FPD'17

D3P9 - ARTES AT - SSPA with Reduced Footprint - Thales Alenia Space (France)

16 Feb 2017, 15:05

30m

Newton 1 & 2 (ESA/ESTEC)

Speaker

Mr Benoit LEFEBVRE (Engineer)

Description

In the frame of an ESA ARTES 5.1 study and with the support of CNES, Thales Alenia Space-France developed a new EM L-band SSPA equipment using European GaN Technology from United Monolithic Semiconductors. This new equipment is dedicated to the entire renewal market of constellations of mobile communications satellites. The relevant characteristics of this new L-band GaN SSPA equipment are: · A GaN output power section based on MLA and HPA modules using the UMS GaN process and highly dissipative package solution. The power section includes also a high power isolator based on a vertical TNC output connector to facilitate implementation of the SSPA equipment during payload integration. · A low level GaAs RF chain including a linearizer module to compensate the non-linearities of the GaN power section. · An EPC-TMTC card dedicated to GaAs and GaN RF chain and designed to meet electrical&thermal challenges (new card vertically oriented to be compatible with reduced footprint SSPA and enabling an optimized thermal path and low weight design). · A vertical mechanical structure including thermal management solution in order to achieve footprint reduction and to guaranty a qualification temperature limits in operating mode from - 10°C to +90°C. The selection of the thermal management solutions is based on a detailed trade-off including bibliography activities, thermal analysis and thermal measurements of new material and devices. The EM L-band SSPA was measured with different type of signals. With a CW signal, at hot temperature (85°C) and in the useful frequency bandwidth of [1,518 – 1,559 GHz], the equipment delivers an output power of 43W with an associated PAE of 53%. Total mass of the EM L-band SSPA equipment is 1,44kg with dimensions L=240mm, W=105mm, H=124mm. Mechanical tests covering different platforms and thermal vacuum tests were succesfully performed showing that this new GaN equipment is ready to flight.

Short Speaker Information

Benoit LEFEBVRE
Electrical Engineering diploma from the “Ecole Nationale Supérieure de l’Electronique et de ses Applications”, a highly selective French School of Engineering, Cergy-Pontoise, France. Advanced Microwave Study Engineer on new generation of GaN SSPA for Telecom / Navigation / Observation space applications (L/S/C/X/Ku bands). Microwave engineer and project leader on R&T/D studies for space applications: R&T CNES studies, ESA studies, french MoD’s program.