Description
The objective of this activity is to design, develop and test a high-power Tx/Rx W-band diplexer for ground terminals.Targeted Improvements:Enabling technology for ground stations W-band gateway links with high power handling and low PIM.Description:The useof the available spectrum in W-band (71-76 GHz for downlink and 81-86 GHz for uplink) is attractive to satcom systems asit could beadopted in the gateway of Very High Throughput Satellites (VHTS), complementing the resources available in the Q/V-bandf requency range thus increasing the overall available bandwidth. System level studies indicate that the W-band feeder link requires transmitters capable to deliver RF power output in the range of 500 W over 5 GHz instantaneous frequency bandwidth. This activity targets the high-power ground segment diplexer where the transmission is done at W-band. For this band the main issue is that the diplexer shall withstand the power required to transmit from the ground station. Depending on the available power sources at W-band, different combining approaches could be considered such as broadband combiners or the narrowband combination of multiple power sources.The development of this W-band diplexer is a key enabler for future ground base stations based on W-band feeder links with an efficient use ofthe W-band spectrum. As a first step, the activity shall assess possible solutions based on trade-offs related to power handling, Tx combination approach (if any) and RF performances. Thermal and mechanical aspects must also be considered due to the high sensitivityof the RF performance to dimensional deviations at the targeted frequency and power levels. Subsequently, a prototype shall be designed, manufactured and tested to evaluate the RF performances, power handling, PIM (Passive Inter Modulation), and thermal aspects.Footnote: On Delegation Request activities will only be initiated on the explicit request of at least one National Delegation.http://www.esa.int/About_Us/Business_with_ESA/Small_and_Medium_Sized_En…