COMPACT AND RELIABLE INNOVATIONS FOR MODERN SPACE SYSTEMS
Modern satellite systems demand compact, high performance components to meet increasingly stringent operational and environmental challenges. As satellites incorporate phased array antennas or other high channel count systems, component size and weight become more relevant. The advent of lumped-element Wilkinson power dividers and chip scale packaging (CSP) offers groundbreaking advancements, enabling efficient and reliable technologies critical for space applications.
MINIATURIZATION REVOLUTION: LUMPED-ELEMENT WILKINSON POWER DIVIDERS
Wilkinson power dividers are the preferred splitter/combiner technology for phased array systems due to their exceptional performance. These splitter/combiners ensure minimal insertion loss and excellent impedance matching, which are critical for maintaining signal integrity across multiple channels. Additionally, their inherent design provides high isolation between output ports, preventing signal interference and enhancing overall system efficiency. Wilkinson dividers also feature excellent amplitude and phase balance, ensuring uniform signal distribution across antenna elements and enabling improved beamforming and resolution for phased arrays.
While Wilkinson power dividers are typically designed using quarter-wave transformers, Marki Microwave’s new MMIC power dividers use a lumped-element approach, replacing traditional, bulky quarter-wave structures and reducing component size by a factor of 10. This compact solution is crucial for densely packed systems where space is at a premium. For LEO satellite constellations, where size and weight must be reduced as much as possible, these compact power dividers seamlessly integrate into high performance architectures. However, achieving such integration demands more than just miniaturized die designs; a compact packaged solution is needed to ensure efficient assembly and reliability in constrained spaces. Figure 1 (a) shows Marki Microwave’s lumped-element transmission line approach and Figure 1 (b) shows how this method is incorporated into a four-way Wilkinson splitter design.
Figure 1 (a) Quasi lumped-element transmission line. (b) ADS four-way Wilkinson splitter with Quasi transmission lines.
CHIP SCALE PACKAGING: A GAME-CHANGER IN PACKAGING TECHNOLOGY
Marki Microwave’s patented CSP eliminates performance limitations associated with traditional wire bonding techniques. CSP uses hot-via technology, eliminating bond wire parasitic effects and achieving die-level performance in a dramatically smaller footprint.
CSP technology offers:
- Significant Miniaturization: Reducing component size by up to 75 percent compared to legacy QFN packages.
- High Frequency Performance: Supporting operations up to 85 GHz, making them suitable for advanced systems.
- Streamlined Integration: Compatibility with automated manufacturing processes simplifies system assembly.
Figure 2 shows Marki Microwave’s CSP offering by product category, along with comparative package sizes.
Figure 2 CSP product offering and physical scale.
CSP LUMPED-ELEMENT WILKINSON DIVIDER PERFORMANCE
Marki Microwave’s new family of CSP Wilkinson power dividers include both two-way and four-way splitter designs with frequency coverage up to 70 GHz. Figure 3 shows performance curves from Marki Microwave’s new MPD4-0422CSP2, a 4 to 22 GHz four-way Wilkinson power divider.
Figure 3 MPD4-0422CSP2 electrical performance.
The MPD4-0422CSP2 features:
- Insertion Loss: Approximately 1 dB excess insertion loss above the theoretical 6 dB loss for a four-way splitter.
- Amplitude and Phase Balance: Less than 0.5 dB and 3 degrees, respectively, across the operational bandwidth.
- Isolation: 30 dB typical isolation between output ports.
- Size: Available in Marki Microwave’s 2.5 mm CSP2 chip scale package.
These performance results and metrics highlight the capability of Marki Microwave’s CSP Wilkinson dividers. These characteristics enable them to meet the rigorous performance demands of phased array applications while minimizing size and weight for new space applications.
RIGOROUS SPACE QUALIFICATION FOR RELIABILITY
LEO satellite constellations have significantly transformed the space industry by emphasizing cost reduction and rapid deployment. Unlike traditional geosynchronous satellites with decade-long missions, LEO systems have shorter lifespans, requiring cost-effective solutions without compromising reliability. This shift has driven the adoption of upscreened commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components. By adapting and qualifying these components for space use, manufacturers achieve substantial cost savings and faster development cycles.
Upscreening ensures that COTS components meet the performance and durability requirements for LEO satellites, which must operate in dynamic and harsh orbital conditions. The approach involves rigorous testing to validate components against thermal cycling, radiation exposure and mechanical stress requirements. For phased array systems in LEO satellites, upscreened components provide a reliable yet economical option to achieve optimal signal distribution and system efficiency.
CSP components such as Marki Microwave’s new Wilkinson splitters can undergo extensive qualification, verifying performance under extreme thermal and structural conditions. These tests confirm their resilience and operational reliability for critical space missions. The majority of Marki’s components, from bare die, surface-mount and connectorized devices to waveguides, can be upscreened and qualified for space applications. Marki Microwave follows MIL-PRF-38534, MIL-PRF-35835, MIL-PRF-27 and NASA EEE-INST-002 standards. These standards serve as guidelines to screen and qualify commercial components to standard military levels or the highest level of reliability for space. Space qualification protocols ensure that CSP components meet the reliability thresholds for extreme environments.
Key testing phases include:
- Comprehensive Screening: Encompasses visual inspection, electrical validation and thermal cycling.
- Robust Qualification Testing: Covers life tests, mechanical shock resistance and environmental stress analysis.
Marki Microwave partners with customers to tailor testing and qualification processes to specific mission needs, balancing cost, reliability and timelines for optimal outcomes.
Marki Microwave
Morgan Hill, Calif.
markimicrowave.com
