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At least 145 records · Page 8

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NASA NTRS2006

Sensor And Method For Detecting A Superstrate

Method and apparatus are provided for determining a superstrate on or near a sensor, e.g., for detecting the presence of an ice superstrate on an airplane wing or a road. In one preferred embodiment, multiple measurement cells are disposed along a transmission line. While the present invention is operable with different types of transmission lines, construction details for a presently preferred coplanar waveguide and a microstrip waveguide are disclosed. A computer simulation is provided as part of the invention for predicting results of a simulated superstrate detector system. The measurement cells may be physically partitioned, nonphysically partitioned with software or firmware, or include a combination of different types of partitions. In one embodiment, a plurality of transmission lines are utilized wherein each transmission line includes a plurality of measurement cells. The plurality of transmission lines may be multiplexed with the signal from each transmission line being applied to the same phase detector. In one embodiment, an inverse problem method is applied to determine the superstrate dielectric for a transmission line with multiple measurement cells.

Arndt, G. Dickey↗

NASA NTRS2002

Improved equivalent circuit for twin slot terahertz receivers

Series-fed coplanar waveguide embedding circuits are being developed for terahertz mixers using, in particular, submicron-sized superconducting devices, such as hot electron bolometers as the nonlinear element. Although these mixers show promising performance, they usually also show a considerable downward shift in the center frequency, when compared with simulations obtained by using simplified models. This makes it very difficult to design low-noise mixers for a given THz frequency. This shiftis principally caused by parasitics due to the extremely small details (in terms of wavelength) of the device, and by the electrical properties of the RF choke filter in the DC/IF line. In this paper, we present an improved equivalent network model of such mixer circuits which agrees with measured results at THz frequencies and we propose a new set of THz bolometric mixers that have been fabricated and are currently being tested.

HEB slot antennas CPW↗

NASA NTRS1995

High Power Photodetectors for Space Communications Applications

High power photodetectors in coplanar waveguide and distributed traveling-wave structures have been under development for communications applications. The distributed photodetectors demonstrated 70percent efficiency with a linear response up to 25 mW of optical power input.

High Power Photodetectors↗

NASA NTRS2007

High-Temperature Characterization of Alumina Substrates and Folded Slot Antenna

The characterization of 99.6% polycrystalline alumina substrates and folded slot antennas is presented in this paper. Coplanar Waveguide (CPW) calibration standards where fabricated on 99.6% polycrystalline alumina substrates. Thru-Reflect-Line (TRL) calibrations were performed at temperatures of 25 to 400 C over a frequency range from 0.5 to 50 GHz. The effective dielectric constant of the alumina substrates was determined to be relatively constant at 5.4 from 25 to 200 C and then increased steadily to approximately 6 at 400 C. The loss of the CPW lines increased as temperature and frequency increased as well noting that the increase in loss is even more profound as both the temperature and frequency increased simultaneously. A CPW fed folded slot antenna fabricated on the alumina substrates is also presented. The Return Loss (RL) of a CPW fed folded slot antenna exhibits a self impedance matching technique. The RL of the folded slot antenna at 25 C displays a resonance at 3.5 GHz and is approximately 16 dB in magnitude. At 300 C the resonance shifts down in frequency to approximately 3.3 dB and has roughly the same magnitude. However the loss of the antenna response also increases at this elevated temperature. This work is part of the initial stages of an effort at NASA Glenn research Center to develop wireless sensors for harsh environments. This work can reduce cost, space to house all the hard wired connections, and reduce the weight of the overall units such as aerospace engines and allow for the placement of the wireless sensors in the engine which are not possible with hard wired sensors.

Scardelletti, Maximilian C.↗

NASA NTRS2007

Electrically Small Folded Slot Antenna Utilizing Capacitive Loaded Slot Lines

This paper presents an electrically small, coplanar waveguide fed, folded slot antenna that uses capacitive loading. Several antennas are fabricated with and without capacitive loading to demonstrate the ability of this design approach to reduce the resonant frequency of the antenna, which is analogous to reducing the antenna size. The antennas are fabricated on Cu-clad Rogers Duriod(TM) 6006 with multilayer chip capacitors to load the antennas. Simulated and measured results show close agreement, thus, validating the approach. The electrically small antennas have a measured return loss greater than 15 dB and a gain of 5.4, 5.6, and 2.7 dBi at 4.3, 3.95, and 3.65 GHz, respectively.

