Description
Objective: Objective of this activity is the development and evaluation of novel concepts for temperature compensated Output Multiplexer Channel Filters making use of advanced materials.
Targeted Improvements: Cost reduction of output multiplexers of between 30-50%.
Description: Output multiplexers are core payload elements in 80% of today's commercial telecom satellites. High power channel filters are key elements of the OMUX. The ohmic losses of thematerials contribute to increase the temperature in the device. Thermalissues related with these losses in high power operation dictate the complexity of the design, which, in turn, impactsthe overall mass and ultimately complicates the spacecraft design. Classical materials are INVAR for low to medium power level and aluminium (inconfigurations with complex anddelicate thermal compensation mechanisms) for medium to high power channel filters.
The need for a temperature compensation mechanism to achieve the required frequency stability for high power levels (> 100W) leads to very challenging mechanical designs, complexassemblies and difficult tuning procedures.
Over the past 10 years there has been a shift from hardware built in INVAR to those in aluminium, to allow for the increase in power handling requirements but also taking advantage ofthe reduced mass and footprint.
Novel materials with very a low coefficient of thermal expansion and high thermal conductivity, like those based on advanced alloys (e.g. RSA-473, RSA-483) or metal-matrix composites, offer the possibility toovercome current limitations and eliminate the need for complex temperature compensation mechanisms.
In this activity, self-compensated OMUX channels based on novel materials shall be studied, developed to EM level, manufactured and tested.
The following work logic is foreseen:
- Study of the available advanced materials.
- Study of resonators types, topologies, thermal compensation solutions and materials for the realization of OMUX channel filters at Ku-band.
- Validation of the concept (over temperature and power) with representative samples.
- Design, manufacturing and testing including mechanical, thermal and high power validation.
Tender Specifics