ALBERT

Description: Recently a new technique for characterizing the noise processes affecting oscillators was introduced. This technique minimizes the difference between the estimates of several different variances and their values as predicted by the standard power law model of noise. The method outlined makes two significant advancements: it uses exclusively time domain variances so that deterministic parameters such as linear frequency drift may be estimated, and it correctly fits the estimates using the chi-square distribution. These changes permit a more accurate fitting at long time intervals where there is the least information. This technique was applied to both simulated and real data with excellent results.

Description: Microstrip ring resonators operating at 35 GHz were fabricated from laser ablated YBCO films deposited on lanthanum aluminate substrates. They were measured over a range of temperatures and their performances compared to identical resonators made of evaporated gold. Below 60 Kelvin the superconducting strip performed better than the gold, reaching an unloaded Q approximately 1.5 times that of gold at 25 K. A shift in the resonant frequency follows the form predicted by the London equations. The Phenomenological Loss Equivalence Method is applied to the ring resonator and the theoretically calculated Q values are compared to the experimental results.

Description: The use of a high-speed optical interconnect in the control of a Ka-band GaAs monolithic phase shifter is described. A 16-b serial control signal was used to modulate the output of a laser transmitter, and the transmitted optical signal was detected and demultiplexed into 16 parallel electrical outputs using a high-speed hybrid GaAs optoelectronic integrated circuit. Four of the parallel output lines were interfaced to the 4-b phase shifter, and high-speed, optically controlled switching of the phase shifter was observed at clock frequencies to 30 MHz using an interferometric technique.

Description: A chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process has been used to produce device structures of n- and p-type 6H-SiC epitaxial layers on commercially produced single-crystal 6H-SiC wafers. Mesa-style p-n junction diodes were successfully fabricated from these device structures using reactive ion etching, oxide passivation, and electrical contact metallization techniques. When tested in air, the 6H-SiC diodes displayed excellent rectification characteristics up to the highest temperature tested, 600 C. To observe avalanche breakdown of the p-n junction diodes, testing under a high-electrical-strength liquid was necessary. The avalanche breakdown voltage was 1000 V representing the highest reverse breakdown voltage to be reported for any CVD-grown SiC diode.

Description: Conductor-backed coplanar waveguide (CBCPW) resonators operating at 10.8 GHz have been fabricated from laser ablated and off-axis magnetron sputtered YBa2Cu3O(7-delta) (YBCO) high-temperature superconducting (HTS) thin films on LaAlO3. These resonators were tested in the temperature range from 14 to 92 K. The unloaded quality factor at 77 K of the HTS CBCPW resonators was 3 to 4 times that of a similar gold resonator. To the authors' knowledge, these results represent the first reported measurements of HTS-based CBCPW resonators.

Description: Two new coplanar waveguide to rectangular waveguide couplers with coupling through a post and a slot are experimentally demonstrated. The couplers operate over the Ku-band transmission and X-band reception frequencies that are designated for satellite communications. The measured insertion loss and return loss are about 1 dB, respectively, for both couplers.

Description: 3C-SiC (beta-SiC) and 6H-SiC p-n junction diodes have been fabricated in regions of both 3C-SiC and 6H-SiC epitaxial layers which were grown side-by-side on low-tilt-angle 6H-SiC substrates via a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process. Several runs of diodes exhibiting state-of-the-art electrical characteristics were produced, and performance characteristics were measured and compared as a function of doping, temperature, and polytype. The first 3C-SiC diodes which rectify to reverse voltages in excess of 300 V were characterized, representing a six-fold blocking voltage improvement over experimental 3C-SiC diodes produced by previous techniques. When placed under sufficient forward bias, the 3C-SiC diodes emit significantly bright green-yellow light while the 6H-SiC diodes emit in the blue-violet. The 6H-SiC p-n junction diodes represent the first reported high-quality 6H-SiC devices to be grown by CVD on very low-tilt-angle (less than 0.5 deg off the (0001) silicon face) 6H substrates. The reverse leakage current of a 200 micron diameter circular device at 1100 V reverse bias was less than 20 nA at room temperature, and excellent rectification characteristics were demonstrated at the peak characterization temperature of 400 C.

Description: The performance of 7.3-GHz two-pole bandpass filters (5% bandwidth) fabricated on double-sided Y-Ba-Cu-O and Tl-Ba-Ca-Cu-O thin films deposited on LaAlO3 is discussed. At 77 K, the Tl-Ba-Ca-Cu-O and Y-Ba-Cu-O superconducting filters exhibited minimum passband insertion losses of 0.3 and 1.2 dB, respectively. An insertion loss of 3.4 dB was measured for an all-gold filter at 77 K.

Description: The results of a theoretical study of the effects of the strain on the cutoff frequencies of SiGe HBTs are presented. The influence of the strain on the base resistance and transit time, and through them on high-frequency performance, was taken into account. The positive role played by the strain is demonstrated.

Description: An important aspect of an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) design process is verification. The design must not only be functionally accurate, but it must also maintain the correct timing. After a circuit has been laid out, one can utilize the Back Annotation (BA) method to simulate the design and obtain an accurate estimate of performance. However, this can lead to major design changes. It is therefore preferable to eliminate potential problems early in this process. IFA, the Intelligent Front Annotation program, assists in verifying the timing of the ASIC early in the design process. Many difficulties can arise during ASIC design. In a synchronous design, both long path and short path problems can be present. In modern ASIC technologies, the delay through a gate is very dependent on loading. This loading has two main components, the capacitance of the gates being driven and the capacitance of the metal tracks (wires). When using GaAs gate arrays, the metal line capacitance is often the dominating factor. Additionally, the RC delay through the wire itself is significant in sub-micron technologies. Since the wire lengths are unknown before place and route of the entire chip, this would seem to postpone any realistic timing verification until towards the end of the design process, obviously an undesirable situation. The IFA program estimates the delays in an ASIC before layout. Currently the program is designed for Vitesse GaAs gate arrays and, for input, requires the expansion file which is output by the program GED; however, the algorithm is appropriate for many different ASIC types and CAE platforms. IFA is especially useful for devices whose delay is extremely dependent on the interconnection wiring. It estimates the length of the interconnects using information supplied by the user and information in the netlist. The resulting wire lengths are also used to constrain the Place and Route program, ensuring reasonable results. IFA takes locality into account to give a better estimate of wire length, as well as known factors such as fanout and drive. Although the exact location of a cell is not known, an estimate of the wire length can be calculated from the location of the net in the ASIC design structure hierarchy. The length of each net is estimated using the IFA program. This length is then used to run timing analysis or simulation on the design using IFA estimated delay values and to define constraints for Place and Route. Place and Route will use the constraints as limiting values, along with the floor-plan information, to assist the placement. The IFA program has been successfully used in the design of three 350K gate GaAs chips. IFA is written in C language for Sun series computers running SunOS. It is designed to accept input files which are generated by the program GED (CADENCE Design Systems, Inc.; San Jose, CA; 408-943-1234). Sample executables for Sun4 series computers are provided with the distribution medium. IFA requires 32M of RAM for execution. The standard distribution medium is a .25 inch streaming magnetic tape cartridge in UNIX tar format. Documentation is included in the price of the program. IFA was developed in 1992 and is a copyrighted work with all copyright vested in NASA.

