Broadband Phased Array Research Articles

Design of Broadband Phased Array Feed Using Stereolithographic Additive Manufacturing Heterogeneous Integrating Technology for Fast Radio Burst Observation

Herein, a stereolithography appearance 3‐D printed phased array feed (PAF) on radio telescopes based on broadband Vivaldi antenna elements covering 4–10 GHz, which meets the requirements of low cost, lightweight, and compact volume, is designed and proposed. The prototype is integrated with two orthogonal linear polarized 4 × 5 arrays, each of which is composed of 20 Vivaldi antenna elements. The distance between adjacent antenna elements is 1/2 λ in both E‐plane and H‐plane. By increasing thickness of the slice elements compared with traditional end‐fire arrays on printed circuit board, the wide‐band impedance matching is realized. The mutual impedance matrix of the dual‐polarization array is calculated and the equivalent circuit of the active and parasitic elements is demonstrated. Due to the orthogonal parasitic elements inserted between the adjacent active antennas, equivalent capacitance is introduced in the tightly coupled array. The measured active voltage standing wave ratio of the manufactured PAF exhibits 4–10 GHz operating bandwidth for both broadside radiation and 45° scan in both E‐ and H‐plane polarization. The proposed wideband PAF has a promising potential application prospect in fast radio burst and other astronomic observation.

Lightweight Broadband Phased Array Antenna Based on Ultra-Thin Polyimide Film

Lightweight Broadband Phased Array Antenna Based on Ultra-Thin Polyimide Film

Broadband Beam-Scanning Phased Array Based on Microwave Photonics

A one-dimensional active broadband phased array based on microwave photonics that works in the Ku band is proposed to achieve a large instantaneous bandwidth. The phased array uses a feeding network based on microwave photonics to provide the true time delay and a wide operating bandwidth. The array is mainly composed of a broadband horn antenna, an RF transmitting/receiving module, an optical network module, and a temperature control module. The form of a horn was selected for the antenna unit, and it was fed through a waveguide to obtain a wide operating bandwidth. An optical fiber delay line that could realize the true time delay at different frequencies was adopted for the time-delay module of the optical network. To obtain a large time delay and small quantization error, a hybrid time-delay diagram utilizing electrical and optical time delays was used in the design. In addition, a temperature control module was added to the antenna system to enhance the stability of the photonic time-delay module. For verification, a prototype of the presented antenna system was designed, fabricated, and measured. The experimental results showed that the optical phased array antenna was able to scan ±20° from 12 GHz to 17 GHz, and the beam pointing did not appear to be offset over the wide operating bandwidth.

Development of a Front End Array for Broadband Phased Array Receiver

The receiver is a signal receiving device placed at the focus of the telescope. In order to improve the observation efficiency, the concept of phased array receiver has been proposed in recent years, which places a small phased array at the focal plane of the reflector, and flexible pattern and beam scanning functions can be achieved through a beamforming network. If combined with the element multiplexing, all beams within the entire field of view can be observed simultaneously to achieve continuous sky coverage. This article focuses on the front-end array of phased array receiver at 0.7–1.8 GHz for QiTai Telescope, and designs a Vivaldi antenna array of PCB structure with dual line polarization. Each polarization antenna is designed to arrange in a rectangle manner by 11 × 10. Based on the simulation results of the focal field, 32, 18, and eight elements were selected to form one beam at 0.7, 1.25, and 1.8 GHz. An analog beamforming network was constructed, and the measured gains of axial beam under uniform weighting were 19.32, 13.72, and 15.22 dBi. Combining the beam scanning method of reflector antenna, the pattern test of different position element sets required for PAF beam scanning was carried out under independent array. The pattern optimization at 1.25 GHz was carried out by weighting method of conjugate field matching. Compared with uniform weighting, the gain, sidelobe level, and main beam direction under conjugate field matching have been improved. Although the above test and simulation results are slightly different, which is related to the passive array and laboratory testing condition, the relevant work has accumulated experience in the development of the front-end array for the phased array receiver, and has good guiding significance for future performance verification after the array is installed on the telescope.

Ultra-Compact and Broadband Nano-Integration Optical Phased Array.

