Phased-array antennas are required for many of NASA's future missions. They will provide agile electronic beam forming for communications and tracking in the range of 1 to 100 GHz. Such phased arrays are expected to use several hundred GaAs monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMIC's) as transmitting and receiving elements. However, the inter-connections of these elements by conventional coaxial cables and waveguides add weight, reduce flexibility, and increase electrical interference. Alternative interconnections based on optical fibers, optical processing, and holography are under evaluation as possible solutions. In this paper, current status of these techniques will be described. Since high-frequency optical components such as photodetectors, lasers, and modulators are key elements in these interconnections, their performance and limitations are discussed.

Date Published: 8 September 1988
PDF: 8 pages
Proc. SPIE 0947, Interconnection of High Speed and High Frequency Devices and Systems, (8 September 1988); doi: 10.1117/12.947445

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 0947:
Interconnection of High Speed and High Frequency Devices and Systems
Alfred P. DeFonzo, Editor(s)