Abstract: A system is provided for rapidly prototyping monolithic microwave integrated circuit modules to provide an experimental structure that can be physically made to operate by stereolithographically rendering an SLA part directly from the designer's drawings and by coating the part with a conductive layer, with the smoothness being better than 0.001 inch and with the dimensional accuracy being better than 3 mils for some applications. In one embodiment, the coating for the SLA model is made from either rhodium or gold having a thickness of less than 1/10,000th of an inch, with a nickel barrier being first deposited followed by the gold. The particular SLA plastic is a high temperature plastic to prevent bubbling during the metal deposition step which in one embodiment involves sputtering. The coated model has a microfinish of Ra<0.001 inch, with active devices being electrically attached to the coating through the use of conductive adhesives or eutectic solder.

Abstract: A system is provided for rapidly prototyping monolithic microwave integrated circuit modules to provide an experimental structure that can be physically made to operate by stereolithographically rendering an SLA part directly from the designer's drawings and by coating the part with a conductive layer, with the smoothness being better than 0.001 inch and with the dimensional accuracy being better than 3 mils for some applications. In one embodiment, the coating for the SLA model is made from either rhodium or gold having a thickness of less than 1/10,000th of an inch, with a nickel barrier being first deposited followed by the gold. The particular SLA plastic is a high temperature plastic to prevent bubbling during the metal deposition step which in one embodiment involves sputtering. The coated model has a microfinish of Ra<0.001 inch, with active devices being electrically attached to the coating through the use of conductive adhesives or eutectic solder.

Abstract: The ability to achieve ultra-fast frequency settling times with good frequency resolution and high absolute accuracy over significant bandwidth at microwave frequencies ranging over three octaves. The implementation is an open-loop system requiring little or no compensation of temperature. This is accomplished by providing a frequency doubled direct digital synthesizer output to up/down convert a microwave frequency source. A special tracking filter architecture coupled to the microwave source provides the suppression of unwanted products. Fixed frequency set-on and swept bandwidths in excess of 300 MHz have been demonstrated. This is accomplished by using a direct digitally synthesized quadrature phased carrier which can be set to any frequency within a 350 MHz bandwidth to coherently up/down convert a low phase-noise microwave frequency to the sum or the difference frequency product.

Abstract: A monopulse antenna system providing a pair of phase/amplitude related signals in response to the reception of a desire signal, having calibration correction means attached thereto which receive one of the output signals from the antenna system and produce a pair of output signals having equal amplitude and a 90 degree phase difference. The calibration correction circuitry supplies the pair of output signals to the two channels of the monopulse receiver which includes circuitry for comparing the amplitude of signals in each of the channels and standard monopulse circuitry which compares the phase of signals in the two channels. Gain and phase adjustments in at least one of the channels are adjusted in response to the pair of signals until the compared output signals are equal in amplitude and 90 degrees apart in phase.