliability are also presented     

A Transceiver Front-End for Ultra-Wide-Band Applications

An integrated pulse based ultra-wide-band (UWB) transceiver front-end is presented in this paper. The pulse generator produces Gaussian modulated pulses satisfying Federal Communication Commission spectral mask with possibility for binary-phase shift keying modulation. The generated pulses have a bandwidth of 2 GHz from 3.1 to 5.1 GHz. The receiver front-end consists of an UWB low-noise amplifier (LNA). The transmit and receive paths are chosen by a transmit/receive (T/R) switch. The pulse generator, T/R switch and the LNA are integrated on a single chip and fabricated using 0.25-mum SiGe:C BiCMOS technology. The integrated circuit components are designed fully differential. The off-chip antenna and bandpass filter are single ended and connected to the T/R switch through a hybrid coupler     

A 6.5—16-GHz monolithic power amplifier module

A miniaturized 6.5-16-GHz power amplifier module, which includes T/R switch, dual polarity power supply, switch driver, and gate functions, was designed using two types of broad-band MMIC amplifiers. The two cascade designs were a 900-1200-µm FET amplifier and a 300-300-µm feedback amplifier which were used to provide large and small gain functions, respectively. The module exhibits 35 dB of gain, 1-W power output, and 55-dB T/R switch isolation.     

集成天线的多通道瓦片式T/R组件测试

雷达T/R组件的集成度越来越高,已出现了将天线也集成在组件上的多通道瓦片式收发T/R组件。由于天线的集成,传统的传导测试方法无法对这种新结构T/R组件的电路性能进行直接测量。针对该问题,提出一种辐射对比测试方法,采用辐射法先对T/R组件天线单元进行测试,然后对集成天线的T/R组件进行测试,最后将天线对T/R组件电路性能的影响扣除,得到T/R组件电路的各项性能参数。在分析测试原理的基础上,对一种集成天线的多通道X波段的瓦片式T/R组件发射峰值功率、通道间相位一致性和接收增益等指标进行了试验测试,测试结果与电路直接测试对比,幅度误差<0.69 dB,相位误差<10.5°,满足工程应用需求。     

Design and Characterization of Solid-State LDMOS Based T/R Module

Solid-state transmit/receive modules (T/R) are the vital super components of the multifunction Active Phased Array Radars. The Active Phased Array Radar consists of several solid-state T/R module to achieve the required power aperture product. This paper describes the realization of S-band dual T/R module. The research consists of design, modelling, analysis challenges, realization, and characterization. Studied several solid-state devices such as silicon bipolar junction transistors moving on to laterally diffused metal oxide semiconductor (LDMOS). The study eventually overtaken by the advancement in gallium arsenide and gallium nitride. The LDMOS devices are designed to handle the required power and could support up to a 20% duty cycle. Based on commercial off-the-shelf devices, we have studied, analyzed their performance, presented trade-offs between different performance parameters, and proposed a common arm architecture for a set of requirements. Dual T/R modules consist of two identical TRMs having two independent RF antenna connectors and a common RF input/output connector. A detailed methodology and step-by-step results were presented for developing S-band T/R modules for multi-function Active Phased Array Radar applications.

     

A low cost multichip packaging technology for monolithic microwaveintegrated circuits

This paper describes a multichip module technology based on highly impermeable liquid crystal polymers (LCPs) to interconnect and package monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs). Because of the low moisture permeability of the LCPs, the packages can be made hermetic without heavy expensive housings can be two to four times lighter and one-fifth the cost of conventional ceramic based transmit/receive (T/R) modules. The LCP material has a low dielectric constant (2.65) and low-loss tangent and is manufacturable using high volume, large-area processing methods that provide very reliable high-performance circuits at low cost. Using flip-chip bonded MMICs attached to a high thermal conductivity, low coefficient of thermal expansion substrate, this innovative technology can meet a variety of commercial, military, and NASA requirements     

S波段T/R组件用GaN功率放大器链的设计(英文)

基于Si衬底AlGaN/GaN HEMT器件的功率放大器链是下一代S波段相控阵雷达T/R组件的核心部分。研制的S波段放大器链主要由驱动放大器和功率放大器组成,驱动放大器与功率放大器都是基于Si衬底AlGaN/GaN HEMT器件的混合集成电路。基于混合集成电路的放大器链获得了高的输出峰值功率和附加功率(PAE),整个放大器链输出功率在800 MHz频率范围内大于20 W,附加效率(PAE)大于50%。     

