Rugged MEMS-Enabled Ku-Band Phased Arrays

XCom Wireless is a developer of micromachined microwave circuitry for filters and phased array antennas, high-performance components identified as critical technologies for the next generations of defense and commercial RF electronics. XCom MEMS-based RF circuitry provides a direct chip-scale alternative to solid-state components and modules so aerospace communications and radar system prime contractors can easily upgrade to chips that save weight, space, power, and money. The proposed effort is to design a Kill Vehicle communications phased array antenna at 20/22 GHz that will allow rapid electronic steering of the antenna beam. The design will employ the hybrid MEMS and packaging technologies already being refined at XCom, and will benefit from continuing improvements supported by the complementary MEMS and antenna programs XCom has with AFRL, DARPA, the Army, and NASA. This continuing level of support provides directly relevant process and experiment background to this phased array design program, and prepares for prototype fabrication, test, and refinement in the Phase II effort. Hybrid assembly of RF circuit elements with RF MEMS promises low-cost and rapid manufacturing for high-performance antenna front-end needs, access to robust hermetic encapsulation techniques for shock survivability, and severe temperature tolerance for operation through launch, in space, and in other harsh environments.