Scardelletti, Maximilian C.↗

NASA NTRS2009

100-GHz Phase Switch/Mixer Containing a Slot-Line Transition

A circuit that can function as a phase switch, frequency mixer, or frequency multiplier operates over a broad frequency range in the vicinity of 100 GHz. Among the most notable features of this circuit is a grounded uniplanar transition (in effect, a balun) between a slot line and one of two coplanar waveguides (CPWs). The design of this circuit is well suited to integration of the circuit into a microwave monolithic integrated circuit (MMIC) package. One CPW is located at the input end and one at the output end of the top side of a substrate on which the circuit is fabricated (see Figure 1). The input CPW feeds the input signal to antiparallel flip-chip Schottky diodes connected to the edges of the slot line. Phase switching is effected by the combination of (1) the abrupt transition from the input CPW to the slot line and (2) CPW ground tuning effected by switching of the bias on the diodes. Grounding of the slot metal to the bottom metal gives rise to a frequency cutoff in the slot. This cutoff is valuable for separating different frequency components when the circuit is used as a mixer or multiplier. Proceeding along the slot line toward the output end, one encounters the aforementioned transition, which couples the slot line to the output CPW. Impedance tuning of the transition is accomplished by use of a high-impedance section immediately before the transition.

Gaier, Todd↗

NASA NTRS2008

Compact, Single-Stage MMIC InP HEMT Amplifier

A monolithic micro - wave integrated-circuit (MMIC) singlestage amplifier containing an InP-based high-electron-mobility transistor (HEMT) plus coplanar-waveguide (CPW) transmission lines for impedance matching and input and output coupling, all in a highly miniaturized layout as needed for high performance at operating frequencies of hundreds of gigahertz is described.

Pukala, David↗

NASA NTRS2008

Three-Stage InP Submillimeter-Wave MMIC Amplifier

A submillimeter-wave monolithic integrated- circuit (S-MMIC) amplifier has been designed and fabricated using an indium phosphide (InP) 35-nm gate-length high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) device, developed at Northrop Grumman Corporation. The HEMT device employs two fingers each 15 micrometers wide. The HEMT wafers are grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) and make use of a pseudomorphic In0.75Ga0.25As channel, a silicon delta-doping layer as the electron supply, an In0.52Al0.48As buffer layer, and an InP substrate. The three-stage design uses coplanar waveguide topology with a very narrow ground-to-ground spacing of 14 micrometers. Quarter-wave matching transmission lines, on-chip metal-insulator-metal shunt capacitors, series thin-film resistors, and matching stubs were used in the design. Series resistors in the shunt branch arm provide the basic circuit stabilization. The S-MMIC amplifier was measured for S-parameters and found to be centered at 320 GHz with 13-15-dB gain from 300-345 GHz. This chip was developed as part of the DARPA Submillimeter Wave Imaging Focal Plane Technology (SWIFT) program (see figure). Submillimeter-wave amplifiers could enable more sensitive receivers for earth science, planetary remote sensing, and astrophysics telescopes, particularly in radio astronomy, both from the ground and in space. A small atmospheric window at 340 GHz exists and could enable ground-based observations. However, the submillimeter-wave regime (above 300 GHz) is best used for space telescopes as Earth s atmosphere attenuates most of the signal through water and oxygen absorption. Future radio telescopes could make use of S-MMIC amplifiers for wideband, low noise, instantaneous frequency coverage, particularly in the case of heterodyne array receivers.

