Building block for space-based phased array
AssigneeLockheed Martin Corporation
InventorsTimothy Patrick WINK, James F. MULVEY, Eric P. OSBORNE, Thomas R. STEPHENSON
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Abstract
An apparatus includes an aperture layer coupled to a polarizer layer. The aperture layer includes an antenna and a filter. A circuit layer is mechanically and thermally coupled to the aperture layer. The antenna includes a square horn antenna made of a polymer material. The filter includes a waveguide filter having a first and a second piece separately molded. The waveguide filter includes a folded-back waveguide coupled to the horn antenna at one end and to the circuit layer at another end.
Claims13
A method of providing an array module for a phased array, the method comprising:
- forming a horn antenna using a polymer material;
- forming a waveguide filter including separately molding a first piece and a second piece;
- coupling the horn antenna to the waveguide filter to form an aperture layer;
- and
- coupling the aperture layer to a circuit layer,
- wherein:
- the horn antenna comprises a square horn, and
- forming the waveguide filter comprises forming a folded-back waveguide for coupling to the horn antenna at one end and to the circuit layer at another end.
A phase array comprising:
- a plurality of subarrays, each of the plurality of subarrays comprising a plurality of array modules, each array module comprising:
- an aperture layer comprising a horn antenna and a waveguide filter;
- and
- a circuit layer coupled to the aperture layer;
- wherein:
- each of the plurality of subarrays is thermally and spatially isolated with a clearance gap to reduce thermal distortion effects,
- the waveguide filter comprises a first and a second piece separately molded, and
- the waveguide filter comprises a folded-back waveguide coupled to the horn antenna at one end and to the circuit layer at another end.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.