Practical Aspects of Active Phased Array Antenna Development

Chapter 1 Practical Aspects of Active Phased Array Antenna Development


1.1 Introduction

1.2 Active phased array antenna system

1.3 Passive phased array antenna

1.4 Passive phased array antenna limitations

1.5 Active phased array antenna

1.6 Key radar system-level advantages of active phased arrays over passive phased arrays are
summarized below:

1.6.1 Increased Sensitivity

1.6.2 Improved Target Detection in Clutter

1.6.3 Improved Waveform and Pattern Flexibility

1.6.4 Improved Wideband Operation

1.6.5 Increased reliability

1.6.6 Reduced prime power requirement

1.6.7 Reduced Cost

1.6.8 Lower Noise Temperature/Figure

1.6.9 Adaptive and digital beamforming



Chapter 2 Analysis And Design Of Linear And Planar Phased Arrays


2.1 Introduction

2.2 Analysis of Linear Arrays

2.3 Low sidelobes for Linear Arrays

2.4 Low sidelobe aperture distributions

2.4.1 Dolph-Cheveshev aperture distribution

2.4.2 Taylor distribution for linear arrays

2.4.3 Bayliss distribution for difference patterns

2.4.4 Implementation of monopulse beams for an active planar phased array antenna

2.5 Analysis and Synthesis of Planar Arrays

2.5.1 Rectangular grid

2.5.2 Triangular array element grid

2.6 Comparison of rectangular and triangular grids

2.7 Minimize the number of elements for a grating lobe-free pattern using a tilted array

2.8 Directivity and Gain of Active Arrays

2.9 Effect of amplitude and phase errors on the phased array antenna performance

2.9.1 Quantization errors

2.9.2 RMS sidelobe level due to amplitude and phase errors

2.10 Beam Pointing Error Due to Phase Quantization

2.11 Bandwidth criteria for active phased array antennas

2.11.1 Instantaneous bandwidth

2.11.2 Phased array operating bandwidth

2.12 Moderate instantaneous wide bandwidth array by applying amplitude taper in the receiver

2.13 Concluding remarks



Chapter 3 Transmit /Receive Modules


3.1 Introduction

3.2 T/R module architecture

3.2.1 Control module

3.2.2 Integration of T/R module with DC to DC converter

3.2.3 Shared leg T/R module architecture

3.3 Active phased array performance improvement

3.3.1 GaN wide bandgap power amplifiers

3.4. T/R module key performance parameters

3.4.1 Power added efficiency

3.4.2 T/R Module Noise Figure

3.4.3 Noise Figure of a Cascaded Network

3.4.4 T/R module noise temperature

3.4.5 1-dB compression point

3.4.6 Third-order intercept point (TOI or IP3)

3.5 T/R Module Architecture Module Tradeoffs

3.6 T/R module architectures for circular polarization

3.7 T/R module construction

3.8 Thermal stack up of the T/R module

3.9 Integration of MMIC, control module, and DC-DC converters

3.10 T/R module stability

3.11 T/R Module Reliability

3.12 T/R module cost

3.13 Performance requirements of T/R modules

3.14 Application of Silicon Germanium (SiGe) BiCMOS Technology in T/R modules (this
section provided by Dr. Eric Holzman)

