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Cryogenically-Cooled T/R Module

Award Information
Agency: Department of Defense
Branch: Missile Defense Agency
Contract: N/A
Agency Tracking Number: 35834
Amount: $60,000.00
Phase: Phase I
Program: SBIR
Solicitation Topic Code: N/A
Solicitation Number: N/A
Timeline
Solicitation Year: N/A
Award Year: 1997
Award Start Date (Proposal Award Date): N/A
Award End Date (Contract End Date): N/A
Small Business Information
661 5th Avenue N. #160
Minneapolis, MN 55405
United States
DUNS: N/A
HUBZone Owned: No
Woman Owned: No
Socially and Economically Disadvantaged: No
Principal Investigator
 Vladimir Sokolov
 (612) 341-2795
Business Contact
Phone: () -
Research Institution
N/A
Abstract

Large solid state phased array antennas used for military radar applications, including ones for mobile systems (such as the Patriot System), typically utilize thousands of transmit/receive (T/R) modules incorporating semiconductor components for the generation and reception of the radar's microwave signals. Today many of these components are being implemented in the latest microwave monolithic integrated circuit (MMIC) technology, based on sub-micron PHEMTs (pseudomorphic high electron mobility transistors). One of the unique advantages of heterojunction field effect transistors such as PHEMTs is that their performance in terms of noise, power, and efficiency is significantly improved at lower temperatures. Consequently, there is an opportunity to take advantage of this device improvement by operating the devices, and more specifically, the T/R modules at cryogenic temperatures. The objective of the proposed Phase I program is to quantitatively, by experiment and computer simulation, show the potential performance improvement of a cryogenically-cooled T/R module and develop a viable conceptual module design that would be compatible with a large ground-based X-band phased array antenna system. The commercialization of a cryogenically-cooled multi-chip MMIC module has many potential commercial applications, including future wireless communications systems operating in the microwave and mm-wave frequency ranges.

* Information listed above is at the time of submission. *

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