This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project demonstrates a breakthrough approach to very high-speed, high-resolution analog-to-digital conversion which improves the speed of conversion by up to six times the state-of-the-art by using a parallel array of individual converters. The V-Corp Advanced Filter Bank Analog and Digital Converter (AFB ADC) technology will be integrated into a Harris Corporation advanced all-digital multiple beam array system for theater ballistic missile defense. The AFB ADC architecture works because the filter bank signal processing significantly reduces the sensitivity to analog mismatches (e.g., phase distortion, clock skew, temperature drift) which prohibit existing parallel conversion methods (e.g., Time-Interleaving) from achieving high resolution. V-Corp has proven the technical efficacy of the concept by successfully building prototype hardware with 12-bit resolution and 260 MHz sample rate (over twice as fast as state-of-the-art). Very importantly, the AFB ADC architecture will never become obsolete and will always exceed the state-of-the-art because it can easily be upgraded as new, more powerful ADC products become available. The architecture is amenable to single-chip integration for compact, low-power applications. The AFB ADC technology enables an advanced all-digital shipboard array with multiple beams and a single aperture, steerable nulls to mitigate co-site interference and jammers, fast beam pointing and target acquisition, software reconfigurability, and affordability due to high levels of circuit integration. During Phase I, V-Corp will work on the development of requirements, alternatives, technology projections, and a conceptual approach to the digital beam-forming application using the V-Corp AFB ADC approach. Key components in the system will be tested to demonstrate the validity of the system. A hardware implementation of the V-Corp AFB ADC will be tested in conjunction with the key components of the digital beam-former in the Phase I Option. During Phase II, V-Corp will work on the design, development, and test of a functional model of a segment (e.g., sub-array) of the Harris Corporation digital beam-former using the LinComp technology.The AFB ADC approach overcomes the critical A/D conversion bottleneck which limits performance of state-of-the-art radio frequency transceiver systems. Virtually any high-performance modern electronic system will benefit from the AFB ADC. Significant applications include enhancement of radar systems, wideband universal RF transceivers, specialized test equipment, and medical imaging systems.
Keywords: High Resolution, Analog To Digital Conversion, Radio Frequency Communications , High Speed, Digital To Analog Conversion