3.15 Concluding remarks

Chapter 4 Beamformer Architectures for Active Phased Array Antennas


4.1 Introduction

4.2 Beamformer Networks For Passive Phased-Array Antennas

4.3 Beamformer Networks For Active Phased-Array Antennas

4.3.1 Multiple independent receive beams

4.4 Impact of Beamformer Architecture on System Noise Temperature

4.5. Beamformer Architectures For High Reliability

4.6 Beamformer Networks for Wideband Active Phased-Array Antennas

4.7 Concluding remarks

Chapter 5 Radiating Elements


5.1 Introduction

5.2 Printed Circuit Radiating Elements

5.2.1 Printed Circuit Wideband Radiating Elements

5.3 Waveguide radiating elements

5.3.1 A wideband tapered double-ridged waveguide element fed by a coaxial probe

5.4 Radome heating for ice inhibition

5.5 Wideband parallel waveguide phased array radiator

5.6 Mutual coupling between radiating elements

5.7 Selection of the radiating element type

5.8 Radiating element design process

5.9 Phased array radiation pattern calculation by using the mutual coupling between elements in
a small array

5.10 Concluding remarks

Chapter 6 Beam Steering and DC Power Distribution


6.1 Active Phased Array Antenna Beam Steering Controller (BSC)

6.1.1 Active Phased Array Distributed Beam Steering Controller

6.1.2 Active phased Array Centralized Beam Steering Controller

6.1.2.1 Advantages of Centralized BSC

6.1.2.2 Disadvantages of the Centralized BSC

6.2 Active Phased Array Power Distribution

6.2.1 DC-DC Converter Key Requirements

6.2.2 Distributed Power System

6.2.3 Centralized Power System

6.2.4 Average vs. Peak DC-DC Converters

6.2.5 Comparison of distributed and centralized power systems

6.3 Concluding remarks

Chapter 7 Active Phased Array Antenna Packaging


7.1 Introduction

7.2 Array Packaging Concepts

7.2.1 Tile Array Construction and Cooling Methods

7.2.2 Brick Array Packaging

7.2.3 Components of an LRU

7.2.4 Thermal Management

7.3 Active array antenna brick packaging schemes

7.3.1 Sliding vertical cold plate active array packaging

7.3.2 Edge-Cooled, Horizontal Cold Plate Array Packaging

7.3.3 Vertical Fixed Cold Plate Packaging Concept

7.4 LRU to the radiating element RF connections

7.5 Structural design

7.6 Active array antenna radome design

7.7 Concluding Remarks

Chapter 8 Active Phased Array Antenna Design for High Reliability


8.1 Introduction

8.2 Antenna MTBF

8.3 Active phased array antenna architecture description for high reliability

8.4 Maximizing the Array MTBCF

8.5 Antenna MTBF for different cluster sizes

8.6 Increasing Array MTBCF with redundant power supplies

8.7 Driver amplifier Boosters in the active phased array beamformers

8.8 Lifecycle maintenance cost estimation of an active phased array antenna

8. 9 Active phased array antenna availability and sparing

8.10 Concluding remarks

Chapter 9 Active Phased Array Design for High Clutter Improvement Factor


9.1 Introduction

9.2 Centralized phased array architecture

9.3 Distributed array architecture

9.4 Concluding remarks

Chapter 10 Active Phased Array Antenna Calibration


10.1 Introduction

10.2 Active array calibration using mutual coupling between array and external elements

10.3 Active array calibration technique using mutual coupling between array elements

10.4 Active array calibration technique using mutual coupling between one calibration element

and all array elements

10.5 Active Array Calibration Technique using mutual coupling between a few dedicated

internal elements and the array elements

10.5.1 Calibration procedure

10.5.2 Required Number of Calibration Elements

10.5.3 Calibration Accuracy

10.5. 4 Impact On Array Packaging

10.6 Concluding remarks

Chapter 11 Digital Beamforming for Active Phased Array Antennas


11.1 Introduction

11.2 Dynamic range improvement

11.3 Digital beamforming at subarray level

11.4 Digital beamforming of multiple simultaneously independent receiver beams

11.5 Angle tracking accuracy

11.6 Adaptive digital beamforming

11.6.1 Adapting nulling in analog arrays

11.7 Exciter Noise and Clutter Attenuation

11.8 Concluding remarks

Chapter 12 Cost Reduction Strategies for Active Phased Array Antennas


12.1 Introduction

12.2 High cost of current active phased array antennas

12.3 SPY-1 Array Antenna Cost Reduction

12.4. Improvements in technology and manufacturing processes

12.5 Paradigms

12.5.1 Legacy systems

12.5.2 Commercial parts and processes are not adequate for military applications

12.5.3 Cost-plus contracts

12.5.4 Lack of incentives

12.5.5 Schedule limitations do not permit any design changes

12.5.6 The Benefits of Competition to the Buyer: An Automobile industry example

12.5.7 Use the best available technology

12.5.8 Changes will increase program costs and schedule delays

12.6 Design Philosophy

12.6.1 Bottoms up

12.6.2 Top-down

12.7 Cost reduction strategies

12.7.1 Optimizing T/R module RF output power levels for phased array antenna

cost, size, prime Power, and dissipated heat

12.7.2 Trading the number of array faces for a hemispherical field of view

12.7.3 Band-aid Solutions

12.7.4 Antenna architecture

12.7.5 Minimize the number of interfaces

12.7.6 LRU Size versus Cost

12.7.7 Radiating element

12.7.8 T/R Modules

12.7.9 Module packaging

12.7.10 DC Power distribution

12.7.11 Beamformers, cables, and connectors

12.7.12 Power-added-efficiency and cost

12.7.13 Active phased array antennas for wide bandwidth operation

12.7.14 Antenna assembly and test

12.8 Conclusions