Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation

Northrop Grumman Space & Mission Systems Corporation

Xing Lan

Mark Kintis

Flavia S Fong

Thomas T Y Wong

Nabil El-Hinnawy

Robert Miles Young

Jesse B Tice

Xianglin Zeng

Jeffrey Ming-Jer Yang

Vesna Radisic

Yun-Ho Chung

Matt Yuji Nishimoto

Daniel R Scherrer

Patrick J Case

Michael Battung

Chad Hansen

Robert Wang

A tunable antenna structure including a substrate and at least one radiating element configured on the substrate. The antenna structure further includes a plurality of nanomaterial-based phase changing material (PCM) switches configured in the radiating element so that current flowing through the radiating element passes through the PCM switches. The antenna structure also includes a heating device, such as a laser or a resistive heater, configured relative to the PCM switches and being operable to selectively heat the PCM switches to switch the PCM switches between an on crystalline state and an off amorphous state, where once the heat is removed, the PCM switch remains in the particular state.

Class of nanomaterial-based tunable antennas

A method of manufacturing electronics using a nanoparticle ink printing method includes: synthesizing a phase change material (PCM) ink composition using hot injection to develop nanoparticles of the PCM; suspending the nanoparticles with a solvent; and printing a reconfigurable component using the PCM ink composition in additive manufacturing. Electronics includes: a substrate layer; an insulator layer printed on top of the substrate layer; a heater layer printed on top of the insulator layer; a barrier layer printed on top of one or more of the insulator layer and the heater layer; a phase change material (PCM) printed on top of the barrier layer; a connectivity layer printed on top of the PCM; and a passivation layer printed on top of one or more of the PCM and the connectivity layer.

Large-scale reconfigurable electronics using low cost nanoparticle ink printing method

A system and method for wideband tunable notch cancellation that is passive and does not require feedback or feed forward circuitry. An input spectrum containing interference is split into two signals that are 180 degrees out of phase with each other. The preferred signal is filtered out of the 180 degree out of phase signal using a notch filter while the original signal is sent through a delay line. Then the two signals are summed with a power summer so that the interference signals that are 180 degrees out of phase with those in the original signal are cancelled out and the preferred signal remains. The notch filter is tunable to different preferred signals.

Wideband tunable notch cancellation

A time delay circuit including at least one spiral delay line formed on a top surface of a first substrate. In one embodiment, the delay line is defined by two concentric spiral delay line sections. Vias extend through the substrate between the delay line sections to reduce cross-talk therebetween. In another embodiment, the delay circuit includes a second substrate spaced from the first substrate, where a spiral delay line is formed on a top surface of the second substrate. A planar metal layer is provided on a backside surface of the first substrate and a conductive element extends through an opening in the metal layer and is coupled to the spiral delay lines, where the planar member provides magnetic isolation between the delay lines. In yet another embodiment, a multi-bit switched circuit can be provided on one of the substrates and be electrically connected to the delay line.

True time delay circuits including archimedean spiral delay lines

A modulator is provided that comprises a nonlinear transmission line (NLTL) that is bias modulated by a baseband signal. A given logic state of the baseband signal determines a delay amount of a first carrier signal through the NLTL. The modulator further comprises an impulse forming network (IFN) that includes a first NLTL that receives the first carrier signal delayed by the determined delay amount and a second NLTL that receives a second carrier signal having a fixed delay amount. The first NLTL and second NLTL within the IFN have opposite diode polarity configurations. The modulator further comprises a power combiner that converts a delta delay of the first carrier signal relative to the second carrier signal to a sharp impulse that represents the given logic state of the baseband signal.

Nonlinear transmission line modulator

A three dimensional (3D) monolithic integrated circuit (MMIC) balun and methods of making the same are provided. A primary spiral winding is spaced apart from a secondary primary winding by a gap in a substantially aligned stacked configuration forming a balun. The gap medium can be a low dielectric constant material if employing a multi-metal process or air if employing a wafer level packaging process.

3D MMIC balun and methods of making the same

A ferroelectric loaded waveguide resonator capable of operation at microwave, millimeter-wave and higher frequencies and suitable for integration into a three-dimensional monolithic microwave integrated circuit (3D MMIC) is disclosed. The resonator includes a resonator cavity, which, in one form of the invention, is formed by two parallel metal layers and a metallized wall structure extending between the metal layers. The cavity is filled with dielectric material and includes a layer of ferroelectric material, which is used to control the resonant frequency by varying a voltage bias applied to the ferroelectric layer. The cavity includes a slot in one of the metal layers and a coupling strip formed adjacent to the slot to provide electromagnetic coupling to other components, such as a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO). The invention can also be applied to other multi-metal semiconductor or wafer level packaging technologies.

Monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) waveguide resonators having a tunable ferroelectric layer

A device and method are disclosed for synthesizing a waveform having pulse segments. An exemplary generator can include units having a time delay element and pulse generator generating the pulse segments. An input divider divides an input signal into signal instances that propagate through the units and an output combiner combines pulse segments to form the waveform. The pulse generators include a sharpening circuit for sharpening a rising edge and a falling edge of the pulse segments. The sharpening circuit includes a tunable delay element coupled to a non-linear transmission line (NLTL). Another NLTL can be coupled in parallel with the tunable delay element and the first NLTL. The NLTLs include input sections coupled to anodes or cathodes of Schottky diode elements, and the respective cathodes or anodes are coupled to a signal ground.

High efficiency NLTL comb generator using time domain waveform synthesis technique

A three dimensional (3D) microwave monolithic integrated circuit (MMIC) multi-push voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) and methods of making the same is provided. The 3D MMIC multi-push oscillator includes a plurality of matching frequency oscillators coupled to a phasing ring in substantially equidistantly spaced apart locations. A combined VCO output signal is provided at a central output connection point of the phasing ring. The central output connection point resides on a first plane. An output conductor transition has a first end coupled to the central output connection point and a second end provided as an output to the quad-push VCO. The output conductor transition extends transverse to the first plane and terminates at a second plane separated from the first plane. The multi-push oscillator can be a push-push, quad-push or N-push type VCO based on a particular implementation.

3D MMIC VCO and methods of making the same

An electronically programmable multimode circuit is described. More particularly, the present invention is an electronically programmable multimode circuit that includes a first path and a second path wherein a mode and a signal directional flow direction is controlled through the selective biasing of the first path and the second path. A multimode circuit is produced that contains modes such as a phase shifter mode, an IQ modulation mode, an amplifier mode, a mixer mode, and a multiplier mode.

Growing community of inventors

La Palma, CA, United States of America

Xing Lan