Development of Miniaturized 30/20GHz Down Converter for Satellite Use

The development of the small size and lightweight 30/20GHz Down Converter (hereinafter “KaD/C”) , 470g, 90 X 65 X 65 mm ,for satellite use has been completed. It consists of RF section, LO section and EPC section. The RF section consists of MMIC (Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit) amplifier and Fine MIC (Microwave Integrated Circuit) mixer. They are mounted on multilayer HTCC (High Temperature Co-fired Ceramics) substrates as a package structure, which is called MCM (Multi Chip Module). The LO section and the EPC section also have been designed and manufactured lightweight and small size with our high density assembling technology. In electrical performance, the low spurious level has been achieved by adopting the balance type Fine MIC mixer. The space qualification test is in process. 1.Introduction Recently, the number of channels required for the satellite communication system has become larger because the amount of the communication data handled in the communication system has rapidly increased, and consequently it requires D/C (Down Converter) and all other communication equipment to be small size and lightweight. This paper describes the development result of the Ka-D/C for satellite use. The RF section applies MMIC amplifier and Fine MIC mixer. The LO section and the EPC section is miniaturized by adopting small parts and simple topology. In electric performance, low spurious level has been achieved by adopting balance type Fine MIC mixer. 2.Configuration The functional block diagram and the photograph of Ka-D/C are shown in Fig.-1. Three separate chassis for RF section, LO 20th AIAA International Communication Satellite Systems Conference and Exhibit 12-15 May 2002, Montreal, Quebec, Canada AIAA 2002-1941 Copyright © 2002 b Copyright © 2002 The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Inc. All rights reserved. American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics 1 y the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc. All rights reserved. American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics 2 section and EPC section in a cigarette box size are piled up and they are bolted down together. Fig.-1(a) 30/20GHz down converter functional block diagram. Fig.-1(b) Photograph of 30/20GHz down converter. RF MCM 30GHz-Amp. F-MIC-MIX 20GHz-Amp. 20GHz-Amp. RF IN IF OUT -25dBm MAX 0dBm BIAS 10GHz-Amp. LO IN -9dBm LO -8V +6V VCO 9.8GHz -8V +8V 10MHz 0dBm TYP 10GHz-Amp. BUS-Vol. EPC COMMAND Option TELEMETRY BIAS CIRCUIT Loop Filter SPD Coupler XOSC