Description: A computerized interactive harness engineering program has been developed to provide an inexpensive, interactive system which is designed for learning and using an engineering approach to interconnection systems. PCACE is basically a database system that stores information as files of individual connectors and handles wiring information in circuit groups stored as records. This directly emulates the typical manual engineering methods of data handling, thus making the user interface to the program very natural. Data files can be created, viewed, manipulated, or printed in real time. The printed ouput is in a form ready for use by fabrication and engineering personnel. PCACE also contains a wide variety of error-checking routines including connector contact checks during hardcopy generation. The user may edit existing harness data files or create new files. In creating a new file, the user is given the opportunity to insert all the connector and harness boiler plate data which would be part of a normal connector wiring diagram. This data includes the following: 1) connector reference designator, 2) connector part number, 3) backshell part number, 4) cable reference designator, 5) cable part number, 6) drawing revision, 7) relevant notes, 8) standard wire gauge, and 9) maximum circuit count. Any item except the maximum circuit count may be left blank, and any item may be changed at a later time. Once a file is created and organized, the user is directed to the main menu and has access to the file boiler plate, the circuit wiring records, and the wiring records index list. The organization of a file is such that record zero contains the connector/cable boiler plate, and all other records contain circuit wiring data. Each wiring record will handle a circuit with as many as nine wires in the interface. The record stores the circuit name and wire count and the following data for each wire: 1) wire identifier, 2) contact, 3) splice, 4) wire gauge if different from standard, 5) wire/group type, 6) wire destination, and 7) note number. The PCACE record structure allows for a wide variety of wiring forms using splices and shields, yet retains sufficient structure to maintain ease of use. PCACE is written in TURBO Pascal 3.0 and has been implemented on IBM PC, XT, and AT systems under DOS 3.1 with a memory of 512K of 8 bit bytes, two floppy disk drives, an RGB monitor, and a printer with ASCII control characters. PCACE was originally developed in 1983, and the IBM version was released in 1986.

Description: The LOOP computer program was written to simulate the Automatic Frequency Control (AFC) subsystem of a Differential Minimum Shift Keying (DMSK) receiver with a bit rate of 2400 baud. The AFC simulated by LOOP is a first order loop configuration with a first order R-C filter. NASA has been investigating the concept of mobile communications based on low-cost, low-power terminals linked via geostationary satellites. Studies have indicated that low bit rate transmission is suitable for this application, particularly from the frequency and power conservation point of view. A bit rate of 2400 BPS is attractive due to its applicability to the linear predictive coding of speech. Input to LOOP includes the following: 1) the initial frequency error; 2) the double-sided loop noise bandwidth; 3) the filter time constants; 4) the amount of intersymbol interference; and 5) the bit energy to noise spectral density. LOOP output includes: 1) the bit number and the frequency error of that bit; 2) the computed mean of the frequency error; and 3) the standard deviation of the frequency error. LOOP is written in MS SuperSoft FORTRAN 77 for interactive execution and has been implemented on an IBM PC operating under PC DOS with a memory requirement of approximately 40K of 8 bit bytes. This program was developed in 1986.

Description: Accurate computer modeling of passive circular or rectangular waveguide components is often required during the design phase for optimizing frequency response and/or determining the tolerance required on components in order to meet radio frequency specifications. RWGSCAT/CWGSCAT is capable of modeling both types of waveguide components. The Scattering Matrix Program for Circular Waveguide Junctions, CWGSCAT, computes the scattering matrix for a circular waveguide. This includes a dual mode horn and certain types of corrugated horns. RWGSCAT, Rectangular WaveGuide junction SCATtering program, solves for the scattering properties of a rectangular waveguide device, such as a smooth or corrugated rectangular horn, step transformer, or filter. RWGSCAT and CWGSCAT are also available separately as NPO-19091 and NPO-18708, respectively. Many circular waveguide devices can be represented either exactly or approximately as a series of circular waveguide sections which have a common center. In addition, smooth tapers and horns of arbitrary profile may be approximated by a series of small steps. Devices that may be analyzed in this fashion include a simple waveguide step discontinuity, such as that used in a dual mode horn, a stepped matching section, or a corrugated waveguide section with constant varying slot depth. CWGSCAT will accurately predict the reflection and transmission characteristics of such devices, taking into account higher order mode excitation if it occurs as well as multiple reflections and stored energy at each discontinuity. For large devices, with respect to a wavelength where many modes may propagate, the reflection and transmission properties may be required for a higher order mode or series of modes exciting the device. Such interactions are represented best by defining a scattering matrix for the device. The matrix can be determined by using mode matching at each discontinuity present. The results for individual discontinuities are then cascaded to get the matrix for the entire device. Frequently, rectangular waveguide components may be represented either exactly or approximately as a number of different size rectangular waveguides which are connected in series. RWGSCAT will model such devices and accurately predict the reflection and transmission characteristics, taking into account higher order (other than dominant TE 10) mode excitation if it occurs, as well as multiple reflections and stored energy at each discontinuity. For devices which are large with respect to the wavelength of operation, the characteristics of the device may be required for computing a higher order mode or a number of higher order modes exciting the device. Such interactions can be represented by defining a scattering matrix for each discontinuity in the device, and then cascading the individual scattering matrices in order to determine the scattering matrix for the overall device. The individual matrices are obtained using the mode matching method. RWGSCAT and CWGSCAT are written in FORTRAN 77 for IBM PC series and compatible computers running MS-DOS. They have been successfully compiled and implemented using Lahey FORTRAN 77 under MS-DOS. Sample MS-DOS executables and sample input data files are provided on the distribution media. RWGSCAT requires 377K of RAM for execution. CWGSCAT requires 355K of RAM for execution. The standard distribution medium for this program is a set of two 5.25 inch 360K MS-DOS format diskettes. The contents of the diskettes are compressed using the PKWARE archiving tools. The utility to unarchive the files, PKUNZIP.EXE, is included. An electronic copy of the documentation is included on the distribution medium in LaTEX format. RWGSCAT was developed in 1993. CWGSCAT was developed in 1987, and this version was released in 1991. RWGSCAT and CWGSCAT are copyrighted works with all copyrights vested in NASA.

Description: We have measured the effects of dispersion on the resonant mode frequencies of open-ended Nb-SiO(x)-Nb microstrip transmission lines over a frequency range from 50 to 800 GHz. Submicron Nb/Al-AlOx/Nb Josephson junctions were used as both voltage-controlled oscillators and detectors to sample the high order modes of the resonators. The resonator modes are equally spaced up to about 550 GHz where the mode spacing start to decrease gradually to a minimum above the gap frequency of about 700 GHz and then increases. Results are in good agreement with the expected theoretical behavior based on the Mattis-Bardeen conductivity of the superconductor line.

Description: The oscillatory magnetoresistance wave form of a 2-D electron gas shows multiple structures when two subbands are populated. In addition to high-field oscillations at a frequency equal to the sum of the two frequencies corresponding to the concentrations of the subbands, and to a superposition at intermediate fields, we observed oscillations at the difference frequency at low fields and higher temperatures. The field range at which the frequency difference is observed increases with increasing temperature. The crossover from superposition to frequency difference is accompanied by a beat. Similar beats, whose field location shows identical temperature dependence, can be observed in data obtained by other groups on different structures. The various components of the wave form can be attributed to different phase relations between the diagonal and off-diagonal elements of the conductivity tensor. It is shown how the intermodulation term, when inserted into the extended oscillatory equation, can give rise to all three structures.

Description: Resistivity of a Thin Film Deposited on a Conductive Substrate is a computer program developed to aid in the solution of the class of problems where resistivity measurements are needed for a substance deposited on a substrate of higher resistivity than the deposited layer. One of the ways in which a semiconductor material is characterized is by measurement of its resistivity. In the development of silicon carbide (SiC) for use as a semiconductor material for high temperature applications, it became necessary to measure the resistivity of the thin SiC film while it was still attached to the silicon upon which it had been grown epitaxially. The problem is that the presence of the silicon substrate will introduce error in the measured resistivity of the SiC. This program assumes that the resistivity of a thin film of conducting material deposited on another layer of conducting material is measured using the four-point probe. Using the four-point probe measurements, this program calculates the "true" resistivity of the deposited layer on a substrate of finite and different resistivity. Starting from basic principles, an expression for the ratio of measured voltage difference to injected current is developed. This expression involves the probe spacing, relative thicknesses of the layers, and the substrate resistivity as parameters, as well as the unknown resistivity of the deposited layer. The unknown resistivity can be found by iteratively evaluating the theoretical expression. This must be done numerically. The program is written in FORTRAN 77 and targeted for use on an IBM PC or compatible. It can be modified for use on any machine with a FORTRAN 77 compiler. It requires 46K of memory and has been implemented under MS-DOS 3.2.1. The program was developed in 1986.

