A 3.4mW/element Radiation-Hardened Ka-Band CMOS Phased-Array Receiver Utilizing Magnetic-Tuning Phase Shifter for Small Satellite Constellation
Xi Fu, Yun Wang, Dongwon You, Xiaolin Wang, Ashbir Aviat Fadila, Yi Zhang, Sena Kato, Chun Wang, Zheng Li, Jian Pang, Atsushi Shirane, Kenichi Okada
Abstract
Low-Earth-Orbit (LEO) satellite constellations have been demonstrated as a ground breaking technology for providing low-cost low-latency global internet access. However, each satellite needs more than 200kg launch mass due to bulky wireless components and solar cells, which raises a serious cost issue. One possible solution is further minimizing satellite mass, such as cube satellites, by realizing an ultra-low-power Kaband phased-array transceiver. In this work, 1W power consumption is targeted for a 256-element Ka-band phased-array receiver, i.e. 4mW per element. In the conventional geostationary communication satellites, a parabolic antenna is utilized, and a transceiver module is placed inside a metallic cavity so it can tolerate cosmic radiation. On the other hand, LEO satellites need beam-steering functionality by using a phased-array antenna, and only a thin shield layer can be inserted between antennas and ICs for avoiding redundant mass and insertion loss. Thus, the radiation-hardening and low power consumption are key requirements for such cube satellite phased arrays. For RF building blocks in a phased array, the total ionizing dose (TID) is more critical than the single event effects (SEE). Figure 4.8.1 shows an estimated result for non-radiation-hardened design regarding TID degradation on beam pattern, resulting in 3.8dB main-lobe degradation. In this work, 2.7Mrad TID tolerance is considered adequate for a 3-year lifespan with a 24pm PCB copper shield. Figure 4.8.1 also summarizes the system requirements for a phased-array satellite receiver.