This document (AIR6005) provides the framework for the specifications of a WDM OBN within the SAE AS5659 WDM LAN Specification document family, in particular, the Transparent Optical Backbone Network Specification. This framework includes potential requirements, technical background, investigation and context to support the writing of SAE’s WDM LAN specifications documents. The SAE’s AS6005 WDM OBN document describes a transparent optical network which contains optical components and optical interfaces to perform optical transport, optical add/drop, optical amplification, optical routing, and optical switching functions. The conforming optical signal interfaces for the data plane of the WDM OBN are defined. The conforming signal interfaces for the control and management planes of this network are also defined. The control and management plane signals may be either electrical or optical. If successful, a WDM LAN standard is anticipated to include multiple variants that may get created

AS-3 Fiber Optics and Applied Photonics Committee

General Requirements for WDM Backbone Networks

AIR6005-TEST-REC (Historical)01/23/2018

AS-3 Fiber Optics and Applied Photonics Committee

Shaper Design in CMOS for High Dynamic Range

TBMG-2755109/01/2017

Front-end electronics for capacitive sensors typically include a preamplifier followed by a filter. The preamplifier provides low-noise amplification of the signals induced in the sensor electrodes. The filter, by properly limiting the signal bandwidth, maximizes the Signal-to-Noise (S/N) ratio. Additionally, the filter limits the duration of the output signal associated with the measured event and, for those sensors where the induced signal is relatively slow, it maximizes the signal amplitude.

Wideband, GaN MMIC, Distributed Amplifier-Based Microwave Power Module

TBMG-2426204/01/2016

Historically, the term microwave power module (MPM) has been associated with a small, fully integrated, self-contained radio frequency (RF) amplifier that combines both solid-state and microwave vacuum electronics technologies. Typically, the output power of these MPMs is on the order of about 100 Watts CW over an octave bandwidth. The MPMs require both a solid-state amplifier at the front end and a microwave vacuum electronics amplifier at the back end. However, such MPMs cannot be utilized for communications because the MPMs are not optimized for linearity or efficiency. Also, the MPMs can be very expensive to manufacture, particularly when modules are produced in very small quantities for space applications. Also, a kilovolt (kV) class power supply is required to power the traveling-wave tube amplifier, which is a part of the microwave vacuum electronics.

Miller-Jogging for Synthesizer Lock Algorithm Extension

TBMG-2409203/01/2016

The University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) has developed a wide range of CMOS (complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor) phase lock loop (PLL) chips with self-healing/self-calibration capabilities, allowing them to adapt, on the fly, to changes in temperature and other environment parameters. All CMOS PLLs typically have three major settings that self-healing and calibration can adjust: VCO (voltage controlled oscillator) coarse tuning, divider tuning, and CML (current mode logic) tuning. Previous work done at UCLA uses these “knobs” or settings exclusively to self-lock a PLL. Locking criteria is established by monitoring the control voltage with an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) to see if the PLL loop is settled in the middle of the range (locked), or sitting at the ground or supply (unlocked).

Ultra-High-Power W-Band/F-Band Schottky Diode-Based Frequency Multipliers

TBMG-2365601/01/2016

All-solid-state, room-temperature, multipixel, sub milli meter-wave re ceiv ers are in demand for efficient spatial mapping of a planet’s atmosphere composition and wind velocities for future NASA missions to Venus, Jupiter, and its moons. Roomtemperature operation based on Schottky diode technology is a must in order to avoid cryogenic cooling and enable long-term missions. This technology is also being successfully applied for very-high-resolution imaging radars for standoff detection of concealed weapons. For submillimeter-wave radar imaging, the main issue is that, in order to reach video frame rates with high image pixel density, multi-pixel focal plane transceiver arrays are needed to illuminate targets with many radar beams simultaneously.

High-Power, Solid-State Power Amplifier System

TBMG-23244

11/01/2015

The purpose of the invention was to increase the operational power levels of solid-state power amplifiers using state-ofthe- art power amplifier design and combining methodology. Using 1-kW RF modules and proper RF combining techniques, a system was built that generated 16 kW of RF power for use in electric plasma propulsion. The 1-kW units were fault-protected against excessive power, excessive current, and high VSWR, since the RF power devices are extremely sensitive to variations in their operating conditions.

Unmanned Ground Vehicle Communications Relays

TBMG-2265108/01/2015

The need for a high-bandwidth communication link to carry multiple video channels from a mobile robot (unmanned ground vehicle, or UGV) back to a control station requires using high-frequency RF communication links. These links are mostly line-of-sight, often limiting the flexibility of the robot’s movement. The Autonomous Mobile Communication Relays project demonstrated the capability of autonomous slave robots to provide communication-relaying capability for a lead robot exploring an unknown environment.