Description: Mutual Coupling Program for Circular Waveguide-fed Aperture Array (CWG) was developed to calculate the electromagnetic interaction between elements of an antenna array of circular apertures with specified aperture field distributions. The field distributions were assumed to be a superposition of the modes which could exist in a circular waveguide. Various external media were included to provide flexibility of use, for example, the flexibility to determine the effects of dielectric covers (i.e., thermal protection system tiles) upon the impedance of aperture type antennas. The impedance and radiation characteristics of planar array antennas depend upon the mutual interaction between all the elements of the array. These interactions are influenced by several parameters (e.g., the array grid geometry, the geometry and excitation of each array element, the medium outside the array, and the internal network feeding the array.) For the class of array antenna whose radiating elements consist of small holes in a flat conducting plate, the electromagnetic problem can be divided into two parts, the internal and the external. In solving the external problem for an array of circular apertures, CWG will compute the mutual interaction between various combinations of circular modal distributions and apertures. CWG computes the mutual coupling between various modes assumed to exist in circular apertures that are located in a flat conducting plane of infinite dimensions. The apertures can radiate into free space, a homogeneous medium, a multilayered region or a reflecting surface. These apertures are assumed to be excited by one or more modes corresponding to the modal distributions in circular waveguides of the same cross sections as the apertures. The apertures may be of different sizes and also of different polarizations. However, the program assumes that each aperture field contains the same modal distributions, and calculates the complex scattering matrix between all mode and aperture combinations. The scattering matrix can then be used to determine the complex modal field amplitudes for each aperture with a specified array excitation. CWG is written in VAX FORTRAN for DEC VAX series computers running VMS (LAR-15236) and IBM PC series and compatible computers running MS-DOS (LAR-15226). It requires 360K of RAM for execution. To compile the source code for the PC version, the NDP Fortran compiler and linker will be required; however, the distribution medium for the PC version of CWG includes a sample MS-DOS executable which was created using NDP Fortran with the -vms compiler option. The standard distribution medium for the PC version of CWG is a 3.5 inch 1.44Mb MS-DOS format diskette. The standard distribution medium for the VAX version of CWG is a 1600 BPI 9~track magnetic tape in DEC VAX BACKUP format. The VAX version is also available on a TK50 tape cartridge in DEC VAX BACKUP format. Both machine versions of CWG include an electronic version of the documentation in Microsoft Word for Windows format. CWG was developed in 1993 and is a copyrighted work with all copyright vested in NASA.

Description: Mutual Coupling Program for Circular Waveguide-fed Aperture Array (CWG) was developed to calculate the electromagnetic interaction between elements of an antenna array of circular apertures with specified aperture field distributions. The field distributions were assumed to be a superposition of the modes which could exist in a circular waveguide. Various external media were included to provide flexibility of use, for example, the flexibility to determine the effects of dielectric covers (i.e., thermal protection system tiles) upon the impedance of aperture type antennas. The impedance and radiation characteristics of planar array antennas depend upon the mutual interaction between all the elements of the array. These interactions are influenced by several parameters (e.g., the array grid geometry, the geometry and excitation of each array element, the medium outside the array, and the internal network feeding the array.) For the class of array antenna whose radiating elements consist of small holes in a flat conducting plate, the electromagnetic problem can be divided into two parts, the internal and the external. In solving the external problem for an array of circular apertures, CWG will compute the mutual interaction between various combinations of circular modal distributions and apertures. CWG computes the mutual coupling between various modes assumed to exist in circular apertures that are located in a flat conducting plane of infinite dimensions. The apertures can radiate into free space, a homogeneous medium, a multilayered region or a reflecting surface. These apertures are assumed to be excited by one or more modes corresponding to the modal distributions in circular waveguides of the same cross sections as the apertures. The apertures may be of different sizes and also of different polarizations. However, the program assumes that each aperture field contains the same modal distributions, and calculates the complex scattering matrix between all mode and aperture combinations. The scattering matrix can then be used to determine the complex modal field amplitudes for each aperture with a specified array excitation. CWG is written in VAX FORTRAN for DEC VAX series computers running VMS (LAR-15236) and IBM PC series and compatible computers running MS-DOS (LAR-15226). It requires 360K of RAM for execution. To compile the source code for the PC version, the NDP Fortran compiler and linker will be required; however, the distribution medium for the PC version of CWG includes a sample MS-DOS executable which was created using NDP Fortran with the -vms compiler option. The standard distribution medium for the PC version of CWG is a 3.5 inch 1.44Mb MS-DOS format diskette. The standard distribution medium for the VAX version of CWG is a 1600 BPI 9~track magnetic tape in DEC VAX BACKUP format. The VAX version is also available on a TK50 tape cartridge in DEC VAX BACKUP format. Both machine versions of CWG include an electronic version of the documentation in Microsoft Word for Windows format. CWG was developed in 1993 and is a copyrighted work with all copyright vested in NASA.

Description: A single event upset (SEU), defined as a transient or glitch on the output of a device, and its applicability to integrated optoelectronics are discussed in the context of spacecraft design and the need for more than a bit error rate viewpoint for testing and analysis. A methodology for testing integrated optoelectronic receivers and transmitters for SEUs is presented, focusing on the actual test requirements and system schemes needed for integrated optoelectronic devices. Two main causes of single event effects in the space environment, including protons and galactic cosmic rays, are considered along with ground test facilities for simulating the space environment.

Description: In order to achieve an impedance-matched millimeter-wave integrated horn antenna mixer array, the characteristics of the antenna probes inside the horn must be known. This paper describes impedance measurements for various probes in low-frequency model horns of two different types: (1) a 3 x 3 array made of aluminum by electric discharge machining and (2) a half horn made of copper sheet placed on a big copper-clad circuit board that was used as an image plane. The results of measurements indicate that the presence of the horn increases the effective length of the probe element, in agreement with reports of Guo et al. (1991) and theoretical analysis of Eleftheriades et al. (1991). It was also found that the resonant frequencies can be controlled by changing the length of the probes or by loading the probes.

Description: The results of a theoretical study of the performance of high speed SiGe HBTs is presented. The study includes a group of SiGe HBTs in which the Ge concentration in the base is 20 percent higher than that in the emitter and collector (i.e., y = x + 0.2). It is shown that the composition dependences of f(T) and the f(max) are nonmonotonic. As the Ge composition in the emitter and collector layers is increased, f(T) and f(max) first decrease, then remain constant and finally increase to attain their highest values.

Description: This paper reports the fabrication and initial electrical characterization of greatly improved 3C-SiC (beta-SiC) p-n junction diodes. These diodes, which were grown on commercially available 6H-SiC substrates by chemical vapor deposition, demonstrate rectification to -200 V at room temperature, representing a fourfold improvement in reported 3C-SiC diode blocking voltage. The reverse leakage currents and saturation current densities measured on these diodes also show significant improvement compared to previously reported 3C-SiC p-n junction diodes. When placed under sufficient forward bias, the diodes emit significantly bright green-yellow light. These results should lead to substantial advancements in 3C-SiC transistor performance.

Description: An experiment was performed on a front-side illuminated CCD to measure its linear diattenuation at 550 nm and 650 nm as a function of angle of incidence. The linear diattenuation of the CCD varies from 0 to 12 percent for 550 nm light from 0 to 40 deg and is less for the longer wavelength.

Description: A planar, quasi-optical SIS receiver operating at 230 GHz is described. The receiver consists of a 2 x 5 array of half wave dipole antennas with ten niobium-aluminum oxide-niobium SIS junctions on a quartz dielectric-filled parabola. The 1.4 GHz intermediate frequency is coupled from the mixer via coplanar strip transmission lines and 4:1 balun transformers. The receiver is operated at 4.2 K in a liquid helium immersion cryostat. We report accurate measurements of the performance of single receiver elements. A mixer noise temperature of 89 K DSB, receiver noise temperature of 156 K DSB, and conversion loss of 3 dB into a matched load have been obtained.

Description: We present a theoretical and experimental performance comparison of a free space direct detection 50 Mbps quaternary pulse position modulation (Q-PPM) communications receiver for Nd:YAG and AlGaAs laser transmitters. Using silicon avalanche photodiodes (APD), we achieved a receiver sensitivity of 2.6 nW (264 incident photons/bit) at 1060 nm and 0.77 nW (59 incident photons/bit) at 810 nm (bit error rate (BER) of 10 exp -6). This is the best sensitivity ever reported for a direct detection receiver at 1060 nm. The experimental results were in good agreement with theoretical predictions.