Pukala, David↗

NASA NTRS2007

Recent Results of a New Microwave SQUID Multiplexer

We are developing a proof-of-concept microwave SQUID multiplexer containing four SQUIDs coupled to GHz frequency resonant circuits and fed with a single microwave readout line. The resonators are half-wave coplanar waveguide sections and are similar to the structures used for the microwave kinetic inductance detectors developed in our group. Optimal values for the interdigital gap capacitors were determined to maximize the sensitivity of the transmitted and reflected microwave signal with respect to changes in the dynamic resistance of the SQUID. The dc current-bias line for the SQUID has an in-line inductive high frequency filter to minimize coupling between the bias line and resonator. A high frequency modulation scheme is proposed to eliminate the need for individual flux biasing of the SQUIDs, which extends the dynamic range of the readout. In this scheme a common modulation signal is imposed on each SQUID and the received signal is demodulated at one and two times the modulation frequency to maintain sensitivity at any flux state. We present the recent results of the microwave SQUID multiplexer system operating at a readout frequency range of 10 - 11GHz.

superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID↗

NASA NTRS2007

Optically Transparent Split-Ring Antennas for 1 to 10 GHz

Split-ring antennas made from optically transparent, electrically conductive films have been invented for applications in which there are requirements for compact antennas capable of operation over much or all of the frequency band from 1 to 10 GHz. Primary examples of such applications include wireless local-area networks and industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) applications. These antennas can be conveniently located on such surfaces as those of automobile windows and display screens of diverse hand-held electronic units. They are fabricated by conventional printed-circuit techniques and can easily be integrated with solid-state amplifier circuits to enhance gain. The structure of an antenna of this type includes an antenna/feed layer supported on the top or outer face of a dielectric (e.g., glass) and, optionally, a ground layer on the bottom or inner face of the substrate. The ring can be in the form of either a conductive strip or a slot in the antenna/feed layer. The ring can be of rectangular, square, circular, elliptical, or other suitable shape and can be excited by means of a microstrip, slot line, or coplanar waveguide. For example, the antenna shown in the figure features a square conductive-strip split ring with a microstrip feed. In general, an antenna fed at its external boundary in the manner of this invention presents very high impedance, thereby creating an impedance-matching problem. Splitting the ring . that is, cutting a notch through the ring . offers a solution to the problem in that the notch fixes the location of maximum electric field, which location is directly related to the impedance. Thus, an excellent impedance match can be achieved through proper choice of the location of the notch. In geometric layout, such a ring antenna structure is typically between 1.4 and 1.3 the size of a patch antenna capable of operating in the same frequency range. This miniaturization of the antenna is desirable, not only because it contributes to overall miniaturization of equipment, but also because minimization of the extent of the optically transparent, electrically conductive film helps to minimize the electrical loss associated with the surface resistance ( 5 ohms per square) of the transparent, electrically conductive film material. Incidentally, even at 5 ohms per square, this surface resistance is significantly less than that of indium tin oxide film (typically > 25 ohms per square), which, heretofore has been the transparent, electrically conductive film material of choice. At the time of writing this article, information on the composition of the lower-resistance film used in the antennas of this invention was not available.

Lee, Richard Q.↗

NASA NTRS2010

Planar Submillimeter-Wave Mixer Technology with Integrated Antenna

High-performance mixers at terahertz frequencies require good matching between the coupling circuits such as antennas and local oscillators and the diode embedding impedance. With the availability of amplifiers at submillimeter wavelengths and the need to have multi-pixel imagers and cameras, planar mixer architecture is required to have an integrated system. An integrated mixer with planar antenna provides a compact and optimized design at terahertz frequencies. Moreover, it leads to a planar architecture that enables efficient interconnect with submillimeter-wave amplifiers. In this architecture, a planar slot antenna is designed on a thin gallium arsenide (GaAs) membrane in such a way that the beam on either side of the membrane is symmetric and has good beam profile with high coupling efficiency. A coplanar waveguide (CPW) coupled Schottky diode mixer is designed and integrated with the antenna. In this architecture, the local oscillator (LO) is coupled through one side of the antenna and the RF from the other side, without requiring any beam sp litters or diplexers. The intermediate frequency (IF) comes out on a 50-ohm CPW line at the edge of the mixer chip, which can be wire-bonded to external circuits. This unique terahertz mixer has an integrated single planar antenna for coupling both the radio frequency (RF) input and LO injection without any diplexer or beamsplitters. The design utilizes novel planar slot antenna architecture on a 3- mthick GaAs membrane. This work is required to enable future multi-pixel terahertz receivers for astrophysics missions, and lightweight and compact receivers for planetary missions to the outer planets in our solar system. Also, this technology can be used in tera hertz radar imaging applications as well as for testing of quantum cascade lasers (QCLs).