Electronic Warfare Technology

TBMG-2188104/01/2015

Military electronic warfare (EW) systems including navigation, radar guidance, terrain mapping and others, require lightweight compact components, with radio frequency (RF) output power levels to several kilowatts typically needed to meet system requirements. As GaN transistor technology advances in frequency and power output, solid state power amplifiers (SSPAs) have begun replacing traveling wave tubes (TWTs) at frequencies up to 6 GHz. The utilization of this technology results in a lower cost and greater efficiency over the life of a product.

Test Results of A Sensor-Less, Highly Nonlinear Electro-Mechanical Brake

2014-01-254109/28/2014

The electro-mechanical brake (EMB) of Vienna Engineering (VE) uses a highly non-linear mechanism to create the high pressing force of the pad. The advantage is that the pad moves very fast when the pad pressing force is low and moves slower with increasing pressing force. The normal force in EMBs is often controlled by observing mechanical deformation to conclude to stress or force, commonly using strain gauges. It causes costs of the gauge itself and attaching them to e.g. the caliper and a sensitive amplifier. The full gauge equipment goes into the safety-related brake control system. The faintest damage (e.g. stone impacts, heat) gets the vehicle to the repair shop making expensive replacement necessary. To avoid the costs of the force measurement in the safety related system VE took the electrical motor measurements from the very beginning of the brake development for EMB control. These electrical values (position, rpm, current, voltage) are already present to operate the brushless

Putz, Michael Herbert, Wunsch, Christian, Schiffer, Markus, Peternel, Jure

Optimizing DSP Techniques for Antenna Site Software Radio

TBMG-2034408/01/2014

With the emergence of monolithic A/D converters capable of sampling rates of 5 GHz and higher, engineers can now directly digitize analog RF signals covering a frequency span of more than 2 GHz. This allows the capture of wideband communications and radar signals in a single data stream, eliminating the complexity of splitting a given band into parallel adjacent sub-bands, and the inevitability of input signals straddling them. While these new converters appear to simplify software radio architectures, they also impose many limitations and tradeoffs.

Micromachined Thermopile Arrays with Novel Thermo-electric Materials

TBMG-1990806/01/2014

Future missions to outer planets will have stringent limits on payload mass. Thermal imaging instruments to map planetary surfaces will be part of those payloads, and, consequently, will have to be compact and low mass. For thermal instruments, another key requirement will be state-of-the-art, highly sensitive detectors. Thermopiles are prime candidates for high-resolution thermal mapping in the far-infrared (17- to 250-μm wavelength) spectral range. Thermopile detector arrays can be made to be very lightweight and compact. Furthermore, they require very few ancillary components (e.g., readout electronics, optics, amplifiers), which can add to instrument volume and mass. The implementation of thermopiles on these missions is likely because they (1) generate an output voltage that is proportional to the incoming radiation within the spectral range being mapped; (2) do not require an electrical bias or an optical chopper; (3) have negligible 1/f noise; (4) are radiation hard; and (5

RF FPGAs for Multi-Function Systems

TBMG-19417

04/01/2014

State-of-the-art RF integrated circuits (ICs) achieve high performance via custom circuit elements with dedicated signal paths for application-specific functions, but long design lead times and non-recurring fabrication costs increase time-to-market for new applications and limit reuse. The key to developing an RF FPGA (radio frequency field-programmable gate array) is to provide RF switching components with very low insertion loss and high isolation that can be integrated with high-performance RF circuits in silicon germanium (SiGe) and gallium nitride (GaN) technologies, and integrating these circuits in a reconfigurable topology to allow an RF FPGA to perform a wide variety of functions.

670-GHz Down- and Up-Converting HEMT-Based Mixers

TBMG-1525012/01/2012

A large category of scientific investigation takes advantage of the interactions of signals in the frequency range from 300 to 1,000 GHz and higher. This includes astronomy and atmospheric science, where spectral observations in this frequency range give information about molecular abundances, pressures, and temperatures of small-sized molecules such as water. Additionally, there is a minimum in the atmospheric absorption at around 670 GHz that makes this frequency useful for terrestrial imaging, radar, and possibly communications purposes. This is because 670 GHz is a good compromise for imaging and radar applications between spatial resolution (for a given antenna size) that favors higher frequencies, and atmospheric losses that favor lower frequencies. A similar trade-off applies to communications link budgets: higher frequencies allow smaller antennas, but incur a higher loss.

Feedback Augmented Sub-Ranging (FASR) Quantizer

TBMG-1524912/01/2012

This innovation is intended to reduce the size, power, and complexity of pipeline analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) that require high resolution and speed along with low power. Digitizers are important components in any application where analog signals (such as light, sound, temperature, etc.) need to be digitally processed. The innovation implements amplification of a sampled residual voltage in a switched capacitor amplifier stage that does not depend on charge redistribution. The result is less sensitive to capacitor mismatches that cause gain errors, which are the main limitation of such amplifiers in pipeline ADCs. The residual errors due to mismatch are reduced by at least a factor of 16, which is equivalent to at least 4 bits of improvement. The settling time is also faster because of a higher feedback factor.

