Fiber Optic Microwave Transmission System

SRICO proposes the development of a wide bandwidth fiber optic microwave transmission system that can operate over the frequency range of 10 kHz to 20 GHz. This is a wideband fiber optic microwave transmission system that can accurately transfer microwave signals produced by electric field probes inside an aircraft. The minimum detectable internal electric field can be as low as 1 milli Volt per meter in a 1 MHz IF bandwidth. The use of fiber optics to transmit this signal provides superior performance to the coaxial cable. The feed-throughs and apertures to be put in the fuselage are substantially smaller for fiber optics than for high frequency coaxial cables, thus limiting the ingress of RF into the fuselage. In addition to increased performance, fiber optics offers small, compact and lightweight devices and systems. The proposed fiber optic system provides an accurate measurement of the shielding effectiveness of the aircraft fuselage subjected to a radiated external electric field level of 0.1 Volt per meter to 10 kilo Volts per meter. This field level matches the range specified for HIRF certification requirements. This proposal offers an improved method to measure the shielding effectiveness of an aircraft to external electromagnetic environment to obtain FAA certifciation and to ensure safe operation of the aircraft.