Description: For type-II superconductors, magnetic field can be trapped due to persistent internal supercurrent. Quasi-persistent magnetic fields near 2 T at 60 K (and 1.4 T at 77 K) have been measured in minimagnets made of proton-irradiated melt-textured Y-Ba-Cu-O (MT-Y123) samples. Using the trapping effect, high-field permanent magnets with dipole, quadrupole, or more complicated configurations can be made of existing MT-Y123 material, thus bypassing the need for high-temperature superconductor (HTS) wires. A phenomenological current model has been developed to account for the trapped field intensity and profile in HTS samples. This model is also a guide to select directions of materials development to further improve field trapping properties. General properties such as magnetic field intensities, spatial distributions, stabilities, and temperature dependence of trapped field are discussed.

Description: During development of a Venetian Blind polarizer, high reflections and substantial pattern deformation were noted. Analysis showed that when the polarizer was illuminated slightly off axis, a degenerate mode was excited. This mode is resonant at the design center frequency, and was the cause of the problems. A design developed using dual vanes has been shown to be free of the problem. It also has greater bandwidth.

Description: It has been earlier observed (Podcameni et al., 1981) that, as the coupling factor between a microstrip-coupled dielectric resonator and the line becomes much larger than unity, the unloaded quality factor (Q) of the resonator decreases. In this paper it is shown that this effect can be explained using lumped-element models of the coupling line, when the dielectric resonator is either overcoupled or undercoupled to the line.

Description: Strain measurements using X-ray diffraction were performed on irradiated commercial and radiation-hardened metal gate CMOS devices in addition to polysilicon gate NMOS devices. I-V curves were taken and V(ot) and V(it) were separated using the subthreshold slope method for all devices. A correlation has been shown to exist between physical strain relaxation and the electrical properties as a function of radiation dose and recovery. Data shown suggest that the physical response (strain relaxation) in the silicon at the oxide interface is a measure of the type of damage induced and the recovery mechanism. Postradiation measurements of Delta V(it) and Delta V(ot) taken immediately after irradiation support the conclusions of V. Zekeriya and T.-P. Ma (1983) and K. Kasama et al. (1986, 1987); compressive stress at the silicon/SiO2 interface does reduce radiation damage in the device.

Description: The transport, energy loss, and charge production of heavy ions in the sensitive regions of IRF 150 power MOSFETs are described. The dependence and variation of transport parameters with ion type and energy relative to the requirements for single event burnout in this part type are discussed. Test data taken with this power MOSFET are used together with analyses by means of a computer code of the ion energy loss and charge production in the device to establish criteria for burnout and parameters for space predictions. These parameters are then used in an application to predict burnout rates in a geostationary orbit for power converters operating in a dynamic mode. Comparisons of rates for different geometries in simulating SEU (single event upset) sensitive volumes are presented.

Description: Charge collection exhibited by p-n junctions, which have at least one small dimension, deviates from the geometric assumptions commonly used in SEU (single event upset) testing. The amount of charge collected did not increase with the secant of the angle of incidence. The number of events under the peak in the charge collection spectrum did not decrease as the cosine of the angle of incidence. Both the position of the peak and the number of events under the peak measured at a given angle of incidence depended upon which symmetry axis of the device was chosen to be the axis of rotation.

Description: Proton-induced latchup in a CMOS microprocessor known to have a very low heavy-ion-induced latchup threshold LET was observed. The latchup cross section vs. proton energy for three different bias conditions is displayed. Average measures of latchup current within an 11-ms window following the onset of latchup are provided, as a function of bias and incident proton energy. These data can be interpreted in terms of the present understanding of SEE phenomena.

Description: We describe the fabrication and characterization of superconductor/normal metal/superconductor (SNS) devices made with the high-temperature superconductor (HTS) YBa2Cu3O(7-x). Structures of YBa2Cu3O(7-x)/Au/Nb on c-axis-oriented YBa2Cu3O(7-x) were made in both sandwich and edge geometries in order to sample the HTS material both along and perpendicular to the conducting a-b planes. These devices display fairly ideal Josephson properties at 4.2 K. In addition, devices consisting of YBa2Cu3O(7-x)/YBa2Cu3O(y)/YBa2Cu3O(7-x), with a 'normal metal' layer of reduced transition temperature YBa2Cu3O(7-x) were fabricated and show a great deal of promise for applications near 77 K. Current-voltage characteristics like those of the Resistively-Shunted Junction model are observed, with strong response to 10 GHz radiation above 60 K.

Description: Thin film low-pass microwave filters have been made with laser-ablated YBa2Cu3O(7-delta) (YBCO) deposited on LaAlO3 substrates, using a coplanar waveguide structure. The coplanar waveguide sections had dimensions suited for integrated circuits. Measured losses in liquid nitrogen were superior to the loss in a similar thin-film copper filter throughout the 0 to 9.5 GHz pass-band. A simple transmission-line model is adequate for filter design using YBCO films with repeatable characteristics. The measured filters demonstrate the performance of fully patterned YBCO after sealing in space-qualifiable hermetic packages. Five packaged filters of this design were delivered to the Naval Research Laboratory as candidates for space flight in the High Temperature Superconductivity Space Experiment.

Description: We report the first fabrication of active semiconductor and high-temperature superconducting devices on the same substrate. Test structures of complementary MOS transistors were fabricated on the same sapphire substrate as test structures of Y1Ba2Cu3O(7-delta) flux-flow transistors, and separately, Y1Ba2Cu3O(7-delta) superconducting quantum interference devices utilizing both biepitaxial and step-edge Josephson junctions. Both semiconductor and superconductor devices were operated at 77 K. The cofabrication of devices using these disparate yet complementary electronic technologies on the same substrate opens the door for the fabrication of true semiconductive/superconductive hybrid integrated circuits capable of exploiting the best features of each of these technologies.

Description: The design, fabrication, and testing of a state-of-the-art, high-throughput on-focal plane IR-image signal processor is described. The processing functions performed are frame differencing and thresholding. The final focal plane array will consist of a 128 x 128-pixel platinum-silicide detector bump-mounted to an on-chip CCD multiplexer. The processor is in a 128-channel parallel-pipeline format. Each channel consists of a pixel regenerator (charge differencer), 128-pixel frame store CCD memory, pixel differencer, second pixel regenerator, thresholder (analog comparator), and digital latch. Four parallel analog outputs and four parallel digital outputs are included. The digital outputs provide a bit map of the image. All analog clock signals (128 KHz, 256 KHz, and 5 MHz) are generated by on-chip TTL-input clock drivers. TTL clock driver inputs are generated off-chip. The technology is low-temperature surface and buried channel CCD/CMOS/indium bump. The design goal was 8-bit resolution at 77 K and 1000 frames/s. Applications include point- or extended-target motion detection with thresholding. Design trade-offs and enhancements (such as on-chip detector gain compensation and a simple window processor) are discussed.

Description: The paper discusses the implementation and analysis of a correlated triple sampling circuit using analog subtractor/integrators. The software and test setup for noise measurements are also described. The correlation circuitry is part of the signal chain for a 256-element InSb line array used in the Visible and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer. Using a focal-plane array (FPA) simulator, system noise measurements of 0.7 DN are obtained. A test setup for FPA/SPE (signal processing electronics) characterization along with noise measurements is demonstrated.

Description: A class AB CMOS output buffer has been designed for use on an IR focal plane array. Given the requirements for power dissipation and load capacitance a class A output, such as a source follower, would be unsuitable. The approach taken uses a class AB amplifier configured as a charge integrator. Thus it converts a charge packet in the focal plane multiplexer to a voltage which is then the output of the focal plane. With a quiescent current of 18 micro-a and a load capacitance of 100 pf, the amplifier has an open loop unity gain bandwidth of 900 khz. Integral nonlinearity is better than .03 percent over 5.5 volts when run with VDD-VSS = 6v.

