You are here
Electrical Interconnect Technologies for MDA Phased Array Radars
Title: Principal Investigator
Phone: (303) 449-5211
Email: flalezari@firstrf.com
Title: Chief Operating Officer
Phone: (303) 449-5211
Email: tboone@firstrf.com
FIRST RF proposes a revolutionary architecture for packaging and design of phased array antennas. This innovative technology has the capability to reduce the cost of phased array antennas by 80%. FIRST RF has identified the principal design features of current state-of-the-art phased array antennas. These features include: indirect interface between antennas and T/R modules requiring expensive multi-layer PCBs and one or two connectors per unit cell, control architectures also requiring multi-layer PCBs and packaging designs which require supplementary systems to provide necessary cooling to T/R module electronics. The combination of all these requirements and packaging into a unit cell that is less than half wavelength results in a cost prohibitive product. The proposed packaging integrates the antennas, T/R modules, beam forming network, and control circuitry on a common assembly that eliminates the overcrowded circuitry and packaging. Multilayer connections are replaced by coplanar connector-less circuits that can be manufactured, inspected, and tested in a single step. During the phase 1 proposed program a significant size array will be manufactured and tested to validate the concept.
* Information listed above is at the time of submission. *