W-Band RF Instrumentation

This proposal addresses the development of an accurate, traceable, cost effective and compact W-band RF field strength detector.  The solution proposed consists of an advanced detector technology which possesses the ability to detect W-band (95 +/- 3 GHz) radiation field strengths over a broad range of input powers. Through optimized device geometries, sensors will be tailored to provide efficient detection of free-space radiation and over a large range of electric field power densities, including 0.1 to 100 milliwatts per square centimeter for “out of beam” safety monitoring and 1 to 100 Watts per square centimeter for focused “in beam” measurements. Additional operating modes are available for vector measurement of frequency dependent magnitude and phase of the incoming W-band energy. While advanced in capabilities and performance, the technology is also compact and cost effective. Under this proposal, W-band sensor elements demonstrated in Phase I will be further optimized and integrated into stand-alone compact instruments that are traceable to a fixed baseline at the National Institute of Standards. Calibration strategies will be addressed for integration of the sensor into self-calibrating W-band sources and other instrumentation. Ten (10) W-band instrument prototypes are planned for delivery to the sponsor for further test and evaluation. This prototyping effort will advance the technology readiness level for the proposed W-band sensor from TRL5 to TRL6.