TRW/JPL Low-Noise Amplifier Sets High Frequency Record
12 April 1999
TRW/JPL Low-Noise Amplifier Sets High Frequency Record; Opens Door to Smaller, More Capable Environmental Satellites
REDONDO BEACH, Calif.--April 12, 1999--In a development that could lead to smaller, lighter and more capable Earth-observing satellites, a team of engineers from TRW and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Pasadena, Calif., has produced and demonstrated a new indium phosphide microchip that operates at 190 gigahertz (GHz), the highest frequency of any known solid-state monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC).The new circuit, a low-noise amplifier (LNA), offers the ability to detect and amplify signals at high frequency with very low power consumption. These attributes will allow scientists to achieve substantial savings in weight, size and operating power of satellite instruments used to perform routine measurements of the atmosphere's temperature and water vapor content. This meteorological data is the basis for global weather models used to predict and track severe weather patterns.
The two-stage LNA chip was designed and fabricated by TRW using its patented indium phosphide high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) MMIC process. In a series of test s conducted by JPL, the LNA achieved a peak gain of 9.6 dB at 190 GHz and 8 dB gain from 160 GHz to 190 GHz. The circuit's design is unique in that it allows multiple LNA chips to be linked together, or "cascaded" to create an amplifier with 20 to 30 dB of gain at 190 GHz. Gain is a measure of a circuit's ability to amplify a signal. One gigahertz equals one billion cycles per second, or 1000 megahertz.
"These record results demonstrate that TRW's high-performance indium phosphide technology can be used effectively for 180-200 GHz applications such as atmospheric sounding, satellite communication systems, and advanced millimeter-wave imaging and radar systems," said Fred Ricker, vice president and general manager, TRW Electronics & Technology Division. Indium phosphide technology is expected to be the baseline technology for a new generation of weather satellites being developed by NASA and the Air Force for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, he added.
According to Todd Gaier, a JPL scientist, the size, weight and power benefits of instruments based on TRW's low-noise indium phosphide technology extend not only to Earth-monitoring missions, but also to interplanetary and astrophysics missions.
"The low noise, high frequency and low power consumption of indium phosphide make it entirely possible to consider developing new instruments that could search for atmospheric water vapor on Mars or other distant planets," he explained. Such instruments have been difficult to implement up until now, he added, because they consumed too much of the limited power available on satellites operating in deep space.
TRW's new LNA is one of several integrated circuits with operating frequencies between 150 and 200 GHz that the company has produced in recent months to demonstrate the growing maturity of its indium phosphide fabrication process. The chip was designed and fabricated at TRW's microelectronics fabrication facility in Redondo Beach, Calif.
Indium phosphide is a next-generation semiconductor technology that offers higher operating speeds, lower noise figures and lower power consumption than technologies currently used for environmental remote sensing, high performance microwave communications and advanced digital signal processing systems. These characteristics enable the development of receivers and signal processing systems that are smaller, faster, more sensitive and more power efficient than most satellite hardware in service today.
TRW Inc. is a leading designer and producer of low-cost microwave and millimeter wave integrated circuits for government and commercial markets. The company is currently developing microwave and millimeter wave integrated circuits that operate at frequencies ranging from 0.8 GHz to more than 200 GHz to support applications ranging from satellite communications payloads and battlefield combat identification systems to wireless communication systems.
Based in Cleveland, Ohio, TRW provides advanced technology products and services for automotive, space and defense, and information technology markets worldwide. The company's 1998 sales totaled approximately $12 billion. TRW news releases are available on the company's Web site: www.trw.com.