GaN Technology for GPS L-band Space Power Amplification

Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) including Global Positioning System (GPS) have become an essential utility and it is safe to say that if GNSS cease to operate, most of the developed world will have a major setback. Due to their weak received signal power, GNSS signals are vulnerable to radio frequency interference. The AF141-125 solicitation identified a need for improvements in the efficiency of future GPS L-band solid-stage power amplifier (SSPA) for cost savings associated with low DC power consumption. The program is extended in order to construct the testbed for the next generation anti-jamming and anti-spoofing GPS services. The testbed is essential to develop the end-to-end system, which at least needs to work as expected at ground. Using the testbed, it is expected that multiple anti-jamming and anti-spoofing techniques, i.e., phased array beamforming and frequency hopping, will be tested. In response to the requirements, the MaXentric proposes a flexible, wideband and power efficient measurement setup (testbed) for the GPS end-to-end system testing, codenamed MAST. During Phase II Task 4b efforts, the team constructed and demonstrated a testbed for a 1.15-1.6 GHz, 200-W GaN SSPA with high efficiency. Capability of frequency hopping function was also shown for the transmitter system.