Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Tech Transfer
W-Band Solid State Power Amplifier for Remote Sensing Radars, Phase II
Project Description
High power, compact, reliable and affordable power amplifiers operating in the W-band (94 GHz region) are critical to realizing transmitters for many NASA missions and other significant applications for remote sensing and environmental measurements. QuinStar Technology proposes novel approach for a family of solid state power amplifiers (SSPA) that will exceed the performance and operational requirements for measurement instruments and monitoring equipment of the future. Proposed approach is based on optimal combination of unique techniques for highly efficient and yet robust power combining, circuit integration and innovative packaging methods. This also leads to affordable products suitable for space, airborne as well as terrestrial applications. Key features of the proposed implementation are: scalability of power output, compact, lightweight, flexible architecture and high reliability with very significant potential for performance improvement and price reduction as MMIC device technology matures further. Initial objective of proposed effort is to achieve greater than 50 Watts of power output at 94 GHz at greater than 20% duty cycle and with 40 dB or more gain. Phase II work will focus on innovative robust designs for power combining, packaging and select device/material s. Phase II effort will lead to a producible and scalable design baseline that will be used in Phase III for manufacturing deployable products.
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Anticipated Benefits
High power SSPAs operating at 94 GHz are needed for a wide range of radars and sensors for atmospheric measurements or environmental monitoring, specifically clouds profiling, mapping light precipitation and snow. Many of these radars are airborne, often on high altitude UAVs. Another application is for mapping super-cooled moist air and wind shear. Dual-frequency cloud-profiling radar is being planned for deployment on the International Space Station. Other ground-based radars for research also utilize high power SSPA. Long-term objective is to completely eliminate the need for any tube-based power amplifiers from the transmitter of these instruments. A very significant application of the W-band SSPA is for the advanced 94 GHz cloud profiling radar in the future Aerosol/Cloud Ecosystem Mission (ACE) to study and measure aerosols, clouds, air quality and ocean ecosystem beyond the scope of prior missions such as CloudSat and EarthCARE. Instrumentation radars which aid in the development of tactical radars in the W-band is yet another application of the proposed high power SSPAs. Many diverse applications of high power SSPA for W-band transmitters are found in the non-NASA environment, ranging from Helicopter Collision Warning and Brownout Degraded Vision sensor to industrial and military surveillance and security sensors. In addition, airborne and ground-based environmental monitoring instruments would greatly benefit from affordable, light-weight compact power amplifiers at 94 GHz. Some of the governmental agencies involved in this work are: Department of Commerce, Department of Energy, Federal Aviation Administration, NOAA, Department of Defense, to name a few. Measurement and monitoring of clear air turbulence (CAT), severe weather and clouds would significantly gain from the development of a cost effective high power SSPA. Future aircraft landing systems (electronic enhanced vision systems) envision the use of SSPA in their transmitters. Space-based cloud profiling radars are envisaged for deployment in low-earth orbits by many space agencies world-wide. A space-qualified W-band SSPA will significantly increase the economic viability and mission success of these future programs. Security and Surveillance-related applications will also benefit from use of high power SSPAs
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Project Library
Primary U.S. Work Locations and Key Partners
| Organizations Performing Work | Role | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quinstar Technology, Inc | Lead Organization |
Industry
Minority-Owned Business
|
Torrance, California |
Goddard Space Flight Center
(GSFC)
|
Supporting Organization | NASA Center | Greenbelt, Maryland |
Primary U.S. Work Locations
-
California
-
Maryland
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