Description: A possible multiplexer design for the focal plane for the Cassini Visible and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) is reviewed. The instrument's requirements for the multiplexed array are summarized. The VIMS instrument has a modest radiation-hardness requirement due to the trajectory and planetary environments in which the instrument will be required to operate. The total ionizing dose hardness requirement is a few tens of kilorads. A thin-gate oxide of a few hundred angstroms thickness is to be used. Field hardness is to be achieved by guard bands or hardened dielectric isolation. The design is argued to meet the low-noise and radiation-hardness required for imaging at Saturn. The design is versatile enough to provide double-correlated and double-uncorrelated sampling, which is accomplished in the signal processing electronics outside the focal plane.

Description: The GaAs Schottky varactor diode is the nonlinear device most commonly used for submillimeter wave harmonic generation. Output power adequate to serve as a local oscillator source for SIS tunnel junctions has been demonstrated with whisker-contacted GaAs Schottky varactor multipliers in waveguide mounts up to about 800 GHz. In this paper, we present results for a tripler to 200 GHz using a new multiplier device, the single barrier varactor (SBV). This new varactor has potential advantages such as stronger nonlinearities or special symmetry, which make it attractive for submillimeter wave frequency multiplication. The performance of a tripler using a SBV over a output frequency range from 186 to 207 GHz has been measured in a crossed waveguide mount. The theoretical performance of the device has been calculated using large signal analysis. A comparison of theoretical and measured results and a discussion of various losses in the mount and the varactor have also been presented.

Description: The Internal Discharge Monitor (IDM) is designed to observe electrical pulses from common electrical insulators in space service. The characteristics of the instrument are described. The IDM was flown on the Combined Release and Radiation Effects Satellite (CRRES). The sixteen insulator samples included G10 circuit boards, FR4 and PTFE fiberglass circuit boards, FEP Teflon, alumina, and wires with common insulations. The samples are fully enclosed, mutually isolated, and space radiation penetrates 0.02 cm of aluminum before striking the samples. Published data in the literature provides a simple method for determining the flux of penetrating electrons. The pulse rate is compared to the penetrating flux of electrons.

Description: A picosec pulsed dye laser beam was at selected wavelengths successfully used to simulate heavy-ion single-event effects (SEEs) in negative channel NMOS DRAMs. A DRAM was used to develop the test technique because bit-mapping capability and previous heavy-ion upset data were available. The present analysis is the first to establish such a correlation between laser and heavy-ion data for devices, such as the NMOS DRAM, where charge collection is dominated by long-range diffusion, which is controlled by carrier density at remote distances from a depletion region. In the latter case, penetration depth is an important parameter and is included in the present analysis. A single-pulse picosecond dye laser beam (1.5 microns diameter) focused onto a single cell component can upset a single memory cell; clusters of memory cell upsets (multiple errors) were observed when the laser energy was increased above the threshold energy. The multiple errors were analyzed as a function of the bias voltage and total energy of a single pulse. A diffusion model to distinguish the multiple upsets from the laser-induced charge agreed well with previously reported heavy ion data.

Description: The design of a 75-W, 59- to 64- GHz TWT with a predicted overall efficiency in excess of 40 percent is described. This intersatellite communications TWT, designated Model 961HA, employs a coupled-cavity slow-wave structure with a two-step velocity taper and an isotropic graphite multistage depressed collector (MDC). Because the RF efficiency of this TWT is less than 8 percent, an MDC design providing a very high collector efficiency was necessary to achieve the overall efficiency goal of 40 percent.

Description: A beam waveguide (BWG) design suitable for high-power applications is described. The design features a transmit-only, four-port high-gain horn as input to a BWG system with a single parabolic mirror and three flat plates. The use of a single parabolic mirror is such that the highest field concentration is no greater than that caused by the horn itself. The horn is linearly polarized and a grid reflector is used to reflect the orthogonal polarization into the receive feed. A rotatable dual polarizer provides for arbitrary transmit polarization. The dual-reflector system is shaped to provide uniform illumination over the main reflector and therefore maximum gain for the given size aperture. Measured data from a scale model BWG system are presented.

Description: The dielectric function of a thick layer of In(0.52)Al(0.48)As lattice matched to InP was measured by variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry in the range 1.9-4.1 eV. The In(0.52)Al(0.48)As was protected from oxidation using a thin In(0.53)Ga(0.47)As cap that was mathematically removed for the dielectric function estimate. The In(0.52)Al(0.48)As dielectric function was then verified by ellipsometric measurements of other In(0.53)Ga(0.47)As/In(0.52)Al(0.48)As structures, including (MODFET), and is shown to provide accurate structure layer thicknesses.

Description: For imaging radar and for satellite and space communication (e.g. NASA's deep space network), it is important that the bandwidth be as large as possible. Here we derive a formalism for computing the phase locking bandwidth that can be achieved in a gyrotron oscillator while varying the beam voltage. As an example, a second harmonic TE02/03 gyrotron is considered. For this device, the effective bandwidth can be increased by a factor of about 3 compared with the fixed voltage case by allowing the beam voltage to change together with the input locking signal.

Description: Josephson junctions are natural voltage-controlled oscillators capable of generating submillimeter-wavelength radiation, but a single junction usually can produce only 100 nW of power and often has a broad spectral linewidth. The authors are investigating 2D quasi-optical power combining arrays of 103 and 104 NbN/MgO/NbN and Nb/Al-AlO(x)/Nb junctions to overcome these limitations. The junctions are dc-biased in parallel and are distributed along interdigitated lines. The arrays couple to a resonant mode of a Fabry-Perot cavity to achieve mutual phase-locking. The array configuration has a relatively low impedance, which should allow the capacitance of the junctions to be tuned out at the oscillation frequency.

Description: A full-wave spectral domain analysis has been used to obtain input-impedance results for a probe-fed rectangular-patch antenna, modeling the source as a magnetic-current frill. Multiple modes are used in the probe surface current to account for axial and azimuthal variations. It is established that maximum resistance is dependent on the substrate loss tangent. The axial variation of the probe current must be taken into account for substrate thicknesses greater than about 0.02 wavelengths.

Description: The reflectance and internal quantum efficiency (QE) of three single-element photodiodes are determined using two different light-trapping devices. The QED-200 light trapping device which is based on inversion layer photodiodes exhibits the best performance within the short wavelengths of the visible spectrum (VIS), while the A-O device based on p-n photodiodes, performs best in the long wave VIS up to 950 nm. The combination of the two light-traps provides nearly 100 percent external QE coverage from 400 to 950 nm. The reflectances and internal QE were determined within this spectral range for three photodiodes: UV100, an inversion layer photodiode; X-UV100, a shallow diffused n-p photodiode; and 10DPI/SB, a blue-enhanced p-n photodiode.

Description: The analysis of a class of planar transmission lines in composite uniform waveguides which have a circular boundary over part of the cross-section and a rectangular boundary over the remainder is introduced. It is shown that the method of lines can be applied to such composite structures by taking advantage of the canonical geometry in each region. Results for the dispersion characteristics and impedance of a finline in such a structure are calculated.

Description: A proposed Ka-band communications experiment between the Shuttle Orbiter and the Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS) is described. Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit (MMIC) technology is used in both the Orbiter and on the ground. A 25 dB gain circularly polarized phased array transmits low-bit-rate television to ground stations at the Johnson Space Center and the Lewis Research Center.

Description: Capabilities and limitations of MMIC phase shifter technology at microwave and millimeter wave frequencies are reviewed. MMIC-based phase arrays make it possible to integrate active elements at the array face, i.e., to incorporate transmit power amplifiers and/or low noise amplifiers at each antenna element. Active elements make it possible to increase power efficiency and reliability and provide graceful degradation. Monolithic integration of the various transmit/receive functions including phase shifting is considered to be feasible through at least the lower millimeter-wave frequency range (about 30-100 GHz). MMIC integration also allows more flexibility in array design including those that are intended for airborne conformal applications.

Description: Ka-band MMIC transmitter arrays are under development at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory for future deep space and ground communication needs. A high efficiency full aperture active antenna array is desired to demonstrate solid state array technology for future NASA missions. This paper reports on a 5 watt Ka-band phased array feed and a full aperture active array for a mobile terminal which are being developed to characterize the design tradeoffs and potential of solid state Ka-band MMIC array communication systems.

