MAEMS-Enabled Affordable Phased-Array Antenna Technologies
Abstract
The overall objective of this project is to bring about fundamental advances in development of affordable, high-power-capable phased-array antenna technology. Specifically, we propose to investigate the concept of MAcro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (M®MS) based phased arrays. The concepts introduced in this work are expected to enable the development of broadband, rapidly-reconfigurable, and affordable phased-array antennas capable of handling high power levels without the need for using any phase shifters or solid-state devices. Beam steering in M®MS-based phased arrays is accomplished through small, macro-scale physical movements of parts of the antenna aperture. These movements can be performed very rapidly, which enable beam scanning in M®MS-based phased arrays to be performed with speeds potentially as fast as tens of kHz. In this project, we will investigate the fundamentals of beam steering in M®MS-based phased arrays and develop phased-array architectures that lend themselves best to this form of beam steering. We will also investigate the design of dual-/multi-band as well as multi-beam M®MSbased phased arrays. Finally, we will investigate various electro-mechanical actuation techniques that are needed for beam forming and beam scanning in M®MS-based phased arrays. The studies proposed in this work will be performed through a combination of computer simulations and modeling as well as experiments in a laboratory environment. Proof-of-concept prototypes of the proposed structures will also be fabricated and characterized using the experimental facilities available at University of Wisconsin-Madison. The phased-array antenna technology proposed in this work has several fundamental technical advantages over state-of-the-art phased-array systems. These include: 1) Drastic reduction of cost and complexity; 2) The capability of radiating extremely high power levels while maintaining linear operation; 3) Simplification of the thermal management of the aperture; 4) Elimination of all phase shifters and transmit/receive modules; 5) Drastic reduction of the feed network losses; and 6) Higher overall efficiency. The combination of these features is not currently available from any other existing phased-array technology. These features are expected to enable the widespread use of the proposed technology in various military applications ranging from satellite and airborne communications to radar and electronic warfare systems.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Jun 10, 2016
- Source ID
- N000141612308
Entities
People
- Nader Behdad
Organizations
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy
- University of Wisconsin System