10W Q-band SSA

Status

Ongoing
Status date

2025-03-26
Activity Code

5C.519

Objectives

The objective of the project is to develop and qualify a 10W linear Q-band Solid State Amplifier (SSA), enabling Thales Alenia Space to provide offers for High Throughput Satellite and Very High Throughput Satellite systems to address commercial and institutional demands for global high rate data connectivity at affordable prices. This serves as a contribution to the solution of the digital divide in Europe and worldwide.

A 10W linear Q band SSPA was already developed on an Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems (ARTES) project (KALOS DEVAQ) up to TRL5. This activity aims at an optimisation of mass by use of fewer and more powerful Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuits (MMICs), followed by qualification (TRL7) of the complete equipment.

Challenges

Key challenges are:

To provide the 10W Radio Frequency (RF) output in Q-band from 37.5 to 42.5 GHz with target linearity of 17 dB Noise Power Ratio (NPR) and 8.5% power efficiency.
To realise the best trade-off between conflicting needs such as thermal dissipation and producibility, which require respectively large surfaces as well as volume and compactness required by customers.
To develop a product where the cost is competitive within the commercial market of telecommunications satellite.

Benefits

Performances at the state-of-the-art levels.
Competitive cost within commercial market of telecommunications satellite.
Compact footprint and envelope.
Producibility which allows (in addition to the above mentioned competitive cost) production rate in line with customer request.
Minimal adaptation needed to supply the product to different customers.

Features

Wide band coverage: from 37.5 to 42.5 GHz
RF power at saturation: 20W
RF power and linearity at Nominal Operating Point (3 dB OBO): 10W output power with 17 dB NPR
Power Added Efficiency (PAE): no less than 8.5 %
Mass: 2.5 Kg
Size: 250 mm x 165 mm x 90 mm

The RF chain is realised with hermetically sealed hybrid modules which incorporate naked dies for parasitic effect minimisation. The RF output power is achieved using Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuits (MMICs) with gallium nitride technology

Plan

Technology phase: this phase will bring the manufacturing, assembly, integration, and testing of a complete EM model of the unit and the final approval of the design through a CDR, according to the following milestones:

BDR: approval of preliminary design and specification
PDR: EM test presentation and reverse engineering
CDR: final design approval

Product phase: this phase will bring the qualification of a complete EQM model of the unit, according to the following milestones: