LOCAL OSCILLATORS FOR MILLIMETER AND SUBMILLIMETER RADIOMETERS

EXPANSION OF SPACE-BORNE RADIOMETERS AND OTHER ACTION SYSTEMS INTO THE SUBMILLIMETER FREQUENCY SPECTRUM HAS SHOWN THE SEVERE LIMITATIONS ON SOURCE PERFORMANCE IMPOSED BY PREVAILING TECHNOLOGY. A RESEARCH PROGRAM IS PROPOSED TO DEVELOP NEW APPROACHES TO SOURCE DESIGN IN ORDER TO PRODUCE RELIABLE, EFFICIENT, LOW NOISE, FREQUENCY STABLE, ADEQUATELY POWERFUL OSCILLATORS FOR DRIVING MIXERS AND FREQUENCY MULTIPLIERS IN THE MILLIMETER AND SUBMILLIMETER RANGE. PROPOSED AREAS OF RESEARCH ARE: INDIUM PHOSPHIDE GUNN DIODES, ADVANCED DIELECTRIC RESONATORS, AND CAVITY, RESONATOR, AND ACTIVE DEVICE PACKAGING. RESEARCH WILL BE GEARED TO ADVANCING THE STATE-OF-THE-ART IN MILLIMETER AND SUB-MILLIMETER LOCAL OSCILLATOR/DRIVER SOURCES FOR SPACE-BORNE APPLICATIONS.