Description: Indium phosphide solar cells are more radiation resistant than gallium arsenide and silicon solar cells, and their growth by heteroepitaxy offers additional advantages leading to the development of lighter, mechanically strong and cost-effective cells. Changes in heteroepitaxial InP cell efficiency under 0.5 and 3 MeV proton irradiations are explained by the variation in the minority-carrier diffusion length. The base diffusion length versus proton fluence is calculated by simulating the cell performance. The diffusion length damage coefficient K(L) is plotted as a function of proton fluence.

Description: Theoretical study results are presented for the effects of strain on the cutoff frequencies of SiGe heterojunction bipolar transistors. The positive role played by the strain on the base resistance and transit time is shown to have a further effect on high-frequency performance.

Description: The spectral noise characteristics of Aerojet GaAs n-JFETs have been investigated down to liquid helium temperatures. Voltage noise characterization was performed with the FET in 1) the floating gate mode, 2) the grounded gate mode to determine the lowest noise readings possible and 3) with an extrinsic silicon photodetector at various detector bias voltages, to determine optimum operating conditions. Current noise characterization was measured at the drain in the temperature range 300 to 77 K. Device design and MBE processing are described. Static I-V characterization is done at 300, 77 and 6 K. The measurements indicate that the Aerojet GaAs n-JFET is a quiet and stable device at liquid helium temperatures. Hence, it can be considered as a readout line driver or infrared detector preamplifier as well as a host of other cryogenic applications. Its noise performance is superior to that of Si MOSFETs operating at liquid helium temperatures, and is equal to the best Si n-JFETs operating at 300 K.

Description: Noise and current-voltage characterization of complementary heterojunction field-effect transistor (CHFET) structures below 8 K are presented. It is shown that the CHFET exhibits normal transistor operation down to 6 K. Some of the details of the transistor operation, such as the gate-voltage dependence of the channel potential, are analyzed. The gate current is examined and is shown to be due to several mechanisms acting in parallel. These include field-emission and thermionic-field-emission, conduction through a temperature-activated resistance, and thermionic emission. The input referred noise for n-channel CHFETs is presented and discussed. The noise has the spectral dependence of 1/f noise, but does not exhibit the usual area dependence.

Description: Silicon carbide semiconductor technology has been advancing rapidly over the last several years. Advances have been made in boule growth, thin film growth, and device fabrication. This paper wi11 review reasons for the renewed interest in SiC, and will review recent developments in both crystal growth and device fabrication.

Description: A resonant cavity electro-optic phase modulator has been designed and implemented to operate at a data rate of 10 Mbps. The modulator consists of an electro-optic crystal located in a highly resonant cavity. The cavity is electro-optically switched on and off resonance, and the phase dispersion near the cavity resonance provides the output phase modulation. The performance of the modulator was measured by first heterodyne-detecting the signal to an intermediate frequency and then measuring the spectral characteristics using an rf spectrum analyzer. The measured phase shift is shown to be in good agreement with the theoretical predictions. Further theoretical analysis shows that the design of the modulator can be scaled to operate at 100 Mbps.

Description: A simple optoelectronic circuit integrated monolithically in GaAs to implement sigmoidal neuron responses is presented. The circuit integrates a light-emitting diode with one or two transistors and one or two photodetectors. The design considerations for building arrays with densities of up to 10,000/sq cm are discussed.

Description: Approaches for future 'mixed application' monolithic integrated circuits (ICs) employing optical receive/transmit, RF amplification and modulation and digital control functions are discussed. We focus on compatibility of the photonic component fabrication with conventional RF and digital IC technologies. Recent progress at Honeywell in integrating several parts of the desired RF/digital/photonic circuit integration suite required for construction of a future millimeter-wave optically-controlled phased-array element are illustrated.

Description: Recent advances in pseudomorphic HEMT MMIC (PMHEMT/MMIC) technology have made it the preferred candidate for high performance millimeter-wave components for phased array applications. This paper describes the development of PMHEMT/MMIC components at Ka-band and V-band. Specifically, the following PMHEMT/MMIC components will be described: power amplifiers at Ka-band; power amplifiers at V-band; and four-bit phase shifters at V-band. For the Ka-band amplifier, 125 mW output power with 5.5 dB gain and 21 percent power added efficiency at 2 dB compression point has been achieved. For the V-band amplifier, 112 mW output power with 6 dB gain and 26 percent power added efficiency has been achieved. And, for the V-band phase shifter, four-bit (45 deg steps) phase shifters with less than 8 dB insertion loss from 61 GHz to 63 GHz will be described.

Description: A potential application of the photorefractive time-integrating correlator is the real-time radar jamming interference rejection system, using the adaptive filter method; a fast photorefractive crystal is needed for adapting a rapidly changing jamming signal. An effort is presently made to demonstrate and characterize a GaAs-based photorefractive time-integrating correlator, since GaAs crystals are 2-3 orders of magnitude faster than most other alternatives.

Description: This paper presents background data on the performance of microwave power amplifiers (MPAs) used as transmitters in currently operating commercial communication satellites. Specifically aspects of two competing MPA types are discussed. These are well known TWTA (travelling wave tube amplifier) and the SSPA (solid state power amplifier). Extensive in-orbit data has been collected from over 2000 MPAs in 1991 and 1993. The study in 1991 invovlved 75 S/C (spacecraft) covering 463 S/C years. The 1993 'second-look' study encompassed a slightly different population of 72 S/C with 497 S/C years of operation. A surprising result of both studies was that SSPAs, although quite reliable, did not achieve the reliability of TWTAs were one-third more reliable in the 1993 study. This was at C-band with comparable power amplifiers, e.g. 6-16W of RF output power and similar gains. Data at K(sub u)-band is for TWTAs only since there are no SSPAs in the current S/C inventory. The other complementary result was that the projected failure rates used as S/C payload design guidelines were, on average, somewhat higher for TWTAs than the actual failure rates uncovered by this study. SSPA rates were as projected.

Description: Numerical simulations of the two-dimensional temperature distributions for a typical GaAs MMIC circuit are conducted, aiming at understanding the heat conduction process of the circuit chip and providing temperature information for device reliability analysis. The method used is to solve the two-dimensional heat conduction equation with a control-volume-based finite difference scheme. In particular, the effects of the power dissipation and the ambient temperature are examined, and the criterion for the worst operating environment is discussed in terms of the allowed highest device junction temperature.

Description: The gain and noise figure performance of a GaAs amplifier at cryogenic temperatures has been studied. Results obtained indicate that a lower noise figure and a higher gain are induced by decreasing the temperature, while no significant change in the input 1-dB compression point is observed. Repeated temperature cycling had no adverse effect on the amplifier performance.

Description: An approach to the analysis of closely spaced resonances produced by a microstrip coupled dielectric resonator is presented. In particular, it is shown that the use of a lumped-element model significantly simplifies the analysis. An experimental verification demonstrates that the model predicts the adjacent complementary resonances to within 1.6 percent of the measured value.

Description: A semiconfocal open-cavity resonator has been used to stabilize a resonant-tunneling-diode waveguide oscillator at frequencies near 100 GHz. The high quality factor of the open cavity resulted in a linewidth of approximately 10 kHz at 10 dB below the peak, which is about 100 times narrower than the linewidth of an unstabilized waveguide oscillator. This technique is well suited for resonant-tunneling-diode oscillators in the submillimeter-wave region.

Description: An application of the phenomenological loss equivalence method (Lee and Itoh, 1989) in modeling the microwave behavior of planar quasi-TEM superconducting transmission lines is presented. For validation of the model, data are used from measurements of a YBCO superconducting thin-film coplanar-waveguide lowpass filter on a lanthanum aluminate substrate. Measured and modeled S-parameters of an existing superconducting coplanar waveguide lowpass filter agree to within 0.3 dB in magnitude and 0.5 radians in phase. Extracted values for penetration depth and real part of the conductivity of the superconducting film are within 10 percent of other researchers' findings.

