You are here

Self-Biased Radiation Hardened Ka-Band Circulators for Size, Weight and Power Restricted Long Range Space Applications

Award Information
Agency: National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Branch: N/A
Contract: NNX13CP14P
Agency Tracking Number: 124301
Amount: $123,093.00
Phase: Phase I
Program: SBIR
Solicitation Topic Code: H9.02
Solicitation Number: N/A
Timeline
Solicitation Year: 2012
Award Year: 2013
Award Start Date (Proposal Award Date): 2013-05-23
Award End Date (Contract End Date): 2013-11-23
Small Business Information
MA
Canton, MA 02021-1938
United States
DUNS: 829728067
HUBZone Owned: No
Woman Owned: No
Socially and Economically Disadvantaged: No
Principal Investigator
 Andrew Daigle
 Senior RF Engineer
 (781) 562-0756
 adaigle@metamagneticsinc.com
Business Contact
 Elaine Trudell
Title: President
Phone: (781) 562-0756
Email: etrudell@metamagneticsinc.com
Research Institution
 Stub
Abstract

Ferrite control components including circulators and isolators are fundamental building blocks of Transmit/Receive modules (TRM) utilized in high data rate active space transceivers and transponders for both long-range (LR) and low earth orbit (LEO) systems. These components are utilized to protect high power amplifiers (HPA) during the transmit cycle from destabilizing, and potentially harmful, power reflections from the antenna element. During receive cycle these components are utilized to direct lower power received signals with minimal attenuation to the low noise amplifiers (LNA). As such, performance specifications of these ferrite control components, such as bandwidth, insertion loss, isolation, power handling, temperature stability, radiation hardness, and linearity impose strict limitations on the overall system performance.Over the course of the proposed Ph1 SBIR program self-biased ferrite control components based on highly textured hexagonal ferrite compacts which have the potential to eliminate biasing magnets and significantly reduce the size, cost, and weight of the TRM while concurrently increasing power handling capability, and improving temperature stability and radiation hardness will be investigated. Specifically, a research and development path to realizing high performance self-biased ferrite materials and device designs for operation in space based environments at Ka-band (>27 GHz, 31.5 - 34 GHz targeted) is outlined.

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

US Flag An Official Website of the United States Government