Sensor Node Radio (SNRadio) for Ad Hoc Sensor and Munitions Networks (9667)

Q-DOT proposes to develop a Sensor Node Radio (SNRadio) specifically for ad hoc sensors and munitions network for military application. While considerable effort is currently focused on commercial sensor networks, these commercial products fall substantially short of fulfilling military requirements. Specifically, commercial systems: 1) Offer limited or no data security; 2) Are vulnerable to a sophisticated adversary; 3) Are incapable of adapting to the requirements of unique deployments: 4) Are inflexible if their frequency of operation; and, 5) Do not transmit with sufficient power to span larger ranges. The proposed SNRadio will address all of these shortcomings in a small, low-power, low-cost package. The Phase II effort will focus on designing and building critical RF circuitry in a SiGe Bi CMOS process available through DoD's Trusted Foundry. This RF chip will be integrated with available COTS components to form a SNRadio breadboard suitable for integration into a system-on-a-chip (SoC) or system-in-a-Package (SiP) form in Phase III.