MMIC technologies drive new trends in phased array radar
The history of phased array transmission can be traced back to 1905 when Karl Ferdinand Braun demonstrated transmission of radio waves in one direction. It was put into practical use in World War II to aid aircraft landing. It gained popularity in 2000s, with the advancement in compound semiconductor technology. Today, these ground-based radars are not enough to meet the requirements for military and aviation use.
Smaller, cheaper yet high-performing phased array radar is realizable with newer and more advanced components, processing and architectural technologies. Traditionally, phased array radars were bulky and costly. Now with the prevalence of unmanned vehicles and requirements of handheld devices, there are increasing demand of light-weight and low-cost phased array systems. The advancements in modern MMIC technologies will help to address these new demands.
Highly integrated MMICs greatly reduce Size, Weight, Power and Cost (SWaP-C)
Semiconductor material is an important consideration factor as well. Modern semiconductor components are usually available in different materials, of course different fabrication techniques too, a choice between them is not straight forward. For example, GaAs Low-Noise Amplifiers (LNAs) often give better performance in noise figure, GaN Power Amplifiers (PAs) exhibit high gain at high frequencies, and SiGe PAs may provide improved power-added efficiency.
Besides choosing the components, system design is another step to plan efficient SWaP-C. System design can never be isolated from components, a system is made up of numerous components. However, a lot of existing components in the market are generic components for multiple purposes. This does in a way reduce the cost of components. However, the design of the components may not always be optimized to suit the application.
arQana – A*STAR Master Research Collaboration
arQana technologies and A*STAR have entered a Master Research Collaboration Agreement to jointly develop capabilities in mmWave phased array system for some specific applications, such as drone detection radar, SATCOM on the Move aka SOTM and 5G infrastructure. Through this collaboration, arQana expects to integrate the MMIC and antenna within the package while still maintaining a high-performing system and increasing cost effectiveness— an optimal level of integration that is not currently available.