Aerospace & Defense Technology - June 2021 - 29

RF & Microwave Technology
sions. When one array can serve as a
multi-function device with antennas
pointing in different directions, a
radar system can monitor for signals
coming from multiple directions.
Therefore, the limited space in some
environments, like on a ship, can be
used more efficiently while also
achieving more comprehensive radar
coverage.
While these benefits make it clear
that digital beamforming is an excellent
option for military applications,
the physical size constraints for the
electronics and passive components
needed behind every radiating element
- especially for high-frequency
applications - make these systems
challenging but not impossible to design.
Let's take a quick look at how to
overcome these challenges today.
Addressing Size Constraints in
Arrays Using Fully Digital
Beamforming
Implementing fully digital beamforming
means you need to integrate
small form factor yet high-performance
passives such as filters, capacitors,
and resistors. Recent advances
in substrates - such as the development
of GaN - have made it possible
to make these systems much smaller,
more affordable, and more lightweight.
The table shows the relationship
between dielectric constant and
wavelength at 25 GHz for three common
dielectric materials, as well as
three custom substrates developed by
Knowles Precision Devices (PG, CF,
and CG).
In addition to the substrate innovation
enabling development of much
smaller passive components, parts
such as amplifiers and ADCs have
rapidly become more powerful and
inexpensive as the commercial world
has pushed these technologies with
the expansion of LG, LTE, and now
5G. Therefore, unlike the past when
the commercial world leaned on the
innovations of military and aerospace
entities, the military can now take advantage
of these commercial tech -
nologies.
With the evolution of high K dielectrics
and by selecting to work with a
Aerospace & Defense Technology, June 2021
Cov
ToC
No Boundaries!
When engineers need resistors for critical missions in a no-replace
environment like Mars, they choose State of the Art. We are aboard
three Mars orbiters: Odyssey, MRO, and Maven. We are aboard four
rovers: Pathfinder, Spirit, Opportunity, and Curiosity, with another
rover to be launched in 2020. And we are aboard the InSight lander
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resistors will you choose for next mission?
Mission Critical?
Choose State of the Art resistors.
State of the Art, Inc.
RESISTIVE PRODUCTS
Made
in the USA.
in
company that has the knowledge to
seamlessly integrate multiple passive
components into a single circuit, the
miniaturization of passive RF components
to enable fully digital beamforming
is possible. Thus, military applications
can use array technology to develop
multi-function devices that can save space
while also receiving Ka-band signals.
This article was written by Peter Matthews,
Senior Technical Marketing Manager at
Knowles Precision Devices, Cazenovia, NY.
For more information, visit http://info.
hotims.com/79414-509.
Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/79414-771
29
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Aerospace & Defense Technology - June 2021

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