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Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - ATOS (Advanced Technological Solutions for X band Earth Observation Systems)

Teaser

Summary

The ATOS project will develop and qualify a new generation of X band T/R modules, based on GaN HEMT and SiGe BiCMOS technology, with innovative packaging techniques that minimize the footprint, and will integrate a set of T/R modules in a demonstrator of a high-efficiency densely populated AESA tile to be verified in radiated tests.
Such development will enable future space-borne AESA radars at X band with a significant leap in bandwidth, power density and/or azimuth steering capability with respect to current SAR AESAs developed in Europe, and will also enable or drastically improve compact solutions based on array-fed large unfurlable reflectors on small platforms.
The ATOS project will build or consolidate a fully European supply chain including semiconductor technology providers, SMEs and academia as design centers and test houses, and a large enterprise as integrator of space-grade equipment up to turnkey space systems. The components of such team will broaden the scope of their competences through the project, enabling them to be candidates for future developments in related projects and applications in commercial space as well as institutional programs.
The ATOS advancements achieved will be disseminated to foster initiatives of new mission concepts and business opportunities, specifically but not limited to Earth Observation, for which results of the project may represent a key technology enabler.

Work performed

\"Following the canonical lifecycle of an integrated project, the activities addressed by the ATOS consortium during the first reporting period (M1-M2) were focused on Requirements Definition and Detailed Design of all the individual components for the TRM and AESA demonstrator.
The basic building blocks and subsystems include:
- The TR Module (mechanical, structural and thermal components)
- The Corechip (GaN based)
- The Single Chip Front End (SiGe based)
- The Electronic Front End
- The Radiating panel
The first activity of requirements definition led to the identification of reference Earth Observation missions, with the hypothetical target antennas and consequently its constituting TR Modules. The resulting requirements have been downflown to the subsystems and components, for requirements definition and at this stage two iteration were required to consolidate the requirements, mainly due to:
- The feedback received by the Scientific Expert after the Requirement Review
- The preliminary feedback coming from the Design activities.
A second issue of Requirements documents has been issued in November 2018, introducing a delay of 3-4 months to the finalization of the design activities, that were supposed to be closed at the end of the Reporting Period #1.

Concurrently with the release of the preliminary results from the requirements activities, the design activities started, mainly focused on analysis, simulations and iterations to fix architectural and design solutions.

Last, but not least, the first dissemination activities have been carried out, with the publication of the project web site, as well as the first presentation of the Project in international contexts like the European Microwave Week 2018
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Final results

The requirements and design activities led, with the overcome of some technical challenges, to the definition of all the building blocks to realize the TRM outlined in the proposal.
If the manufacturing activities will confirm the expected performances of the individual components, a first significant result will be achieved in terms of enabling technologies (i.e. GaN).
As far as the demonstrator will be manufactured and integrated and the overall performance tests will be done, then the major results will be achieved with the realization of a X band T/R modules, based on GaN HEMT and SiGe BiCMOS technology, with innovative packaging techniques and efficient thermal management.

The resulting proof of concept will be the starting point of industrialization and engineering activities that could enable future space-borne AESA radars at X band with a significant leap in bandwidth, power density and/or azimuth steering capability with respect to current SAR AESAs developed in Europe, and will also enable or drastically improve compact solutions based on array-fed large unfurlable reflectors on small platforms.