Lee M. Paulsen

Impact: a low cost, reconfigurable, digital beamforming common module building block for next generation phased arrays

Phased array systems offer numerous advantages to the modern warfighter in multiple application spaces, including Radar, Electronic Warfare, Signals Intelligence, and Communications. However, a lack of commonality in the underlying technology base for DoD Phased Arrays has led to static systems with long development cycles, slow technology refreshes in response to emerging threats, and expensive, application-specific sub-components. The IMPACT module (Integrated Multi-use Phased Array Common Tile) is a multi-channel, reconfigurable, cost-effective beamformer that provides a common building block for multiple, disparate array applications.

Fabrication and measurement of a large, monolithic, PCB-based AESA

This paper discusses a fabrication approach and experimental validation of a very large, planar active electronically scanned array (AESA). The planar AESA architecture employs a monolithic printed circuit board (PCB) with 768 active antenna elements at X-Band. Manufacturing physically large arrays with high element counts is discussed in relation to construction, assembly and yield considerations. Measured active array patterns of the ESA are also presented.

Broadband bowtie-shaped current sheet antenna array

In this paper, the concept of a current sheet array (CSA) is expanded to design a broadband bowtie-shaped antenna array. The present approach has the potential to achieve a 7∶1 bandwidth over the VHF and UHF frequency bands with wide-angle beam. A 3 by 3 array of overlapping bowtie-shaped elements, with center feeding, was simulated. Printing was carried out on both faces of the dielectric slab and kept at a defined distance from the ground plane. A selected design was fabricated and tested experimentally to verify the simulated results for concept validation.

Advances in low-cost phased arrays using silicon technologies

This paper presents phased-array efforts at X to Ka-band based on highly-integrated silicon core chips. The work shows that it is possible to build advanced phased-arrays using SiGe chips at each antenna element. The phased-array is constructed on a single printed-circuit board which reduces the cost by a factor of 10x. This will revolutionize X, Ku and Ka-band phased arrays by making them the preferred choice for 5G, SATCOM and point-to-point applications.

Advances in SATCOM phased arrays using silicon technologies

This paper presents several phased-array efforts at X and Ku-band based on highly integrated silicon core chips. The work shows that it is possible to build advanced phased-arrays using SiGe chips coupled with GaAs LNAs at each antenna element for low noise operation and high G/T, or GaAs PAs for higher radiated power per element (if needed). The phased-array is constructed on a single printed-circuit board which reduces the cost by a factor of 10x. This will revolutionize X, Ku and Ka-band phased arrays by making them the preferred choice for airborne and mobile platforms due to their reduced height, weight and drag.

Low Profile, Frequency Scanned Weather Radar Waveguide Feed Manifold

In this paper, a novel approach to achieving a low profile, low loss feed manifold for center-fed frequency scanned radar systems has been presented. Inclusion of a reactive buffering region, allowing independent control of the slot in each waveguide, has been shown to increase degrees of freedom in design efforts and decrease mechanical tolerance requirements, thus permitting the use of standard low cost machining practices