Improving FM Radar Dynamic Range Using Target Phase Noise Cancellation

A method for improving the dynamic range of frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) radar systems is presented. Bright echo signals detected with FMCW radars can carry strong phase noise sidelobes, especially for radars at W-band and higher frequencies where extremely quiet local oscillators do not exist or are not practical. These sidelobes can hide targets that would otherwise be detectable by the radar. Owing to the mathematical symmetry of phase noise with respect to a dominant carrier tone, the phase noise on the negative-frequency side of a bright echo can be used in post-processing to coherently cancel the corresponding phase noise on the positive-frequency side, revealing the presence of any weak target on the positive-frequency side. We show experimentally how this procedure improves the dynamic range of an airborne 167 GHz cloud radar by up to 18 dB, albeit with a detection sensitivity penalty of about 3 dB.