Thin Film Antenna Development and Optimization

Abstract

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Glenn Research Center (GRC) and SRS Technologies (SRS) are collaborating on research and development of lightweight thin-film adaptive antennas. On-axis, off-set, and Cassegrain antennas, from 0.3m to 4m in aperture, are currently being designed, fabricated, and radio frequency (RF) characterized via range testing. The designs address requirements for space based systems as well as inflatable terrestrial radome antennas. Fixed, deployable, and adaptive test structures are being developed to support the antennas during testing and future operations. RF characterizations of off-set and on-axis antennas have been performed in the NASA GRC Far Field and Near Field facilities at frequencies from X-band to Ka-band. Thus far, frequencies through Ku-band have indicated excellent antenna performance. Kaband test results indicate that improved antenna surface shape accuracy (sub-millimeter values) is required for efficient operation. Thus, shape optimization, tooling technology, fabrication processes, and active shape control techniques are being developed to enable Kaband operations. SRS has developed and demonstrated thin film antenna shape control via a 5m aperture electro-statically controlled thin film. Recently, SRS and NASA collaborated with Georgia Tech to validate an adaptive beam forming algorithm that could enable a network of lower cost thin film antenna system clusters to replace the large costly antenna systems currently in use. In 2006, SRS and NASA will assemble and RF characterize a 2.4m thin film Cassegrain antenna system that could enable the use of large aperture satellitebased antennas with feed components that are integrated with the satellite bus. All of this successful lightweight thin-film adaptive antenna research and development has the potential to enhance current RF communications capabilities and enable many future RF requirements that need efficiently packaged deployable antennas with large apertures.