Submillimetre-wave receiver developments for ICI onboard MetOP-SG and ice cloud remote sensing instruments

The development of heterodyne receiver channels at frequencies ranging from 183 GHz up to 664 GHz, and compatible with the requirements of both the ICI instrument onboard MetOp-SG and the ISMAR instrument onboard the FAAM aircraft are presented. In order to optimize the performance VS cost factor, multi-channels architecture that enhances commonalities as well as maximum redundancies in the use of planar Schottky diode is adopted. The performance of each component is close if not at the state-of-the-art. For these receivers, broadband high power and high efficiency mutlipliers, and also high sensitivity subharmonic mixers are required. These developments are also possible thanks to the availability of novel test equipment systems such as VNA and Spectrum Analyser extenders up to 750 GHz in order to characterize fully each component. Performance of these submillimetre wave test equipment systems developed by RPG is also presented.