一种P波段大功率T/R组件的设计

T／R组件是相控阵雷达有源分布阵列天线的核心部件,其性能直接影响雷达整机的指标。介绍了一种P波段大功率T／R组件的工作原理、设计方法和检测技术,并根据设计方法加工了实物样件,该T／R组件采用相控阵体制结构来实现：发射通道主要由移相器、衰减器和高功率放大器组成;接收通道主要由低噪声放大器、移相器和衰减器组成。在2dBm输入功率的情况下实现了200W输出功率,效率高达35％,在采取幅相一致设计措施后,该功放组件在100dB的动态范围内实现了相位误差在±3°以内。     

单片低噪声放大器的设计及其在数字T/R组件中的应用

采用GaAs PHEMT工艺，研制了单片宽带低噪声放大器。着重探讨了单片低噪声放大器在相控阵雷达数字T／R组件中应用的特殊要求，电路的工作原理与设计方法，以及ADS软件的仿真和优化；给出了主要技术指标和测试结果。最后，介绍了单片低噪声放大器在数字T／R组件中的应用。     

A built-in performance-monitoring/fault isolation and correction(PM/FIC) system for active phased-array antennas

A built-in performance-monitoring/fault isolation and correction (PM/FIC) system for an active phased-array antenna has been developed and tested. This PM/FIC system employs a transmission line signal injector embedded at the radiating aperture together with a phase-toggling technique for signal detection. Hardware components for a demonstration test-array have been developed, fabricated, and assembled. Eight active elements are fed by four dual-channel transmit/receive (T/R) modules in a column array. Far-field range tests and fault correction tests have also been performed to demonstrate the PM/FIC functions on this test array. Good results have been obtained from these tests. The measurement accuracy of the phase-toggling method is compared with an HP8510 measurement system     

A precision bipolar current-differencing amplifier

A temperature-stable wide-band current-differencing amplifier resulting from the replacement of the usual operational amplifier structures by integrable current-operated modules is reported. This unity gain network features nearly ideal terminal characteristics (R/SUB IN/<0.3 /spl Omega/, R/SUB OUT/ /spl esdot/ 2 M/spl Omega/) and an external adjustment to maximize the subtraction accuracy, or current gain common mode rejection ratio.     

T／R组件核心技术最新发展综述（一）

以固态T／R组件为核心的有源相控阵（AESA）技术在雷达、电子战、制导武器和通信等领域都得到了广泛应用。T／R组件的成本约占整个相控阵雷达系统造价的60％,是固态有源相控阵雷达的核心。首先阐述了有源相控阵雷达T／R组件中的关键技术——GaAsMMIC技术和微波MCM技术,同时对T／R组件的最新发展现状及趋势进行了分析,以此来推动我国有源相控阵技术的快速发展。     

Multifunction MMIC history from a process technology perspective

The different types of multifunction microwave monolithic integrated circuits (MMICs) that have been developed to date are reviewed, and projections for the future direction of the technology are made. Various innovative circuit design techniques have allowed a wide range of functions to be performed using the same processes as single-function MMICs. These circuits are almost exclusively based on GaAs Schottky-barrier-gate ion-implanted MESFETs, MIM capacitors, inductors, and (sometimes) through-substrate vias on GaAs substrates. Chips performing all the microwave functions of radar transmit/receive modules, receivers, and frequency synthesizers have been developed. Process complexity is a dominant factor determining their practicality and cost, and the most successful circuits have been designed with process limitations in mind. In the future, proliferation of multifunction MMICs with even greater functional complexity is expected, but additional process complexities will be added sparingly     

基于微波光电技术的未来数字阵列构想

大型数字阵列雷达的天线系统由辐射单元和成千上万个数字收发组件（DTR）组成,极其庞大与复杂,雷达的工程化和安全性是系统的难点问题,微波光子学将对未来大型数字阵列雷达产生重大影响,基于微波光电实现阵列信号远程收发与传输技术,对未来大型数字阵列雷达提出一种构想,使雷达天线系统由辐射单元和模拟光电收发模块（OTR）组成,天线系统实现轻质、低成本、远程安装,有效改善大型数字阵列雷达的架设灵活性和使用安全性,同时光电数字阵列模块（ODAM）设计空间将更加宽容,有利于雷达综合性能的提升。     

