A system-in-package for a wideband digital radar, in D-band, requires broadband, high-gain antennas combined with broadband chip-to-package and package-to-printed circuit board (PCB) interconnects. This paper demonstrates a wideband, low-loss quasi-coaxial signal transition, and a novel electric split ring resonator (eSRR)-based antenna-in-package (AiP) with a modified reflector concept, for improved gain, in embedded wafer level ball grid array (eWLB) technology. A complete chip-to-package-to-PCB interconnect is also demonstrated by combining the quasi-coaxial transition with a chip-to-package interconnect. The quasi-coaxial signal transition has the largest impedance bandwidth among ball grid array-based quasi-coaxial signal transitions. For the modified reflector concept, a horn-shaped cavity is micromachined in the PCB substrate and remetallized with aerosol-jet printing, placing the reflector 0.25λ from the antenna. The antenna gain is improved with up to 5.3 dB. The AiP with the horn-shaped reflector is the single element with the highest gain, in eWLB technology, above 100 GHz.
In this paper, we introduce a compact 6 × 8 channel multiple-input multiple-output frequency-modulated continuous-wave radar system capable of determining the three-dimensional positions of targets despite utilizing a linear virtual array. The compact system, containing two cascaded radar transceiver ICs, has 48 virtual channels. We conduct a direction of arrival estimation with these virtual channels to determine the azimuth angle. To overcome the spatial limitation of the linear array, we use frequency-steered transmit antennas, which vary their main lobe direction during the frequency chirp, allowing the elevation angle to be determined by using a sliding window fast Fourier transform algorithm. In this study, we present the system’s concept along with the associated signal processing. By taking measurements in different scenarios, each with differently placed corner reflectors, we investigate the capability of the system to separate adjacent targets concerning range, azimuth, and elevation. These measurements are additionally employed to point out the design trade-offs inherent to the system.
A novel reconfigurable circular microstrip G-slotted antenna having a circularly defected ground structure (DGS) capable of switching its resonance frequency for several microwave applications is presented in this paper. Reconfigurability of the proposed G-slot antenna is obtained by incorporating three PIN diodes. One diode is embedded in the patch and two diodes are integrated into the DGS structure at appropriate places in the slot to achieve four different wireless applications such as aeronautical radio navigation (4.3 GHz with gain 3.6 dB), satellite communication (3.78 GHz with gain 3.7 dB), mobile communication (4.55 GHz with gain 4.0 dB), and WiMAX (3.35 GHz with gain 3.3 dB). These four bands are achieved depending on the different biasing conditions of the three PIN switches used. Antenna performance has been analyzed in ANSYS Electronics Desktop 2018.2 software. The equivalent circuit component of the switching element (PIN diode) has been considered and designed during the simulation. The creative structure lies in the way that it exhibits higher gain with compact size than the previously reported similar antenna. A prototype of the proposed patch antenna has been fabricated on a Roger substrate and its testing and measurement have been performed to demonstrate its desirable characteristics and features.
This paper introduces an innovative conceptual design of a 400 kW solid-state power amplifier (SSPA) station and presents preliminary measurements for the key components. Recent advancements and benefits of solid-state technology have made the prospect of replacing vacuum tubes increasingly appealing. Historically, a significant challenge was the limited output power capacity of individual solid-state transistors, necessitating the integration of numerous units to generate high-power microwave signals in the range of hundreds of kilowatts. However, modern transistors capable of producing over 2 kW of output power have emerged, facilitating this transition. Another weak point was low power efficiency in high-power operating mode. The advanced rugged technology (ART) of solid-state devices enables the utilization of these transistors in nonlinear and switching operating classes, thereby enabling the creation of high-efficiency high-power amplifiers. In this conceptual design, 264 SSPA modules based on ART, each with a power output of 1.6 kW, are combined. The measurements revealed a single SSPA capable of delivering up to 2 kW output power with a power efficiency of 73% at frequency of 352 MHz. Due to the minimal losses during module combination and working SSPA in Class-C operation mode, the power efficiency of the station is expected to closely mirror that of a single module.