Amplifier Module for 260-GHz Band Using Quartz Waveguide Transitions

TBMG-1506811/01/2012

Packaging of MMIC LNA (monolithic microwave integrated circuit low-noise amplifier) chips at frequencies over 200 GHz has always been problematic due to the high loss in the transition between the MMIC chip and the waveguide medium in which the chip will typically be used. In addition, above 200 GHz, wirebond inductance between the LNA and the waveguide can severely limit the RF matching and bandwidth of the final waveguide amplifier module.

Ka-Band Waveguide Three-Way Serial Combiner for MMIC Amplifiers

TBMG-1485510/01/2012

In this innovation, the three-way combiner consists internally of two branchline hybrids that are connected in series by a short length of waveguide. Each branch-line hybrid is designed to combine input signals that are in phase with an amplitude ratio of two. The combiner is constructed in an E-plane splitblock arrangement and is precision machined from blocks of aluminum with standard WR-28 waveguide ports. The port impedances of the combiner are matched to that of a standard WR-28 waveguide. The component parts include the power combiner and the MMIC (monolithic microwave integrated circuit) power amplifiers (PAs). The three-way series power combiner is a sixport device. For basic operation, power that enters ports 3, 5, and 6 is combined in phase and appears at port 1. Ports 2 and 4 are isolated ports. The application of the three-way combiner for combining three PAs with unequal output powers was demonstrated.

670-GHz Schottky Diode-Based Subharmonic Mixer With CPW Circuits and 70-GHz IF

TBMG-1422708/01/2012

GaAs-based, sub-harmonically pumped Schottky diode mixers offer a number of advantages for array implementation in a heterodyne receiver system. Since the radio frequency (RF) and local oscillator (LO) signals are far apart, system design becomes much simpler.

Self-Nulling Lock-in Detection Electronics for Capacitance Probe Electrometer

TBMG-1423108/01/2012

A multi-channel electrometer voltmeter that employs self-nulling lock-in detection electronics in conjunction with a mechanical resonator with non-contact voltage sensing electrodes has been developed for space-based measurement of an Internal Electrostatic Discharge Monitor (IESDM). The IESDM is new sensor technology targeted for integration into a Space Environmental Monitor (SEM) subsystem used for the characterization and monitoring of deep dielectric charging on spacecraft.

High-Speed Scanning Interferometer Using CMOS Image Sensor and FPGA Based on Multifrequency Phase- Tracking Detection

TBMG-1405607/01/2012

A sub-aperture stitching optical interferometer can provide a cost-effective solution for an in situ metrology tool for large optics; however, the currently available technologies are not suitable for high-speed and real-time continuous scan. NanoWave’s SPPE (Scanning Probe Position Encoder) has been proven to exhibit excellent stability and sub-nanometer precision with a large dynamic range. This same technology can transform many optical interferometers into real-time subnanometer precision tools with only minor modification. The proposed field-programmable gate array (FPGA) signal processing concept, coupled with a new-generation, highspeed, mega-pixel CMOS (complementary metal-oxide semiconductor) image sensor, enables high speed (>1 m/s) and real-time continuous surface profiling that is insensitive to variation of pixel sensitivity and/or optical trans mission/ reflection. This is especially useful for large optics surface profiling.

885-nm Pumped Ceramic Nd:YAG Master Oscillator Power Amplifier Laser System

TBMG-1413107/01/2012

The performance of a traditional diode pumped solid-state laser that is typically pumped with 808-nm laser diode array (LDA) and crystalline Nd:YAG was improved by using 885-nm LDAs and ceramic Nd:YAG. The advantage is lower quantum defect, which will improve the thermal loading on laser gain medium, resulting in a higher-performance laser. The use of ceramic Nd:YAG allows a higher Nd dopant level that will make up the lower absorption at the 885-nm wavelength on Nd:YAG.

On-Wafer Measurement of a Multi-Stage MMIC Amplifier With 10 dB of Gain at 475 GHz

TBMG-1354805/01/2012

JPL has measured and calibrated a WR2.2 waveguide wafer probe from GGB Industries in order to allow for measurement of circuits in the 325–500 GHz range. Circuits were measured, and one of the circuits exhibited 10 dB of gain at 475 GHz.