A High-Power $Ka$-Band (31–36 GHz) Solid-State Amplifier Based on Low-Loss Corporate Waveguide Combining

A method of using low-loss waveguide septum combiners is developed into a high-power $Ka$-band (31–36 GHz) amplifier producing $>$50 W at 33 GHz ($Ka$-band) using 32 low-power ($≪$2 W) solid-state amplifier modules. By using low-loss waveguide combining and a packaged monolithic microwave integrated circuit with a low-loss microstrip-to-waveguide launcher, the output loss is minimized, allowing for the overall power-combining efficiency to remain high, $>$80% (average insertion loss of combiner $≪$ 0.7 dB and average insertion loss of launcher $≪$0.3 dB) over 31–36 GHz. In the past, lower power-combining efficiencies have limited the number of modules that can be combined at $Ka$ -band, and hence, have limited the power output. The approach demonstrated in this paper, with high power-combining efficiency, allows a very large number (32) of solid-state amplifier modules to be combined to produce high powers. Greater than 50 W was demonstrated with low power modules, but even higher powers $>$120 W are possible. The current approach is based on corporate combining, using low-loss waveguide septum combiners that provide isolation, maintaining the true graceful degradation of a modular solid-state amplifier system.      

A 0.13 μm CMOS UWB RF Transmitter with an On‐Chip T/R Switch

This paper presents a fully integrated 0.13 μm CMOS MB‐OFDM UWB transmitter chain (mode 1). The proposed transmitter consists of a low‐pass filter, a variable gain amplifier, a voltage‐to‐current converter, an I/Q up‐mixer, a differential‐to‐single‐ended converter, a driver amplifier, and a transmit/receive (T/R) switch. The proposed T/R switch shows an insertion loss of less than 1.5 dB and a Tx/Rx port isolation of more than 27 dB over a 3 GHz to 5 GHz frequency range. All RF/analog circuits have been designed to achieve high linearity and wide bandwidth. The proposed transmitter is implemented using IBM 0.13 μm CMOS technology. The fabricated transmitter shows a ?3 dB bandwidth of 550 MHz at each sub‐band center frequency with gain flatness less than 1.5 dB. It also shows a power gain of 0.5 dB, a maximum output power level of 0 dBm, and output IP3 of +9.3 dBm. It consumes a total of 54 mA from a 1.5 V supply.     

光调制解调器的设计与实现

研制了一种光调制解调器,该光调制器是由高频DFB激光二极管组件与APC电路、ATC电路组成,光纤传输线为5km光纤;光解调器是由高速跨阻放大器的PD组件与宽带低噪声放大器组成.系统实现了宽带微波信号的高线性、低失真、远距离光纤传输.     

Transmit/receive module technology for X-band active arrayradar

Phased array radar system developments using X-band transmit/receive (T/R) module technology are summarized. Requirements are developed from systems concepts for fighter aircraft radar applications. Factors influencing system performance are discussed in terms of the allowable tradeoffs that must be considered for deployable systems. T/R module architectures are investigated in light of the system derived performance requirements. These module requirements are reduced to the individual circuit function level, and examples of circuits developed to meet these requirements are presented. Critical T/R module technologies are discussed in view of the latest developments in microwave active and control devices, manufacturing assembly processes and equipment, package materials and fabrication processes, and test automation. Module developments during the past 25 years are discussed chronologically and described in terms of the performance characteristics attained. Test requirements unique to module integration and aperture-level performance verification are highlighted. Module price targets are derived from affordability constraints imposed by the fighter aircraft radar application     

Radant透镜相控阵雷达发射通道的设计

介绍了一种基于Radant透镜概念的相控阵雷达,论述了Radant透镜相控阵雷达发射通道的设计,以及其中发射通道的组成、频合分系统的设计思想、功放组件的输出电平的计算、大功率T/R组件的组成及天线阵面的耗散功率的计算。Radant透镜相控阵雷达发射通道经长时间的整机工作,验证了其技术的先进性、可靠性、以其成本优势,将在防空、预警等领域发挥重要作用,并具有广泛的应用前景。