Single chip variable beam forming network for 64-element array radiators : hyper scale monolithic microwave integration

A novel circuit design approach is presented for hyper scale monolithic microwave integration. The key point is the microwave unit cells which provide power division, and amplitude and phase control. These cells feature iteratively matched complex impedance and interlocked dual and quadruple cold FET circuit topologies resulting very high integration density as well as almost zero dc-power dissipation. Based on the novel design concept, an entire beam forming network for exciting a 64-element phased aray is successfully integrated on a single GaAs monolithic chip. It consists of a 64-way pyramidal power divider, 64 360-degree variable phase shifters, and 64 phase-inversible amplitude controllers. This hyper-scale MMIC will drastically advance the development of multiple beam forming and adaptive steering systems for satellite onboard phased array transponders.