SBIR Phase I: Digital Correlator Imaging Spectrometer For Submillimeter Astronomy

该小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第一阶段项目旨在开发一种用于射频接收器的新型宽带数字光谱仪，特别适用于亚毫米波天文成像光谱仪。为了获得最佳性能，这种接收器将利用低温混频器产生~1 GHz的中频输出。提出了一种可以接受这种混频输出，然后产生频率分辨率~1 MHz的信号功率谱的光谱仪。该光谱仪的核心将是一个快速、灵敏的模数转换器和一个基于快速单通量量子(RSFQ)数字逻辑的数字自动相关器，设计用于在4K的温度下与商用制冷机一起工作。自动相关器在射频通信和图像处理系统中有广泛的应用，目前受到数字处理速度的限制。其中一些应用包括码分多址(码分多址)通信、用于地面和天基光谱分析的先进仪器以及通过将拟议的自动相关器与经济实惠的低温制冷器制造方面的最新进展相结合而进一步实现的信号分析。数字射频基站目标采用自相关器进行负载管理，与其密切相关的互相关器可用来减小多径失真。采用软件无线电架构的数字射频基站代表着一个数十亿美元的市场，即使是很小的市场份额也是值得追求的。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project aims to develop a novel broadband digital spectrometer for radio-frequency receivers, with particular application to an imaging spectrometer for sub-millimeter-wave astronomy. For optimum performance, such a receiver will make use of a cryogenic mixer to generate an intermediate-frequency output ~1 GHz. A spectrometer that can accept this type of mixer output and then generate the signal power spectrum with frequency resolution ~1 MHz is proposed. The core of this spectrometer will be a fast, sensitive analog-to-digital converter and a digital auto-correlator based on rapid-single-flux-quantum (RSFQ) digital logic, designed to operate with a commercial cryo-cooler at a temperature of 4 K. Other components of this receiver, such as multiplexers to combine pixel outputs, have already been developed. These components will be integrated monolithically on the same niobium integrated circuitThe auto-correlator has extensive applications in RF communications and image-processing systems currently limited by the speed of digital processing. Some of these applications include Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) communications, advanced instrumentation for ground-based and space-based spectroscopy and signal analysis are further enabled by the combination of the proposed auto-correlator with recent advances in the manufacturing of affordable cryo-coolers. The digital-RF base station target, where the auto-correlator would be used for load management, and its close relative, the cross-correlator could be used for reducing multi-path distortion. The digital-RF base station with software radio architecture represents a multi-billion dollar market, from which even a small market share will be worthwhile pursuing.