Chattopadhyay, Gautam↗

NASA NTRS2005

HEMT Frequency Doubler with Output at 300 GHz

An active frequency doubler in the form of an InP-based monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) containing a high-electron-mobility transistor (HEMT) has been demonstrated in operation at output frequencies in the vicinity of 300 GHz. This is the highestfrequency HEMT doubler reported to date, the next-highest-frequency active HEMT doubler having been previously reported to operate at 180 GHz. While the output power of this frequency doubler is less than that of a typical Schottky diode, this frequency doubler is considered an intermediate product of a continuing effort to realize the potential of active HEMT frequency doublers to operate with conversion efficiencies greater than those of passive diode frequency doublers. An additional incentive for developing active HEMT frequency doublers lies in the fact that they can be integrated with amplifiers, oscillators, and other circuitry on MMIC chips. The circuitry of the doubler MMIC (see Figure 1) features grounded coplanar waveguides. Air bridges and vias are used to make contact with the ground plane. The HEMT is biased for Class-A operation (in which current is conducted throughout each cycle of oscillation), which would ordinarily be better suited to linear amplification than to frequency doubling. Ordinarily, class-B operation (in which current is conducted during about half of each cycle of oscillation) would be more suitable for frequency doubling because of the essential nonlinearity of partial-cycle conduction. The reason for the unusual choice of class A was that computational simulations had shown that in this case, the efficiency in class B would be less than in class A. The input matching circuit of this doubler includes transmission lines that afford a good impedance match at the fundamental frequency, plus an open stub to prevent leakage of the second harmonic through the input terminals. The output circuit was designed to suppress the fundamental while providing a good match for the second harmonic.

Samoska, Lorene↗

NASA NTRS2010

PVD Silicon Carbide as a Thin Film Packaging Technology for Antennas on LCP Substrates for Harsh Environments

This paper describes an effort to develop a thin film packaging technology for microfabricated planar antennas on polymeric substrates based on silicon carbide (SiC) films deposited by physical vapor deposition (PVD). The antennas are coplanar waveguide fed dual frequency folded slot antennas fabricated on liquid crystal polymer (LCP) substrates. The PVD SiC thin films were deposited directly onto the antennas by RF sputtering at room temperature at a chamber pressure of 30 mTorr and a power level of 300 W. The SiC film thickness is 450 nm. The return loss and radiation patterns were measured before and after the SiC-coated antennas were submerged into perchloric acid for 1 hour. No degradation in RF performance or physical integrity of the antenna was observed.

Scardelletti, Maximilian C.↗

NASA NTRS2003

80-GHz MMIC HEMT Voltage-Controlled Oscillator

A voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) that operates in the frequency range from 77.5 to 83.5 GHz has been constructed in the form of a monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) that includes high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs). This circuit is a prototype of electronically tunable signal sources in the 75-to-110-GHz range, needed for communication, imaging, and automotive radar applications, among others. This oscillator (see Figure 1) includes two AlInAs/GaInAs/InP HEMTs. One HEMT serves mainly as an oscillator gain element. The other HEMT serves mainly as a varactor for controlling the frequency: the frequency-control element is its gate-to-source capacitance, which is varied by changing its gate supply voltage. The gain HEMT is biased for class-A operation (meaning that current is conducted throughout the oscillation cycle). Grounded coplanar waveguides are used as impedance-matching transmission lines, the input and output matching being chosen to sustain oscillation and maximize output power. Air bridges are placed at discontinuities to suppress undesired slot electromagnetic modes. A high density of vias is necessary for suppressing a parallel-plate electromagnetic mode that is undesired because it can propagate energy into the MMIC substrate. Previous attempts at constructing HEMT-based oscillators yielded circuits with relatively low levels of output power and narrow tuning ranges. For example, one HEMT VCO reported in the literature had an output power of 7 dBm (.5 mW) and a tuning range 2-GHz wide centered approximately at a nominal frequency of 77 GHz. In contrast, as shown in Figure 2, the present MMIC HEMT VCO puts out a power of 12.5 dBm (.18 mW) or more over the 6-GHz-wide frequency range from 77.5 to 83.5 GHz

