Low-Power W-Band Transceiver using COTS Solutions

There is a growing demand for spaceborne active radar sensing systems that make use of RF frequencies across nearly all the microwave bands. This Phase I proposal explores the use of millimeter-wave (mmW) FMCW radar transceiver for an altimeter for spacecraft descent guidance and landing. In addition, the proposal will touch on other architectures using the low-cost W-Band building blocks downselected and simulated for this Phase I effort.We propose to identify and downselect available commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) W-Band MMICs, ideally using surface-mount technology (SMT), in the form of FMCW (Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave) Radar Transceiver building blocks. In a Phase II, the bare die would be packaged into SMT packages with an external waveguide interface and employ low-cost mature manufacturing techniques. This approach allows much shorter design development and characterization times for the difficult mmWave design risk efforts, while taking on a manageable amount of technical debt and risk for the ADC, DC and Baseband electronics sections in the form of existing COTS solutions. This Phase I effort will serve two main benefits: provide a risk reduction effort by characterizing the building blocks of a 94 GHz solid-state based FMCW Radar transceiver while also allowing future coupling of a dynamically steerable, waveguide-fed metasurface antenna to evolve into a manufacturable commercial product.In other non-NASA applications, a W-Band radar transceiver with a steerable aperture could be the critical building block for high-resolution imagery and target tracking in what the DoD calls DVE (Degraded visual Environments). The specific DVE application is for rotary-wing and is referred to as “brown-out” and this type of radar has been prohibitively expensive as most helicopters require several instances of this radar per aircraft to be useful.

Spaceborne Collision Avoidance Systems (for Aircraft and Rovers) Spacecraft Altimeter and Velocimetry Earth Science Precipitation Instruments (cloud and Rain detection) DVE (Degraded Visual Environments) Mapping and Real-Time Imaging Ground (FOD) Control on Flight Line Precise Distance Measurements in Dusty and/or humid Atmospheres Level Sensing for any materials (liquids in tanks with foam/vapor) Robotic Sensors

DoD DVE (Degraded Visual Environments) Mapping Ground (FOD) Control in Airports and Other Facilities Precise Distance Measurements in Dusty and/or humid Atmospheres Level Sensing for any materials (liquids in tanks with foam/vapor) Medical and Security Imaging Commercial Collision Avoidance Systems Robotic Sensors

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