Description: A new method is described for generating and predicting the power scattered at multiple frequencies from a periodic array excited by a monochromatic incident plane wave. The scattered power is predicted by developing an equivalent circuit representation from the exact method of moment solution of the unloaded periodic problem and then employing a modified method of moments approach to predict the scattered fields due to time-varying loads. An advantage of this method is that the generality of the equivalent circuit can be exploited to study the effects of different loads on the power scattered in the harmonic frequencies with a minimal amount of effort. The method can also be applied to multiple incident frequencies.

Description: A temperature independent device is presented which uses a quantum well structure and delta doping within the channel. The device requires a high delta doping concentration within the channel to achieve a constant Hall mobility and carrier concentration across the temperature range 300-1.4 K. Transistors were RF tested using on-wafer probing and a constant G sub max and F sub max were measured over the temperature range 300-70 K.

Description: The S-parameters of several different quantum well double barrier diodes have been measured. A technique has been developed for measuring whisker contacted diodes with an HP 8510B automatic network analyzer. Special coaxial mounts using K-connectors were designed to enable measurements up to 20 GHz. The voltage-dependent conductance and capacitance were derived from the measured reflection coefficient of each device. The C/V characteristics were observed to exhibit an anomalous increase at voltages corresponding to the negative differential resistance region (NDR). These are the first reported S-parameter measurements in the negative differential resistance region of quantum well double barrier diodes. A theory is presented that explains, in part, the observed results.

Description: The requirements of a microstrip array with a vertically polarized fan beam are addressed that correspond to its use in C-band interferometric SAR. A combination of parallel- and series-feed techniques are utilized in an array design with a three-stage parallel-fed configuration to enhance bandwidth performance. The linearly polarized traveling-wave microstrip array antenna is fed by microstrip transmission lines in two rows of 36 elements that resonate at 5.30 GHz. The transmission lines are impedance-matched at every junction for all the waves that travel toward the two ends of the array. The two measured principal-plane patterns are shown, and the measured narrow-beam pattern is found to agree with the calculated values. The VSWR bandwidths and narrow and broad beamwidths of the antenna are found to permit efficient performance. The efficiency is attributed to the parallel and series-feed configuration which allows proper impedance matching, and low cross-polarization is a result of the antiphase feed technique employed in the configuration.

Description: InSb photodiodes were examined for performance degradation after pulsed laser illumination at 0.532 micron and 1.064 micron. Incident laser powers ranged from 6 x 10 exp-18 micron-watts to 16 micron-watts in a 50 pm diameter spot. Dark current and spectral response were both measured before and after illumination. Dark current measurements were taken with the diode blanked off and viewing only 77 K surfaces. Long term stability tests demonstrated that the blackbody did not exhibit long term drifts. Other tests showed that room temperature variations did not affect the diode signal chain or the digitization electronics used in data acquisition. Results of the experiment show that the diodes did not exhibit changes in dark current or spectral response performance as a result of the laser illumination. A typical change in diode spectral response (before/after laser exposure) was about 0.2 percent +/- 0.2 percent.

Description: The recent discovery of high-temperature superconductors (HTSs) has generated a substantial amount of interest in microstrip antenna applications. However, the high permittivity of substrates compatible with HTS causes difficulty in feeding such antennas because of the high patch edge impedance. Two methods for feeding HTS microstrip antennas at K- and Ka-band are examined. Superconducting microstrip antennas that are directly coupled and gap-coupled to a microstrip transmission line have been designed and fabricated on lanthanum aluminate substrates using Y-Ba-Cu-O superconducting thin films. Measurements from these antennas, including input impedance, bandwidth, efficiency, and patterns, are presented and compared with published models. The measured results demonstrate that usable antennas can be constructed using either of these architectures, although the antennas suffer from narrow bandwidths. In each case, the HTS antenna shows a substantial improvement over an identical antenna made with normal metals.

Description: An analysis is made of the frequency response of an Al(x)Ga(1-x)As/GaAs optical modulator operating at a wavelength of 0.83 micron and utilizing the linear-optic effect in a Mach-Zehnder configuration. It is shown that, in semiconductor modulators, electroabsorption should be taken into account in optimizing the frequency response of the device. It is also shown that, by incorporating an insulator (a semiconductor with a large band gap) between the metallic electrode and the channel, the capacitance of the electroabsorptive modulator can be kept low at a reasonable value under the worst conditions.

Description: An account is given of new varactor multiplier designs, for mm-wave and sub-mm-wave receiver systems, which have their bases in heterostructure layers and exhibit either stronger capacitance nonlinearity or a special symmetry of characteristics. While barrier-n-layer-n(+) C-V characteristics yield superior performance at low pump powers, the symmetric C-V characteristics of the single-barrier varactor devices yield efficient low-order harmonic generation. Capacitance nonlinearity in these devices is due to depletion of a semiconductor drift region.

Description: All-solid-state local oscillators in the terahertz frequency range are especially needed for space-borne radio astronomy and remote sensing of the atmosphere. Because solid-state oscillators cannot yet produce the necessary local oscillator power at submillimeter wavelengths, frequency multipliers are needed. So far, submillimeter-wave frequency multipliers are mainly based on a whisker-contacted Schottky diode as the nonlinear element. This paper discusses the multiplier theory and tools for analysis and design of millimeter- and submillimeter-wave multipliers. Experimental work is reviewed. The Schottky diode model at submillimeter frequencies, use of Schottky multiplier chains versus direct higher-order multipliers, and the effect of cooling on Schottky diode multipliers are discussed. Alternative diodes such as the high electron mobility varactor, the barrier-intrinsic n(+) diode, the barrier-n-n(+) diode, the quantum well diode, and the single barrier varactor are discussed, with attention also given to their potential as submillimeter frequency multipliers.

Description: A new coplanar waveguide to rectangular waveguide end launcher is experimentally demonstrated. The end launcher operates over the Ka-band frequencies that are designated for the NASA Advanced Communication Technology Satellite uplink. The measured insertion loss and return loss are better than 0.5 and -10 dB, respectively.

Description: A novel feed method is presently demonstrated for a 2 x 2 linearly tapered slot antenna (LTSA) on the basis of a coplanar-waveguide (CPW)-to-slotline transition and a coax-to-CPW in-phase, four-way power divider. The LTSA subarray exhibits excellent radiation patterns and return-loss characteristics at 18 GHz, and has symmetric beamwidth; its compactness renders it applicable as either a feed for a reflector antenna or as a building-block for large arrays.

Description: Microwave transmission measurements through YBa2Cu3O(7-delta) (YBCO) high-transition-temperature superconducting thin films on lanthanum aluminate (LaAlO3) have been performed in a coaxial line at 10 GHz. LaAlO3 substrates were ultrasonically machined into washer-shaped discs, polished, and coated with laser-ablated YBCO. These samples were mounted in a 50-ohm coaxial air line to form a short circuit. The power transmitted through the films as a function of temperature was used to calculate the normal state conductivity and the magnetic penetration depth for the films.

Description: The goals of this program are to develop custom microcircuit technology, also known as Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) technology, for use in flight and ground programs. Supporting this effort are activities to investigate the effects of the space environment, and particularly ionizing radiation, on microcircuits and to develop a space qualification methodology. Another aspect of the program emphasizes innovative applications of custom microcircuit technology to image and signal processing and communications.

Description: Noise-optimal control of high-electron mobility transistor low noise amplifier (HEMT LNA) bias voltage and current values was achieved at room temperature. The performance metric maximized was the amplifier gain divided by the amplifier input noise temperature, G/T(sub e). Additionally, the feasibility of automating the initial determination of bias settings was demonstrated in the laboratory. Simulation models of an HEMT were developed from available measurement data, installed on a Sun SPARC 1 workstation and used in investigating several optimization algorithms. Simple tracking-type algorithms, which follow changes in optimum settings if started at or near the global optimum point, produced the best performance. Implementation of the optimization algorithms was performed using a three-stage Field Effect Transistor (FET) LNA and an existing test apparatus. Software was written to control the bias settings of the first stage of the LNA and to perform noise and gain measurements by using the test apparatus. The optimization control was then integrated with existing test software to create a master test and optimization program for test apparatus use.