The on-chip nano-integration of large-scale optical phased arrays (OPAs) is a development trend. However, the current scale of integrated OPAs is not large because of the limitations imposed by the lateral dimensions of beam-splitting structures. Here, we propose an ultra-compact and broadband OPA beam-splitting scheme with a nano-inverse design. We employed a staged design to obtain a T-branch with a wavelength bandwidth of 500 nm (1300-1800 nm) and an insertion loss of -0.2 dB. Owing to the high scalability and width-preserving characteristics, the cascaded T-branch configuration can significantly reduce the lateral dimensions of an OPA, offering a potential solution for the on-chip integration of a large-scale OPA. Based on three-dimensional finite-difference time-domain (3D FDTD) simulations, we demonstrated a 1 × 16 OPA beam-splitter structure composed entirely of inverse-designed elements with a lateral dimension of only 27.3 μm. Additionally, based on the constructed grating couplers, we simulated the range of the diffraction angle θ for the OPA, which varied by 0.6°-41.6° within the wavelength range of 1370-1600 nm.

Result-oriented lumped error correction for photonic-assisted broadband phased array processors.

Imperfect optoelectronic devices deteriorate the performance of microwave photonic (MWP) systems and then hinder further practical application. This paper proposes a result-oriented lumped error correction to address the problem in the photonic-assisted broadband phased array. Herein, we focus on the evolution of the ultimate output resulting from various errors due to the nonideality of components. By establishing the static calibration base set (CBS) with tangent line approximation, the correction procedure is simplified, and the output degradation is greatly improved. Experimental results show the effective number of bits (ENOB) at the final output has been enhanced from 2.5 to 6.1. Further, double objectives optimization and imaging correction are demonstrated experimentally. The range resolution has been boosted from 3.9 cm to 2.4 cm, and the quality of the inverse synthetic aperture radar (ISAR) images is improved using the proposed method.

The verasonics platform for ultrasound-guided focused ultrasound preclinical studies

Verasonics, in partnership with Sonic Concepts (Bothell, WA, USA), has developed a turnkey platform for Ultrasound-Guided Focused Ultrasound (USgFUS) therapy with performance over a wide range of acoustic regimes. Built around the Verasonics Vantage HIFU ultrasound research system, it uses a 150 mm diameter, f1 HIFU transducer with 64 (0.5 MHz) or 128 (1.1 and 2 MHz) elements arranged in a spiral pattern that produce a highly focused field with low sidelobes over a 3D steering volume. Guidance and monitoring are provided by a coaxially mounted 128-element broadband phased array imaging transducer that can be rotated about the HIFU axis. Coupling to the subject is achieved by means of a membrane sealed water-filled cone through which degassed and temperature regulated water is circulated. The USgFUS applicator is mounted on an articulated arm that can be mechanically locked with a button actuated servo mechanism. Graphical software enables a conventional therapeutic workflow including imaging with any of several B-Mode and Doppler modalities, positioning of the applicator, focal zone exposure planning, therapy delivery, interleaved ultrasound monitoring using any supplied imaging mode or with Thermal Strain Imaging (TSI), and post-therapy imaging. This talk will describe the platform and provide examples of its capabilities using experiments in scattering phantoms and ex vivo tissues.

Shared-Aperture Ka-Band Reflectarray and X-Band Phased Array for Broadband Inter-Satellite Communication

In this communication, a dual-band shared-aperture reflectarray (RA) with a phased array is proposed for intersatellite links (ISLs). The Ka-band RA is integrated with an X-band phased array by a sharing mushroom patch structure. The high-frequency ratio allows the high-frequency RA and the low-frequency broadband phased array to operate independently to support high-speed communication of the geostationary orbit (GEO) relay nodes in the intersatellite network. To verify this concept, a prototype of the antenna is designed and fabricated, and its electrical performance is measured. The RA presents a peak gain of 30.1 dBi (28 GHz) and a 3 dB gain bandwidth of 11.4% (26.4–29.6 GHz). The phased array presents the peak gain of 21.7 dBi (9 GHz), and the relative bandwidth can reach 45.3% in the boresight direction. The scanning range can cover ±45°, and the H/E planes scan gain losses are less than 2.34 and 4.33 dB, respectively.

Low-RCS Broadband Phased Array Using Polarization Selective Metamaterial Surface

In this letter, a broadband wide-scanning phased array with radar cross-section (RCS) reduction performance is presented. The proposed phased array is composed of two types of antenna elements: Ant-0 and Ant-1. Ant-0 and Ant-1 are the <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">y</i> -polarized dipole antennas that have almost the same radiation performance over the frequency range of 6.5–12 GHz. Ant-1 is obtained by codesigning Ant-0 with a polarization selective metamaterial surface (PSMS), and the PSMS has little effect on the <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">y</i> -polarized radiation performance. As of <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">x</i> -polarized incident waves, the phase difference of the reflected waves on Ant-0 and Ant-1 is around 180° over the frequency range of 3.74–15.1 GHz; thus, a broadband scattering cancelation is achieved. A 5×16 finite array is fabricated and measured, and the measured results show great agreement with the simulated results. The fabricated phased array antenna has the ability to scan to ±60° with active VSWR < 3 over the frequency range of 6.5–12 GHz and over the frequency range of 3.9–15.1 GHz, and ultrabroadband monostatic RCS reduction is achieved.

