A 94 GHz RF Electronics Subsystem for the CloudSat Cloud Profiling Radar

Author

Labelle, R. ; Girard, Ralph ; Arbery, Graham

Author_Institution

Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Technol., Pasadena, CA, USA

Volume

3

fYear

2003

fDate

7-9 Oct. 2003

Firstpage

1139

Abstract

The CloudSat spacecraft, scheduled for launch in 2004, will carry the 94 GHz Cloud Profiling Radar (CPR) instrument. The design, assembly and test of the flight Radio Frequency Electronics Subsystem (RFES) for this instrument has been completed and is presented here. The RFES consists of an Upconverter (which includes an Exciter and two Drive Amplifiers (DA´s)), a Receiver, and a Transmitter Calibrator assembly. Some key performance parameters of the RFES are as follows: dual 100 mW pulse-modulated drive outputs at 94 GHz, overall Receiver noise figure <5.0 dB, a highly stable W-band noise source to provide knowledge accuracy of Receiver gain of <0.4 dB over the 2 year mission life, and a W-band peak power detector to monitor the transmitter output power to within 0.5 dB over life. Some recent monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) designs were utilized which implement the DA´s in 0.1 um GaAs high electron-mobility transistor (HEMT) technology and the Receiver low-noise amplifier (LNA) in 0.1 um InP HEMT technology.

Keywords

III-V semiconductors; MIMIC; MMIC amplifiers; exciters; gallium arsenide; high electron mobility transistors; indium compounds; millimetre wave amplifiers; millimetre wave receivers; radar receivers; radar transmitters; spaceborne radar; 0.1 micron; 0.1 um GaAs high electron-mobility transistor technology; 100 mW; 94 GHz; 94 GHz flight RF electronics subsystem; AD 2004; GaAs; InP; InP HEMT technology; MMIC; W-band peak power detector; cloudsat cloud profiling radar; drive amplifiers; exciter; highly stable W-band noise source; mission life; monolithic microwave integrated circuit designs; pulse-modulated drive outputs; receiver low-noise amplifier; receiver noise figure; transmitter calibrator assembly; transmitter output power; upconverter; Aerospace electronics; Assembly; Clouds; Electronic equipment testing; HEMTs; Instruments; Pulse amplifiers; Radar; Radio frequency; Radio transmitters;

fLanguage

English

Publisher

ieee

Conference_Titel

Microwave Conference, 2003. 33rd European

Print_ISBN

1-58053-834-7

Type

conf

DOI

10.1109/EUMC.2003.1262856

Filename

1262856