Samoska, Lorene↗

NASA NTRS2003

120-GHz HEMT Oscillator With Surface-Wave-Assisted Antenna

Two monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs) have been designed and built to function together as a source of electromagnetic radiation at a frequency of 120 GHz. One of the MMICs is an oscillator and is the highest-power 120-GHz oscillator reported thus far in the literature. The other MMIC is an end-fire antenna that radiates the oscillator signal. Although these MMICs were constructed as separate units and electrically connected with wire bonds, future oscillator/ antenna combinations could readily be fabricated as monolithic integrated units. Such units could be used as relatively high-power solid-state microwave sources in diverse applications that include automotive radar, imaging, scientific instrumentation, communications, and radio astronomy. As such, these units would be attractive alternatives to vacuum-tube oscillators, which are still used to obtain acceptably high power in the frequency range of interest. The oscillator (see figure) includes a high-electron-mobility transistor (HEMT), with gate-periphery dimensions of 4 by 37 m, in a common-source configuration. The series feedback element of the oscillator is a grounded coplanar waveguide (CPW) at the source. The HEMT is biased for class-A operation (meaning that current is conducted throughout the oscillation cycle) to maximize the output power of the oscillator. Input and output impedance-matching circuit elements are designed to maximize output power and to establish the conditions needed for oscillation. The design of the antenna takes advantage of surface waves, which, heretofore, have been regarded as highly disadvantageous because they can leak power and degrade the performances of antennas that have not been designed to exploit them. Measures taken to suppress surface waves have included complex machining of circuit substrates and addition of separate substrates. These measures are difficult to implement in standard MMIC fabrication processes. In contrast, because the design of the present antenna eliminates the need to suppress surface waves, the fabrication of the antenna is fully compatible with standard MMIC fabrication processes.

Samoska, Lorene↗

NASA NTRS2003

164-GHz MMIC HEMT Frequency Doubler

A monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) that includes a high-electron-mobility transistor (HEMT) has been developed as a prototype of improved frequency doublers for generating signals at frequencies greater than 100 GHz. Signal sources that operate in this frequency range are needed for a variety of applications, notably including general radiometry and, more specifically, radiometric remote sensing of the atmosphere. Heretofore, it has been common practice to use passive (diode-based) frequency multipliers to obtain frequencies greater than 100 GHz. Unfortunately, diode-based frequency multipliers are plagued by high DC power consumption and low conversion efficiency. Moreover, multiplier diodes are not easily integrated with such other multiplier-circuit components as amplifiers and oscillators. The goals of developing the present MMIC HEMT frequency doubler were (1) to utilize the HEMT as an amplifier to increase conversion efficiency (more precisely, to reduce conversion loss), thereby increasing the output power for a given DC power consumption or, equivalently, reducing the DC power consumption for a given output power; and (2) to provide for the integration of amplifier and oscillator components on the same chip. The MMIC frequency doubler (see Figure 1) contains an AlInAs/GaInAs/InP HEMT biased at pinch-off to make it function as a class-B amplifier (meaning that it conducts in half-cycle pulses). Grounded coplanar waveguides (GCPWs) are used as impedance-matching transmission lines. Air bridges are placed at discontinuities to suppress undesired slot electromagnetic modes. Another combination of GCPWs also serves both as a low-pass filter to suppress undesired oscillations at frequencies below 60 GHz and as a DC blocker. Large decoupling capacitors and epitaxial resistors are added in the drain and gate lines to suppress bias oscillations. At the output terminal, the fundamental frequency is suppressed by a quarter-wave open stub, which presents a short circuit at the fundamental frequency and an open circuit at the second harmonic. At an input power of 7 mW, the output power and conversion loss at an output frequency of 164 GHz were found to be 5 dBm (approximately equal to 3.2 mW) and 2 dB, respectively, with a 3-dB output-power bandwidth of 14 GHz. This is the best performance reported to date for an MMIC HEMT frequency doubler above 100 GHz.

