Description
Objectives: The objective of this activity is to design, manufacture and test integrated circuits of the critical beamforming functions in silicon technologies, enabling Q/V-band electronically steerable antenna for satcom terminals. As a minimum, two types of integrated circuits will be developed. One chip shall be a multichannel transmit-receive beamforming radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC) and the second chip shall be a multichannel transmit-receive front end. Targeted Improvements: Enabling high-data rate electronically steerable Q/V band SATCOM terminals. Description: Deployment of Q/V band feeder links has accelerated, and Q/V band is expected be used also for high-throughput user links such as airborne terminals to leverage the available spectrum. As in Ku and Ka band, Q/V band terminals will require electronically steerable antenna. The architecture of a Q/V band electronically steerable antenna is expected to be similar to architectures used at Ku- and Ka-band, but key building blocks are not available in Europe. This activity will develop key building blocks enabling Q/V electronically steerable antennas for satcom terminals. A multi-channel beamforming transceiver and a transmitreceive front end with polarisation control will be designed, manufactured, and tested using European technology. Advanced packaging options will be selected (Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit (MMIC), Wafer-Level Chip Scale Packaging (WLCS), Ball Grid Array (BGA), System in Package (SiP), etc.) for the chips. Functionality will be tested in a sub-array configuration that will consist of a number of multi-channel beamforming transceivers connected to transmit-receive front ends.Procurement Policy: C(1) = Activity restricted to non-prime contractors (incl. SMEs). For additional information please go to: http://www.esa.int/About_Us/Business_with_ESA/Small_and_Medium_Sized_En…