Description: Characterization tests were carried out at three charge levels and four discharge levels. The "c' or capacity of the battery is designated at 6.5 ampere-hours. The recharge ampere-hours was the same for all test conditions, 6.5 A-H, regardless of the discharge capacity removed for any particular discharge rate. Less capacity can be removed at higher discharge rates to the same termination voltage, which was 0.50 volts for the weakest (lowest voltage) cell. The general trend of efficiencies increases as the charge rate increases as noted in results of the table included in the handout package. The data also indicate the efficiency increases as the discharge rate decreases. This is true; however, efficiencies at the discharge rates of c and 2c are penalized because these cycles received more overcharge than necessary.

Description: The probability of Ni-Cd battery survival was determined by researching survival data on cells fabricated from 1964-1977. A log of cell failure times were plotted against cumulative failure percentage and mean and standard deviation were determined.

Description: The design of long life, low weight nickel cadmium cells is studied. The status of a program to optimize nickel electrodes for the best performance is discussed. The pore size of the plaque, the mechanical strength and active material loading are considered in depth.

Description: An evaluation of the current nickel hydrogen cell design is presented. The IPV, or the Individual Pressure Vessel, is the state of the art right now. The present design, 3 1/2 inch cell, has a current limit of 50 ampere-hours. The nickel hydrogen cell design is the state of the art. Its size is 3 1/2 inches which limits it to 50 hours. The probable limits of that are probably 160 amphere IPV cell remaining in the passive cooling mode. The IPV stacks is a parallel connection of electrodes. Positive electrodes are connected with leads to the top portion of the stack and negative electrodes are connected with leads and pulled down to the bottom. So it is a combination connection of paralleling series electrostacking--parallel inside each individual stack, and series connected from one stack to the next. It offers, in the analysis, improvements in packaging, cost, energy density, and specific energy.

Description: Nickel Hydrogen cell and battery technology has matured to the point where a real choice exists between Nickel Hydrogen and Nickel Cadmium batteries for each new spacecraft application. During the past few years, a number of spacecraft programs have been evaluated at Hughes with respect to this choice, with the results being split about fifty-fifty. The following paragraphs contain criteria which were used in making the battery selection.

Description: The Defense Research Establishment Ottawa (DREO) has been studying the nickel-cadmium system, both vented and sealed, since the early 1950's. Reasonable success has been achieved in a wide variety of applications covering: military vehicle use under Arctic conditions; high performance military aircraft; manpacked communications sets; remote standby power and small portable instrumentation. Early studies on the vented system for high rate vehicle and aircraft cranking applications proved useful in later studies on the sealed NiCd system. This was especially true in the areas of plate loading and electrolyte composition. To achieve high rate cranking currents of 20C to 30C, it was necessary to have light to moderate plate loadings, a large reactive surface area, and electrolyte of optimum conductivity. DREO undertook some fundamental studies to understand the system from the inside out rather than test cells from the outside and then analyze their components. The conclusions of these studies were incorporated into the Procurement Specification for Ni-Cd cells ISISA Spec S615-P-2. A brief comment will be made on the choice of cell design and how some of the factors of cell manufacture could affect cell performance.

Description: Events from the development and orbital flight experience with a nickel hydrogen battery are described. The events highlight characteristics of nickel hydrogen which afford superior capability in overcharge, overdischarge and state of charge evaluation, when compared to the nickel cadmium electrochemical system. Some developments in nickel hydrogen technology that provide the potential of furthering nickel hydrogen superiority for satellite applications are also discussed.

Description: Ni-H2 batteries are just now being put into service. All of the remaining INTELSAT V satellites (approximately 10), starting with the next to be launched in early 1983, will use Ni-H2 batteries. In addition, the next generation of INTELSAT VI satellites, and probably INTELSAT VII and VIII, will use Ni-H2 batteries. This means that international telecommunications satellites will use Ni-H2 batteries through the 1990's. It is projected that the lifetime of these batteries will be greater than 10 years at deep depth-of-discharge (DOD), and that the battery subsystem will no longer limit satellite lifetime or communications capability during eclipse periods. This paper discusses the advantages of the Ni-H2 battery, as compared with the Ni-Cd battery, for telecommunications satellites.

Description: Nickel-hydrogen cells appear to be an improvement over the nickel-cadmium in applications requiring longer lifetime and reduced weight. An even more efficient couple, the silver-hydrogen couple, is also considered. After a theoretical study first performed by the Battelle Institute of Geneva under ESA (European Space Agency) contract, SAFT has undertaken more detailed analyses of the silver-hydrogen degradation mechanisms. ESA and the French Department of Defense contracted with SAFT for a full-development program of the silver-hydrogen technology.

Description: This effects of reconditioning on the performance of NiCd batteries are reviewed. These effects are correlated with cell experiments and individual electrode investigations. The effects of reconditioning on the positive electrode performance are found to be significant. A mechanism is proposed that rationalizes the operation of the nickel electrode and suggests that reconditioning minimizes depth of discharge stress during use and maintains uniformity of the active material.

Description: Cost considerations for spacecraft battery reconditioning are studied. Results indicate that the cost of performing reconditioning is minuscule compared with spacecraft system investment. Results also indicate that spacecraft life extension of a few days justifies incorporation of reconditioning circuitry.

Description: Six (6) geostationary spacecraft, manufactured by RCA Astro, are presently operating in orbit. All of their batteries are performing well. They all contain unique battery reconditioning circuitry, permitting individual cell reconditioning to practically zero volts without the danger of cell reversal. This reconditioning is performed just prior to start of each eclipse season. This technique has maintained the battery's end-of-discharge voltage with mission life. The oldest operating RCA Astro geostationary spacecraft, Satcom F1 and F2, have now completed almost 7 and 6-3/4 years in orbit, respectively. Their battery performance, reported herein, show that a major milestone in the mission longevity of nickel-cadmium batteries has heen achieved. Low earth orbit test data show a long lasting effect of maintaining end-of-discharge voltages for nickel cadmium cells using periodic reconditioning. The unique RCA light-weight reconditioning circuitry can accomplish a quick reconditioning and prevent cell reversal. Reconditioning, thus, has the potential for extending mission life of geostationary as well as low earth orbit spacecraft, when two or more batteries are present.

Description: Deep-discharge reconditioning (DDR) can be of great benefit to battery performance, especially in geosynchronous orbit, if performed properly and regularly, and can be essential to operation of batteries at the high depths of discharge (DOD) required to minimize weight. The procedure should be tailored to fit the nature of the degradation occuring during regular cycling. DDR is not without its drawbacks, however, and these differ depending on the normal DOD to be sustained and/or whether the discharge is done at the battery or the cell level. Battery-level discharge carries the minimum weight penalty but raises questions of the effects of low-rate cell reversal that as yet have no firm answers. Cell level discharge avoids cell reversal but carries significant penalties of weight and complexity. Thus no universal procedure or method of implementation of deep-discharge reconditioning is now available and thus the various approaches must be evaluated for each application.

Description: It is argued that sophisticated battery control systems are required to support the high power, high energy spacecraft secondary battery systems of the post 1985 time period. Four categories of battery control system functions are defined and discussed: battery operational control, auxiliary system control, battery system status indication and fault detection fault isolation. A concept for implementation of such a control system is also presented and discussed.

Description: A comparison of voltage limited control methods limit control methods for fixed array and oriented array missions is given. The LANDSAT D, Earth Radiation Budget Experiment and Solar maximum Mission techniques are compared.

Description: Battery charge control for orbiting spacecraft with mission durations from three to ten years, is a critical design feature that is discussed. Starting in 1974, the General Electric Space Systems Division designed, manufactured and tested battery systems for six different space programs. Three of these are geosynchronous missions, two are medium altitude missions and one is a near-earth mission. All six power subsystems contain nickel cadmium batteries which are charged using a temperature compensated voltage limit. This charging method was found to be successful in extending the life of nickel cadmium batteries in all three types of earth orbits. Test data and flight data are presented for each type of orbit.

Description: A simple non-linear circuit model for battery behavior is given. It is based on time-dependent features of the well-known PIN change storage diode, whose behavior is described by equations similar to those associated with electrochemical cells. The circuit simulation computer program ADVICE was used to predict non-linear response from a topological description of the battery analog built from advice components. By a reasonable choice of one set of parameters, the circuit accurately simulates a wide spectrum of measured non-linear battery responses to within a few millivolts.