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StatusCompleted
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Status date2012-09-05
The Objective of this activity is the optimisation of multiplexer design to best leverage the development of a compact Ku Band output filter. The paradigm shift created by the development of a dielectrically loaded output multiplexer filter opened the door to optimisation of the conventional multiplexer design.
Prior to this development multiplexer design was governed by the size and performance of the multiplexer filters. The objective of this activity is to change the paradigm of conventional Ku Band output multiplexer hardware.
Miniaturization of a high power filter is almost a contradiction in terms. A basic tenant of mechanical design is that size and mass should scale with operating power. The key issue to introducing a miniaturized output filter is overcoming this paradigm and delivering on a revolutionary product.
In the competitive marketplace of commercial space the qualifier between success and failure too often is not technology. The playing field of technology in this sector has been traditional and conservative. By leveraging a thorough understanding of the technology COMDEV are poised to change the landscape of output multiplexers through miniaturization, mass reduction and performance improvement, all in one package!
The multiplexer under development will feature an optimised dielectric resonator output multiplexer filter and an aggressive new design multiplexer. The key features for our customers will be very low mass and very small size.
The activity consists of three phases.
Phase 1 will focus on the filter. The filter optimisation will focus on the packaging and temperature compensation. Several opportunities exist to vastly improve the package of the filter as well as reduce the complexity of the temperature compensation.
Phase 2 will focus on the quantum level multiplexing. A small multiplexer will be built to study the effects of the packaging and TC operation in a controlled manner.
Phase 3: Once the multiplexer is validated and understood a larger flight representative multiplexer will be built to assess the effect and sensitivity to scale up of the technology. From this phase a sufficient understanding shall exist to qualify the design.
The critical design review of the preferred filter topology has been concluded. Having achieved this significant milestone COMDEV will now commence fabrication of the filter. In parallel to the filter development a 3 channel multiplexer is now in the final design stage.The small multiplexer will provide a test bed to optimize manifold and base plate in advance of the 8 channel multiplexer. We anticipate test compliance test results for the filters and final design of the 3 channel multiplexer to be complete in 2010.
