Compact multichannel 2 kV arbitrary waveform generator for ferroelectric device arrays

We are developing novel approaches for avionics countermeasures application using infrared beam steering. Ferroelectric crystal is well suited for infrared beam steering. By applying an electric signal, we can control the polarization characteristics of the crystal. This, in turn, enables us to steer an infrared beam. Currently, the voltage needed to control this device is in the kilovolt range. This voltage level is not supported by the silicon VLSI technology. Therefore, the driver of this ferroelectric crystal cannot be fabricated in silicon, and must be realized using discrete components. In our application, we need to build a compact programmable multichannel driver. The proposed architecture for the driver is shown. Arbitrary waveform signal generation is handled by a field programmable gate array (FPGA).