SBIR-STTR Award

•In support of NASA’s Ecosystems SAR (EcoSAR) Mission, which is to enable unprecedented two- and three-dimensional fine scale measurements of terrestrial ecosystem and biomass, this project will develop a state-of-the-art (SOA) UHF Band monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) Power-Amplifier for the EcoSAR instrument’s 32 radar electronics units. This project will significantly advance Power Added Efficiency beyond present day commercial off the shelf offerings operating on the UHF Band, and specifically 335-535 MHz, achieving a TRL 3-4 MMIC power amplifier with over 25 Watts output power, power added efficiency (PAE) of greater than 70%, and power gain of over 35 dB with less than 1 dB gain flatness over the band; consistent with the requirements of EcoSAR. This UHF-band GaN MMIC SSPA performance will be at the very forefront of present-day technology. The efficiency advantages resulting from this project’s custom developed >70% PAE UHF MMIC 25-watt power amplifiers will be multiplied across 32 polarimetric (dual) transmit/receive (T/R) modules which reside inside the aircraft fuselage within a radar electronics unit (REU). Anticipated

Benefits:
The proposed UHF MMIC capable of PAE >70% will enhance NASA's communication and navigation for SWaP-C conscious applications such as: NASA Mission/Program: Ecosystems SAR (EcoSAR) Electra UHF Navigation Package Mars Perseverance Rover Mars Curiosity Rover Non-NASA commercial and DOD applications stand to benefit from Recon-RF's advancements in UHF MMIC technology, such as: Tactical Radio (Ground, Shipborne, Handheld) FirstNet Network Commercial 5G New Radio FR1 UHF Air Traffic Control and Wind Profile Radar