Project Title:
A High-Power, Wide-Band, Synthesized Source for 90 Gigahertz
08.14-8551G
911154
A High-Power, Wide-Band, Synthesized Source for 90 Gigahertz
Millitech Corporation
South Deerfield Research Park, P.O. Box 109
South Deerfield
MA
01373
Chandra
Gupta
413-665-8551
JPL
NAS7-1160
161
08.14-8551G
911154
Abstract:
A High-Power, Wide-Band, Synthesized Source for 90 Gigahertz
Very wide-band, electrically tuned sources with coverage of at least 1000 GHz are
needed for future space missions. While it is likely that these will use a chain
of varactor multipliers, the driver oscillator for this chain is problematic. One
approach might be to use a Gunn oscillator in the 80 GHz to 100 GHz range, but this
has severe problems in achieving a wide electrical bandwidth at the required power
level. An alternative driver consisting of a high-power millimeter wave amplifier
near 44 GHz followed by a doubler specially designed to handle the high input power
will be analyzed. This amplifier may be driven in turn by a microwave synthesizer
followed by a low-order multiplier. Wide bandwidth should be readily achieved with
this approach, while tuning becomes much easier. The power consumption appears competitive
with the Gunn oscillator approach and should approach the 5 W to 10 W goal. Size
and weight will be small, and reliability should be excellent. The firm will design
for the 90 GHz doubler with a goal of producing over 100 mW output over a 10 percent
fractional bandwidth, and study the suitability of present millimeter wave power
amplifiers as drivers and the problems related to the synthesizer such as spectral
purity and linewidth.
The application is as a key component in a wideband submillimeter local oscillator
system. The system may also be used as a frequency-agile transmitter in the 90 GHz
range, as a high-power swept test source, and as a driver for submillimeter radar
cross section modeling systems or submillimeter materials measurement systems.
submillimeter sources, multiplied sources, high-power millimeter wave sources, frequency
agile millimeter wave sources, frequency agile millimeter wave sources