Broadband array radar based on microwave photonic frequency multiplication and de-chirp receiving (Invited)

Microwave photonic radar enables the generation and processing of broadband radar signals, which can significantly improve the range resolution of the radar system. To improve the radar angle resolution and realize flexible beam control, combining microwave photonic radar technology with array radar technology is an inevitable development trend. Previously, the optical truth delay technology is intensively investigated to achieve squint-free beam steering in broadband phased array radars, which usually face the problems of high complexity, poor flexibility, and limited delay accuracy. In recent years, the broadband radar architecture based on microwave photonic frequency multiplication and de-chirp receiving has received extensive attention. The array radar constructed based on this technology has wide operation bandwidth while enabling real-time digital compensation and processing functions, which provides a new idea for the development of broadband array radars. In this paper, the research progress of the broadband array radar based on microwave photonic frequency multiplication and de-chirp processing was reviewed. After expounding the transceiver mechanism of microwave photonic broadband radar, the method for constructing broadband phased array radar and the performance of digital beam scanning and imaging were introduced. Then, the radar array was extended to MIMO architecture. The broadband microwave photonic MIMO radar based on optical wavelength division multiplexing technology was introduced and its performance in target detection and imaging was analyzed.

High-resolution phased array radar imaging by photonics-based broadband digital beamforming.

A photonics-based broadband phased array radar is demonstrated to realize high-resolution imaging based on digital beamforming. This photonics-based phased array radar can achieve a high range resolution enabled by a large operation bandwidth, and can realize squint-free beam steering by digital true time delay (TTD) compensation. In addition, the photonic dechirp processing applied in the receiver can alleviate the hardware requirements for data sampling and storage, and hence remarkably enhance the real-time signal processing capability. In a proof-of-concept experiment, target imaging by a photonics-based 1 × 4 phased array radar that has a bandwidth of 4 GHz (22-26 GHz) is demonstrated, of which the range and azimuth resolution is measured to be 3.85 cm and 2.68°, respectively. The proposed scheme provides good solution to overcoming the bandwidth limitation and implementing high-resolution imaging in a phased array radar.

Optimization of a broadband phased array with vibrator emitters

Optimization of a broadband phased array with vibrator emitters

Scanning Enhanced Low-Profile Broadband Phased Array With Radiator-Sharing Approach and Defected Ground Structures

In this paper, a scanning enhanced low-profile broadband phased array is presented. This array is based on the radiator-sharing approach and the defected ground structures (DGSs). In this phased array, the radiator-sharing approach has been implemented by using metasurface antenna, and the scanning range has been remarkably enhanced by reducing element spacing. An attractive behavior in broadband impedance matching has still been obtained, in spite that closely spaced feedings are adopted. Moreover, the scanning performance is considerably improved by applying meander-line slots cut from the ground plane, forming DGS. In order to validate this proposed design, a nine-element linear phased array with DGSs has been fabricated and measured. Based on the uniform magnitude and the progressive phase, the capability of wide-angle scanning can be achieved over the measured bandwidth of 23.1% (4.6–5.8 GHz). At the center frequency of 5.2 GHz, this array scans up to 50° and the realized gain varies from 14.76 to 11.85 dBi.

An Efficient Broadband Adaptive Beamforming Algorithm Based on Frequency–Space Cascade Processing

In this paper, the performance loss caused by the aperture fill phenomena and heavy computational burden in broadband adaptive beamforming (ADBF) is analyzed, and an efficient approach based on frequency–space cascade processing is presented. First, a digital compensation method is applied to compensate for the aperture fill time of the broadband phased array in the range-frequency domain, removing the dependence of the wideband array steering vector on the instantaneous frequency. Second, a subband adaptive beamforming scheme using range-compressed data is implemented, reducing the degrees of freedom of wideband jamming and avoiding signal cancelation in the ADBF covariance matrix estimation. Moreover, the conjugate gradient algorithm is used to iteratively calculate the ADBF weight vector to reduce the computational complexity. Finally, wideband ADBF can be achieved by subband synthesis. Theoretical analysis and simulation results are provided to demonstrate that the proposed approach can suppress jamming sufficiently with a rapid convergence rate, making this approach feasible for engineering implementation.

