Figure 1 The down-converter SiP’s BGA package.
Modern electronic warfare, radar and signal intelligence systems are under increasing pressure to detect, process and respond to signals across increasingly wider spans of the RF spectrum. While most current direct sampling architectures effectively support the 2 to 18 GHz band using high speed field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), adversarial systems now operate in higher frequency ranges, including the 18 to 40 GHz mmWave band. Spectrum Control has developed a new mmWave block converter in a compact, system-in-package (SiP) form factor that utilizes an integrated miniaturization design to address the modern battlefield and stringent size, weight, power consumption and cost (SWaP-C) directives.
Systems operate at mmWave bands because higher frequencies offer greater data throughput and more resilient communications, opening new techniques in radar and sensing. However, directly digitizing signals in this higher band is beyond the reach of many existing direct RF systems due to their ADC and FPGA performance limitations.
To unlock the full potential of wideband situational awareness, next-generation front-end architectures must bridge the gap between high frequency sensing and practical, power-efficient digitization. The new mmWave block converter from Spectrum Control fills that gap. The device converts wideband mmWave signals in the 18 to 40 GHz range down to the standard 2 to 18 GHz band, enabling integration with existing direct RF signal chains.
BIG PERFORMANCE, SMALL PACKAGE
The new mmWave block down-converter features a compact 30 × 30 mm package, as seen in Figure 1. Despite its small size, it includes a 2-channel down conversion circuit, demonstrated via block diagram in Figure 2, with:
- Ten precision RF amplifiers to condition and buffer signals
- Two software-controllable digital attenuators for flexible gain control
- Eleven integrated RF filters to reduce spurious content and out-of-band noise
- An RF detector for real-time signal monitoring and feedback control.
Figure 2 Block diagram of conversion circuit.
The Spectrum Control mmWave block converter delivers high performance to meet the mission-critical requirements of modern defense systems. Table 1 shows the complete specifications for the 2-channel mmWave down-converter.
Figure 3 Input and output diagram.
Management and control are handled by an integrated Altera FPGA with an open standard interface allowing system-level integration and mission-driven reconfiguration. A single 9 V DC power input drives the entire module, simplifying power distribution in constrained systems. Figure 3 shows a diagram of the input and output elements.
It is ideally utilized as a co-processor to direct sampling devices and FPGAs or as a front-end to Spectrum Control’s 3U VPX microwave wideband tuner/transceiver. It can be used in any mmWave application where SWaP-C is a primary consideration. Because it is a surface-mount device, engineers can model and integrate the block converter into a more efficient design and manufacturing process for overall time-to-market benefits.
BUILT ON SPECTRUM CONTROL’S PROVEN SIP PLATFORM
This mmWave block converter is the latest addition to Spectrum Control’s expanding portfolio of RF SiP solutions. Other products include a wideband front-end (RFFE), mmWave up-converter and low jitter clock source with clock management.
Key platform advantages of the SiP platform include:
- A modular design library of RF and digital building blocks, enabling simulation and system-level customization
- High performance miniature passive structures, including advanced filtering topologies
- Packaging technologies that deliver 70 dB of channel-to-channel isolation to minimize crosstalk
- Advanced thermal management strategies and heterogeneous substrate layering, using standard microelectronics manufacturing flows
- Integrated digital control via FPGA with standardized software interface
- Onboard power management, eliminating the need for external regulators or converters.
A FOUNDATION FOR FUTURE-READY SYSTEMS
Whether deployed in low SWaP-C defense systems, distributed RF sensor networks or airborne payloads, Spectrum Control’s mmWave down-converter SiP enables RF coverage, system integration and digital control. It is more than a component, it is a key element for the next generation of agile, spectrum-dominant platforms.
Spectrum Control
Fairview, Pa.
www.spectrumcontrol.com
