Advanced Transmitter and Receiver (T/R) Module Technology For Space Radar

Toyon Research Corporation, teamed with Teledyne Scientific, proposes to develop a hybrid T/R module for application to large space-based antenna arrays using multiple technologies that are optimized for specific functions within the module. This approach runs counter to previous thrusts to develop a single-chip T/R module, which invariably involve a compromise in performance. In the past, taking the hybrid approach meant accepting higher losses in transitioning on- and off-chip and higher costs integrating multiple chips in return for the increased performance with each chip. Due to the availability of new flip-chip MMIC assembly machines that are capable of reliably bonding many thousands of parts per hour with extremely low loss and virtually no parasitic effects on bonded components, the performance and cost penalties of hybridization are largely eliminated and the only downside is the somewhat larger area for the T/R module compared with the single-chip approach. Further, the hybrid approach actually reduces cost for the T/R module by increasing yields for screened parts. It also allows a “plug-n-play” design capability wherein the same basic T/R module architecture can be tailored to the specific application, whether it is LEO or MEO radar or LEO or GEO communications payloads.