Innovative Antenna Front Ends from L-Band to Ka-Band [Antenna Applications Corner]

We provide an overview of several high-tech antenna apertures and antenna front ends, developed and realized by IMST (in some cases in cooperation with partners) over a time span of more than 15 years. These front ends have become key components for bandwidth-hungry applications such as mobile/nomadic satellite communication terminals (satcom-onthe-move) and radar systems. Satcom terminal data throughput for multimedia services provided via satellite links is increasing rapidly. Such terminals require highly complex radio-frequency (RF) systems capable of tracking satellites despite movements of the mobile terminal platform. Depending on the type of platform (land mobile, maritime, or aeronautical), the requirements for these front ends and the resulting complexity can vary. This also applies to radar sensors for automotive applications and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) platforms, for example. In all of these front ends, the antenna architecture is always based on a phased/steerable array topology. Such systems are, in general, complex configurations: they require not only RF circuitry but also complex baseband processing and highly accurate sensor platforms to perform adequate beam steering and tracking. The overall design must be cost-effective, a very demanding requirement. Through the years, IMST has developed a customized set of highly specialized skills to address all of these challenges.