Pharmaco Penile Duplex Ultrasonography in the Evaluation of Erectile Dysfunction.

The National Institute of Health defined 'erectile dysfunction' as the persistent inability to achieve and/or to maintain an erection for a satisfactory sexual performance. In last few years, the concept of erectile dysfunction has evolved from that of a disorder referred to as 'impotence' which used to be considered predominantly psychogenic to that of 'Erectile Dysfunction' (ED), a well understood physiologic result of multiple risk factors, both psychological and organic. The most common cause of organic erectile dysfunction is vasculogenic causes. Doppler evaluation of cavernosal arteries after intracavernosal injection of Papaverine is particularly useful in the evaluation of vasculogenic causes. To define the role of intracavernosal injection of Papaverine in the evaluation of vasculogenic causes of erectile dysfunction that includes arterial insufficiency and veno occlusive nature. Pharmaco Penile Duplex Ultrasonography (PPDU) was done using a linear broadband phased array transducer (7-12 MHz) on a E-Saote MyLab 60 ultrasound colour Doppler system on 73 patients over a period of three years. Informed consent was taken from all patients. Visual grading score for erection, Cavernosal Artery Diameter (CAD), PSV (Peak Systolic Velocity), EDV (End Diastolic Velocity), RI (Resistive Index), AT (Acceleration Time) and dorsal vein changes were obtained in all patients following intracavernosal injection of Papaverine. Visual grading for erectile response was E0 in one patient, E1 in 11 patients, E2 in 9 patients, E3 in 7 patients, E4 in 4 patients and E5 in 41 patients. Eighteen patients were diagnosed as having arterial insufficiency, three patients were diagnosed as having venous insufficiency and two patients showed indeterminate results. In our study, Papaverine induced PPDU proved to be highly accurate and excellent method for assessing patients with erectile dysfunction.

基于微光学元件堆栈集成技术的收发一体化宽带光控相控阵天线

基于微光学元件堆栈集成技术的收发一体化宽带光控相控阵天线

Correlated One Site Three Dimensions VHF Broadband Digital Interferometer algorithm and Phased Array Radar (PAR) Observations

Correlated One Site Three Dimensions VHF Broadband Digital Interferometer algorithm and Phased Array Radar (PAR) Observations

A 5-20 GHz 5-Bit True Time Delay Circuit in 0.18 ㎛ CMOS Technology

This paper presents a 5-bit true time delay circuit using a standard 0.18 ㎛ CMOS process for the broadband phased array antenna without the beam squint. The maximum time delay of ~106 ps with the delay step of ~3.3 ps is achieved at 5-20 ㎓. The RMS group delay and amplitude errors are ＜ 1 ps and ＜2 ㏈, respectively. The measured insertion loss is ＜27 ㏈ and the input and output return losses are ＜12 ㏈ at 5-15 ㎓. The current consumption is nearly zero with 1.8 V supply. The chip size is 1.04 × 0.85 ㎟ including pads.

Integrated Ultra-Low-Loss 4-Bit Tunable Delay for Broadband Phased Array Antenna Applications

We demonstrate the design, fabrication, and characterization of a 4-bit tunable delay in an ultra-low-loss ${\rm Si}_{3}{\rm N}_{4}$ planar platform. Temporal delays up to 12.35 ns with resolution of 0.85 ns are measured, for a total of 2.407 meters of propagation length. The TE waveguide propagation loss is measured to be $(1.01\pm 0.06)~{\rm dB}/{\rm m}$ at a wavelength of 1550 nm with the lowest loss of $(0.57\pm 0.08)~{\rm dB}/{\rm m}$ at 1591 nm.

Design-optimization of a broadband phased microphone array for aeroacoustic applications

Phased microphone arrays are commonly used in acoustic beamforming applications. While numerous beamforming algorithms have been proposed to alleviate deficiencies of the delay-and-sum approach, few studies have focused on the array design itself. In aeroacoustic applications, the most common designs are based on circularly symmetric spiral arrays devised by Underbrink (1995). The design of an array using such a method is complex and tedious due to the numerous design variables and corresponding trade-offs between resolution, sidelobe suppression, size, and cost. In this paper, a systematic design-optimization approach is described that offers several objective functions and constraints. Candidate arrays for use in the University of Florida Aeroacoustic Flow Facility (UFAFF) are designed for a broadband frequency range of 1 to 80 kHz. The results of these different cases will be compared to those of an existing array design currently used in the UFAFF. An optimized design is selected and fabricated for characterization and testing in the UFAFF. These results and comparison are described.