Surprises and Opportunities

This proposal describes an innovative design approach to very wide-band, high efficiency RF antenna elements for wide-band phased array communication systems. The design utilizes wide-band low loss time delay phase shifter, multi-octave band linear taperedslotline antennas (LTSAs), miniaturized high efficiency frequency up-conversion to generate the transmit signals at millimeter-wave frequencies and down-conversion circuits for receive signals. The approach has the advantages of low loss, broadband, highpower handling, low DC power consumption. Since this design approach eliminates the losses due to the conventional phase shifters, the resulting RF antenna element design is simple, more efficient, lightweight and compact. These RF antenna elements areintegratable into phased array for wide-band communication. Extension of new technology to several frequency ranges through 100 GHz will be investigated.The proposed research will have a far-reaching impact on future high data rate communication systems,cross-link communication between the satellites, surveillance, planar active arrays, sensors.