SBIR-STTR Award

XCom Wireless is a developer of micromachined microwave circuitry for filters and phased array antennas, high-performance components identified as critical technologies for the next generations of defense and commercial RF electronics. XCom MEMS-based RF circuitry provides a direct chip-scale alternative to solid-state components and modules so aerospace communications and radar system prime contractors can easily upgrade to chips that save weight, space, power, and money. The proposed effort is to design a Kill Vehicle communications phased array antenna at 20/22 GHz that will allow rapid electronic steering of the antenna beam. The design will employ the hybrid MEMS and packaging technologies already being refined at XCom, and will benefit from continuing improvements supported by the complementary MEMS and antenna programs XCom has with AFRL, DARPA, the Army, and NASA. This continuing level of support provides directly relevant process and experiment background to this phased array design program, and prepares for prototype fabrication, test, and refinement in the Phase II effort. Hybrid assembly of RF circuit elements with RF MEMS promises low-cost and rapid manufacturing for high-performance antenna front-end needs, access to robust hermetic encapsulation techniques for shock survivability, and severe temperature tolerance for operation through launch, in space, and in other harsh environments

XCom Wireless is a developer of RF MEMS for tunable filters and phased array antennas, high-performance circuitry identified as critical technologies for the next generations of defense and commercial RF electronics. XCom MEMS-enabled microwave circuitry provides an alternative to solid-state technologies in communications and radar systems, with these miniaturized passive components replacing power-hungry and HEMP-sensitive GaAs active devices. In this program, XCom is using RF MEMS-enabled phase shifters for compact Kill Vehicle-to-Ground phased array antennas for half-duplexed communications at 20-22 GHz. This approach provides intrinsic advantages in size reduction, cost, and complexity of phased array subsystems, as well as improved radiation hardness, HEMP-tolerance, and survivability in space and launch environments. This proposed effort stems from a suite of complementary RF MEMS and antenna design and packaging programs at XCom, with the vast majority of costly MEMS design and development work already behind us. Additional efforts to increase the technology readiness level (TRL) development and mature system demonstrations are also proposed and costed separately, with high interest already shown by the GMD IFICS group as well as multiple MDA KV prime contractors for supporting this vision towards potential Phase III opportunities.

Keywords:
Communication, Phased Array, Esa, Mems, Compact, Integration, Phase Shifter