SBIR-STTR Award

In very dense electromagnetic signal environments, a fast analog preprocessor may be of significant value in reducing the burden of a/d converters and digital processors and may substantially reduce response time in EW systems. This proposal seeks to design and evaluate an analog pattern-matching system based on the emerging technology of acoustic charge transport (act). This system may be used to screen signals from a multichannel esm receiver prior to a/d conversion, thereby reducing the digital processing burden by 2 to 3 orders of magnitude. The proposed system used GaAs IC analog processors which are well-suited to on-board ESM systems. The proposed concept demonstration program will be accomplished in 2 phases; this Phase I proposal covers the initial system design and evaluation to the performed using data taken from existing act devices and inserted into a performance model for the operational system.

Keywords:
Signal Processor Pattern Matching Acoustic Charge Transport Gallium Arsenide Electronics warfare Process

This proposal describes a program for the development of a channelizer processor for ESM receiver applications. This system is based on the emerging acoustic charge transport (ACT) technology which allows precision analog transversal filters to be integrated with amplifiers, detectors, comparators, and digital interface and control circuits in a single GaAs chip. The proposed Phase II program seeks to develop a custom processor chip to provide all of the basic signal processing for each channel of a particular channelized receiver configuration. The chip is intended to process a frame of rf data comprising ten time samples in each of 10 to 20 frequency channels. A total coverage of 200 frequency channels using multiple ACT chips is anticipated. ACT devices are to be used as tapped delay lines for signal storage and for the development of an adaptive threshold that enhances detection probability. Integrated circuit functions include peak signal detection and reporting using digitally controlled analog circuits to correct for gain and offset variations in the processing chain. Anticipated Benefits/Potential Commercial Applications - The ACT-based channelizer processor performs signal sorting and detection functions over a large bandwidth. If successful, this program will result in the first fully integrated analog subsystem that could have a significant impact of channelized receiver technology.

Keywords:
Signal Processo Pattern Matchin Acoustic Charge Transpor Gallium Arsenid Electronicswarfare Process