Martin Marietta Corporation

Other

Rickey D Akins

John Walvoord

Walter S Arceneaux

Paul H Gebert

Walter B May

James E Foreman

George Gafford

An anti-ice radome having a frequency selective surface and a plurality of resistive heating elements is disclosed. The frequency selective surface prevents the resistive heating elements from disturbing the electromagnetic waves generated by an antenna within the radome. Thus, ice formation on the radome can be prevented without sacrificing the transmission characteristics of the radome.

Anti-ice radome

In a method for fabricating a printed circuit board on a doubly contoured or hemispherical substrate such as a radome, a coherent light source is used to form a plurality of elements of a predetermined pattern on the surface of the substrate. The substrate includes a bottom layer and a metallized layer. At least a first element of the pattern is formed by ablating the element into a resist coating or ablating the element into the metallized layer with the coherent light source. The coherent light source preferably includes an excimer laser. The substrate is then displaced relative to the coherent light source until all the elements of the predetermined pattern are formed over the entire surface of the substrate. When the pattern is ablated into the resist material, an etching technique is used to remove portions of the metallized layer from the substrate.

Ablative process for printed circuit board technology

An absorptive/transmissive structure is disclosed which can be used to fabricate antenna radomes to thereby reduce the electromagnetic signature of the radome and antenna without disrupting the electromagnetic waves generated by the antenna. An artificial dielectric material is placed on a frequency selective surface to absorb the energy of electromagnetic waves at a particular frequency or range of frequencies.

Absorptive/transmissive radome

In a method for fabricating a reusable conformal photomask for a doubly contoured hemispherical substrate such as a radome or a three-dimensional printed circuit board, a light blocking material is deposited on a shell or tool corresponding to the shape of the radome or printed circuit board. A pattern is then formed in the light blocking material, and portions of the light blocking material corresponding to the pattern are removed. The resulting pattern corresponds to the pattern to be formed on the three-dimensional printed circuit board or radome. A light transmissive layer is then deposited over the light blocking layer for support. The light blocking material and the light transmissive material comprise the reusable conformal photomask which is then removed from the shell. The reusable conformal photomask can be used to form an image of the desired pattern on the three-dimensional printed circuit board or radome.

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Orlando, FL, United States of America

Rickey D Akins