Samoska, Lorene↗

NASA NTRS2003

Techniques for Characterizing Microwave Printed Antennas

The combination of a de-embedding technique and a direct on-substrate measurement technique has been devised to enable measurement of the electrical characteristics (impedances, scattering parameters, and gains) of microwave printed antennas that may be formed integrally with feed networks that include slot lines, coplanar striplines, and/or coplanar waveguides. The combination of techniques eliminates the need for custom test fixtures, including transitions between (1) coaxial or waveguide feed lines in typical test equipment and (2) the planar waveguide structures of the printed circuits under test. The combination of techniques can be expected to be especially useful for rapid, inexpensive, and accurate characterization of antennas for miniature wireless communication units that operate at frequencies from a few to tens of gigahertz.

Simons, Rainee↗

NASA NTRS2011

Broadband Via-Less Microwave Crossover Using Microstrip-CPW Transitions

The front-to-back interface between microstrip and CPW (coplanar waveguide) typically requires complex fabrication or has high radiation loss. The microwave crossover typically requires a complex fabrication step. The prior art in microstrip-CPW transition requires a physical vias connection between the microstrip and CPW line on a separate layer. The via-less version of this transition was designed empirically and does not have a close form solution. The prior art of the micro wave crossover requires either additional substrate or wire bond as an air bridge to isolate two microwave lines at the crossing junction. The disadvantages are high radiation loss, no analytical solution to the problem, lengthy simulation time, and complex fabrication procedures to generate air bridges or via. The disadvantage of the prior crossover is a complex fabrication procedure, which also affects the device reliability and yield. This microstrip-CPW transition is visualized as two microstrip-slotline transitions combined in a way that the radiation from two slotlines cancels each other out. The invention is designed based on analytical methods; thus, it significantly reduces the development time. The crossover requires no extra layer to cross two microwave signals and has low radiation loss. The invention is simple to fabricate and design. It produces low radiation loss and can be designed with low insertion loss, with some tradeoff with signal isolation. The microstrip-CPW transition is used as an interface to connect between the device and the circuit outside the package. The via-less microwave crossover is used to allow two signals to cross without using an extra layer or fabrication processing step to enable this function. This design allows the solution to be determined entirely though analytical techniques. In addition, a planar via-less microwave crossover using this technique was proposed. The experimental results show that the proposed crossover at 5 GHz has a minimum isolation of 32 dB. It also has low in-band insertion loss and return loss of 1.2 dB and 18 dB, respectively, over more than 44 percent of bandwidth at room temperature. This microstrip-CPW transition requires the microstrip line to be split into two sections. Each section is connected to a microstrip quarter-wavelength openended stub. A slotline is also placed perpendicular to the microstrip section. The slot is connected to a grounded-end quarter-wavelength slotline and generates a microstrip-slotline transition. When two of these sections are placed in parallel and with the microstrip section combined at transition, a microstrip- CPW transition is formed. The slotline radiation is suppressed as two slots are excited with the electric field in an opposite direction, which cancels the radiation in far field. The invention on the crossover consists of the invented microstrip-CPW transitions combined back-to-back and a microstrip low-pass filter. One signal is crossed through to the microstrip layer, while the other signal is crossed through the CPW line located on the ground plane of the microstrip line. The microstrip low-pass filter produces a narrow line at the crossing point to enhance the system isolation. It also produces broadband response in the operating frequency band. The microstrip-CPW transition allows a microwave signal to travel from microstrip line to CPW line with low radiation loss. The crossover allows two microwave signals to cross with minimal parasitic coupling.

Stevenson, Thomas↗