Description
Omnisys Instruments has developed a new high performance MMIC based dual polarization receiver operating at 875 GHz, for the International Sub-Millimetre Airborne Ice Cloud Imager Demonstrator ISMAR instrument operated by UK MetOffice. The activity has included development of critical front-end THz components based on MMIC technology from Chalmers, integrated antenna and lens-optics, and complete LO system and bias support electronics. For the heterodyne receiver architecture subharmonic diode mixers, varactor diode multipliers and IF LNA’s have been developed based on GaAs Schottky diode membrane MMIC and InP HEMT MMIC technology. The tested receivers had a typical double sideband noise temperature around 3000 K, applying only 2 mW of LO power operating at an efficiency of 6% for the last X4 multiplier stage. For the first high power multiplier stage a W-band tripler from Wasa Millimetre Wave AB based on Chalmers HBV MMIC was used. The HBV MMIC tripler had over 200 mW of peak output power, operating at over 25% efficiency.
