Description
The objective of the activity is to develop a highly integrated, scalable Ku or Ka-band TX/RX direct radiating array, for versatileconnectivity missions in low earth orbit. Critical breadboarding will be carried out, levering the advances in Mm-wave silicon technologies and advanced packaging techniques to achieve a high degree of integration. Targeted Improvements: Enabling highly integrated combined transmit and receive active antenna with a large number of elements, for low earth orbit applications, not existing today. Description: Mm-wave silicon technologies together with advanced packaging and printed circuit board technologies are the key enablers of high-volume active antennas today. To achieve the equivalent isotropic radiated power (EIRP) required by LEO constellation satellites, power levels of up to 20dBm are needed in 2000+ element class arrays. At the same time, noise figure levels approaching 1dB at Ka band can significantly improve the performance of next generation arrays. Multibeam beamforming operation can be obtained by several beamforming strategies that have only been possible thanks to the recent advancements in silicon technologies. To allow affordable high-volume manufacturing of reliable arrays, packaging and PCB integration are of equal importance as the semiconductor technology itself and they all need to be considered in co-design. This activity will develop in a first step a scalable Ku- or Ka-band direct array transmit and receive architecture taking into account aspects including beamforming, low noise and high-efficiency power amplification, filtering, control, switching, interconnections, PCB routing and thermal control. Mm-wave silicon technologies and packaging techniques will be reviewed, and a technology baseline will be selected for all critical antenna elements. Thermal management and spacecraft accommodation will be taken into account to maximise integration. In a second step a sub-array breadboard with radiating elements will be designed manufactured and tested. The breadboard shall be sufficient to evaluate the functionality of thedirect radiating architecture and to test the RF and thermal management concept.