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Seed sized signal amplifier designed for future space missions
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Seed sized signal amplifier designed for future space missions
by Erica Marchand
Paris, France (SPX) Jan 20, 2025

Smaller than a strawberry seed, a compact signal amplifier has been developed by the European Space Agency (ESA) to bridge a crucial technological gap, paving the way for advanced radar and telecommunications space missions.

"This integrated circuit is a low noise amplifier, measuring just 1.8 by 0.9 mm across," said ESA microwave engineer David Cuadrado-Calle. "Delivering state of the art performance, the low noise amplifier's task is to boost very faint signals to usable levels."

The amplifier has potential applications in both radar-based missions, where it amplifies weak radar echoes returning to the satellite after reflecting off Earth's surface, and telecommunications missions, where it enhances communication signals transmitted from Earth for broadband and broadcasting purposes.

"The amplifier was designed by ESA's Radio Frequency Equipment and Technology Section and constructed using gallium nitride on silicon," Cuadrado-Calle explained. "This design choice makes it significantly more robust against high input power signals compared to previous iterations. The chip's manufacturing was carried out at MACOM's European Semiconductor Centre (formerly OMMIC) in France."

The circuit's development was motivated by the needs of a proposed ESA mission, Wivern, an Earth Explorer candidate designed to extend the capabilities of radar-based cloud-profiling missions like the ongoing EarthCARE mission, a collaboration between ESA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).

Wivern, which stands for wind velocity radar nephoscope, is designed to provide the first wind measurements within clouds and precipitation. It will also deliver detailed profiles of rain, snow, and ice water to improve severe weather forecasting and offer new insights into hazardous storms. The mission plans to utilize W-band radar signals, requiring the amplifier to handle thousands of watts of transmitted power while withstanding leakage in the receive chain.

W-band radar also holds promise for future high-frequency, high-bandwidth satellite telecommunications.

"Producing this low noise amplifier was an exciting exercise for us," Cuadrado-Calle noted. "While such tasks are typically delegated to European industry or universities, this time we took it on ourselves. We knew exactly what we needed and had the expertise to achieve it. This in-house project allowed us to hone our chip design capabilities."

The amplifier's performance was verified at VTT Millilab, ESA's external high-frequency laboratory, and its results were recently published in the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Microwave and Wireless Technology Letters.

Related Links
MACOM's European Semiconductor Centre
Computer Chip Architecture, Technology and Manufacture
Nano Technology News From SpaceMart.com

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