MMCI Modulator/Detector for Laser Radar Proximity Fuze

Laser radars (or LIDARs) are inherently capable of high angular and range resolutions, and a laser beam may be focused on small targets. Microwave modulated laser radars, therefore, are well suited for fuzing applications against small targets in the presence of clutter, as the coherent signal processing techniques developed for microwave proximity sensors may be applied directly. For such fuzing sensors, microwave components are needed to generate the modulating signal and detect and analyze the returned signal. For low-cost laser fuzes mounted in small gun-fired munitions, the microwave portion of the sensor must be miniaturized and ruggedized. This proposal is addressed to that need and describes Hittite's approach to integrate all microwave circuit functions of the laser radar fuze sensor into a single MMIC chip. Possible device processes for implementation of the sensor are: silicon or silicon BiCMOS, GaAs MESFET and HBT. Silicon devices offer potential advantages of integrating the microwave module the signal processor, and hereto-junction devices made of InP/InGaAs offer potential means of integrating the photo-detector with the microwave chip. The most cost-effective approach with potential expansion of the scale of integration will be selected. The MMIC to be developed for LIDAR modulation/detection and its variant may be used in fiber-optic communications systems, as the data rate of signals carried by fiber-optic links go up to 10 gigabits.