Cryogenically-Cooled T/R Module

Large solid state phased array antennas used for military radar applications, including ones for mobile systems (such as the Patriot System), typically utilize thousands of transmit/receive (T/R) modules incorporating semiconductor components for the generation and reception of the radar's microwave signals. Today many of these components are being implemented in the latest microwave monolithic integrated circuit (MMIC) technology, based on sub-micron PHEMTs (pseudomorphic high electron mobility transistors). One of the unique advantages of heterojunction field effect transistors such as PHEMTs is that their performance in terms of noise, power, and efficiency is significantly improved at lower temperatures. Consequently, there is an opportunity to take advantage of this device improvement by operating the devices, and more specifically, the T/R modules at cryogenic temperatures. The objective of the proposed Phase I program is to quantitatively, by experiment and computer simulation, show the potential performance improvement of a cryogenically-cooled T/R module and develop a viable conceptual module design that would be compatible with a large ground-based X-band phased array antenna system. The commercialization of a cryogenically-cooled multi-chip MMIC module has many potential commercial applications, including future wireless communications systems operating in the microwave and mm-wave frequency ranges.