A multilayer front-end for an imaging radar sensor

In this contribution, a compact multilayer front-end for a 24 GHz FM-CW imaging radar sensor is presented. After a brief review of the sensor concept the front-end's design and realization are described. The front-end consists of one transmitter stage followed by a switched transmit array with 25 antenna elements and two nonswitched coherent receivers. Key structures of the multilayer printed circuit board (PCB) design are the contacting areas of MMICs, space saving RF feed-throughs and the antenna. Solutions for these structures are presented in detail together with exemplary test results. Successful realization and tests demonstrate that a front-end module for an electronically scanning sensor can be realized in multilayer PCB technology at moderate cost.