Design and Performance of a Wideband Radio Telescope

TBMG-1327404/01/2012

The Goldstone Apple Valley Radio Telescope (GAVRT) is an outreach project, a partnership involving NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL ), the Lewis Center for Educational Research (LCER), and the Apple Valley Unified School District near the NASA Goldstone deep space communication complex. This educational program currently use s a 34 -meter antenna, DSS12, at Goldstone for classroom radio astronomy observations via the Internet. The current program utilizes DSS12 in two narrow frequency bands around S-band (2.3 GHz) and X-band (8.45 GHz), and is used by a training program involving a large number of secondary school teachers and their classrooms. To expand the program, a joint JPL/LCER project was started in mid-2006 to retrofit an additional existing 34-meter be am-waveguide antenna, D S S28, with wideband feeds and receivers to cove r the 0.5-to-14-GHz frequency bands.

Low-Noise, Large-Area Quad Photoreceivers Based on Low-Capacitance Quad Photodiodes

TBMG-1307703/01/2012

The Laser Interferometry Space Antenna’s (LISAs) scientific mission to detect gravity waves demands stringent noise limits on the system components, especially the large-area quad photoreceiver front end, for ultra-high-precision (≈10 pm/Hz1/2) distance measurements. The optical LO (local oscillator) power on LISA is limited to 100 μW to keep power dissipation and thermal fluctuation low on the optical bench. Consequently, a large-area quad photoreceiver having an equivalent input current noise of the order of 1 pm/Hz1/2 is needed. Additionally, the quad photoreceiver must demonstrate low crosstalk between individual quadrants to allow accurate direction sensing of the incoming optical beam. This performance must be achieved over a bandwidth of 2 to 20 MHz to meet LISA’s requirements. Commercially available quad photodetectors do not have the combination of large area, low capacitance (and therefore low noise), and low crosstalk, which is critical for LISA’s scientific objectives.

Low-Noise, Large-Area Quad Photoreceivers Based on Low-Capacitance Quad Photodiodes

TBMG-TB-01307703/01/2012

Frequency to Voltage Converter Analog Front-End Prototype

TBMG-1278402/01/2012

The frequency to voltage converter analog front end evaluation prototype (F2V AFE) is an evaluation board designed for comparison of different methods of accurately extracting the frequency of a sinusoidal input signal. A configurable input stage is routed to one or several of five separate, configurable filtering circuits, and then to a configurable output stage. Amplifier selection and gain, filter corner frequencies, and comparator hysteresis and voltage reference are all easily configurable through the use of jumpers and potentiometers.

Technique for Radiometer and Antenna Array Calibration — TRAAC

TBMG-1262401/01/2012

detect minute amounts of emitted electromagnetic energy. Calibration of these receivers is vital to the accuracy of the measurements. Traditional calibration techniques depend on calibration reference internal to the receivers as reference for the calibration of the observed electromagnetic energy. Such methods can only calibrate errors in measurement introduced by the receiver only. The disadvantage of these existing methods is that they cannot account for errors introduced by devices, such as antennas, used for capturing electromagnetic radiation. This severely limits the types of antennas that can be used to make measurements with a high degree of accuracy. Complex antenna systems, such as electronically steerable antennas (also known as phased arrays), while offering potentially significant advantages, suffer from a lack of a reliable and accurate calibration technique.

Digital Interface Board to Control Phase and Amplitude of Four Channels

TBMG-1222312/01/2011

An increasing number of parts are designed with digital control interfaces, including phase shifters and variable attenuators. When designing an antenna array in which each antenna has independent amplitude and phase control, the number of digital control lines that must be set simultaneously can grow very large. Use of a parallel interface would require separate line drivers, more parts, and thus additional failure points. A convenient form of control where single-phase shifters or attenuators could be set or the whole set could be programmed with an update rate of 100 Hz is needed to solve this problem.

Cryogenic 160-GHz MMIC Heterodyne Receiver Module

TBMG-1221512/01/2011

A cryogenic 160-GHz MMIC heterodyne receiver module has demonstrated a system noise temperature of 100 K or less at 166 GHz. This module builds upon work previously described in “Development of a 150-GHz MMIC Module Prototype for Large-Scale CMB Radiation” (NPO-47664), NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 35, No. 8 (August 2011), p. 27. In the original module, the local oscillator signal was saturating the MMIC low-noise amplifiers (LNAs) with power. In order to suppress the local oscillator signal from reaching the MMIC LNAs, the W-band (75–110 GHz) signal had to be filtered out before reaching 140–170 GHz. A bandpass filter was developed to cover 120–170 GHz, using microstrip parallelcoupled lines to achieve the desired filter bandwidth, and ensure that the unwanted W-band local oscillator signal would be sufficiently suppressed.

Ka-Band, Multi- Gigabit-Per-Second Transceiver

TBMG-12219

12/01/2011

A document discusses a multi-Gigabitper- second, Ka-band transceiver with a software-defined modem (SDM) capable of digitally encoding/decoding data and compensating for linear and nonlinear distortions in the end-to-end system, including the traveling-wave tube amplifier (TWTA). This innovation can increase data rates of space-to-ground communication links, and has potential application to NASA’s future spacebased Earth observation system.