HEMT-based receiver arrays with excellent noise and scalability are already starting to be manufactured at 100 GHz, but the advances in technology should make it possible to develop receiver modules with even greater operation frequency up to 200 GHz. A prototype heterodyne amplifier module has been developed for operation from 140 to 170 GHz using monolithic millimeter-wave integrated circuit (MMIC) low-noise InP high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) amplifiers.
The compact, scalable module is centered on the 150-GHz atmospheric window using components known to operate well at these frequencies. Arrays equipped with hundreds of these modules can be optimized for many different astrophysical measurement techniques, including spectroscopy and interferometry.
This module is a heterodyne receiver module that is extremely compact, and makes use of 35-nm InP HEMT technology, and which has been shown to have excellent noise temperatures when cooled cryogenically to 30 K. This reduction in system noise over prior art has been demonstrated in commercial mixers (uncooled) at frequencies of 160–180 GHz. The module is expected to achieve a system noise temperature of 60 K when cooled.
An MMIC amplifier module has been designed to demonstrate the feasibility of expanding heterodyne amplifier technology to the 140 to 170-GHz frequency range for astronomical observations. The miniaturization of many standard components and the refinement of RF interconnect technology have cleared the way to mass-production of heterodyne amplifier receivers, making it a feasible technology for many large-population arrays.
This work furthers the recent research efforts in compact coherent receiver modules, including the development of the Q/U Imaging ExperimenT (QUIET) modules centered at 40 and 90 GHz, and the production of heterodyne module prototypes at 90 GHz.
This work was done by Pekka P. Kangaslahti, Lorene A. Samoska, Todd C. Gaier, and Mary M. Soria of Caltech; Patricia E. Voll, Sarah E. Church, Judy M. Lau, and Matthew M. Sieth of Stanford University; and Daniel Van Winkle and Sami Tantawi of SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. NPO-47664
This Brief includes a Technical Support Package (TSP).
Development of a 150-GHz MMIC Module Prototype for Large-Scale CMB Radiation
(reference NPO-47664) is currently available for download from the TSP library.
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Overview
The document outlines the development of a 150-GHz Monolithic Millimeter-Wave Integrated Circuit (MMIC) module prototype designed for large-scale measurements of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) radiation. The principal investigator, Lorene Samoska, along with a team from Stanford University and JPL, aims to create a compact and scalable receiver module that can be utilized in various astrophysics radio telescope missions, both terrestrial and space-based.
The project focuses on designing, fabricating, and testing a heterodyne amplifier module that operates within the frequency range of 140-170 GHz. This module is intended to facilitate the detection of CMB polarization, which is crucial for understanding fundamental physical processes such as cosmic inflation. The design incorporates low noise amplifiers (LNAs) based on advanced 35 nm InP HEMT technology, which, when cooled to cryogenic temperatures, are expected to achieve noise performance competitive with Superconductor-Insulator-Superconductor (SIS) mixer technology.
Initial testing of the module revealed issues with local oscillator (LO) signal leakage through the mixer chip, leading to gain compression and bias changes in the second LNA chip. To address this, a bandpass filter was designed to suppress LO leakage, significantly improving the module's performance. The filter, fabricated on a 3 mil alumina substrate, demonstrated over 30 dB rejection at W-band frequencies below 85 GHz. The receiver module achieved a minimum noise temperature of 460K at 166 GHz, with a system temperature (Tsys) of less than 600K across the 150-176 GHz range.
The document emphasizes the significance of this work for NASA and JPL, highlighting its potential to enable future missions such as the Chajnantor Inflation Probe (CHIP), Space Heterodyne Inflation Probe (SHIP), and others requiring low-power, scalable heterodyne receivers. The compact design allows for the development of arrays with hundreds of elements, enhancing the capability to measure CMB polarization effectively.
In summary, this document presents a significant advancement in the field of astrophysics instrumentation, showcasing the development of a high-performance, scalable receiver module that could play a vital role in exploring the early universe and the fundamental physics of cosmic inflation.
