High-sensitivity receiver systems for use with RF and THz radio telescopes and commercial systems

是项研究将以申请人的优势为基础，扩展先前已展开的研究，并开拓新的研究途径。第一项研究目标是在过去成功的基础上，展示一种高灵敏度、全集成、宽带平方公里阵列（SKA）接收器，可在低GHz频率范围内工作。拟议的研究将继续申请人之前的工作，研究直接采样高增益SKA接收器的其他重要组件的实现，例如抗混叠滤波器、可变增益放大器和校准功率检测器。一旦配备了额外的电路，还将进行增加光学数据传输系统的研究，该系统也将通过采用基于时间的ADC架构来充当ADC。这个完整的接收器将被放置在一个“厚”Vivaldi天线内，并将成为一个非常独特的系统，将RF宽带接收信号转换为数字化的光输出。还计划开发一种高端全球定位系统接收机，配备与接收机前端共同设计的新型低噪声ESD电路，以展示高灵敏度接收机的商业潜力。将设计一个概念验证型全球定位系统接收器，以通过实验验证其特性。

The proposed research will build on applicant's strengths by expanding the previously started research and embarking on a new research path. The first research objective, which builds on the past success, is to demonstrate highly sensitive, fully integrated, wideband Square Kilometre Array (SKA) receiver operating at low GHz frequency range. The proposed research will continue applicant's prior work by investigating the implementations of other essential components of the direct-sampling high-gain SKA receiver, such as an anti-aliasing filter, a variable gain amplifier and a calibrated power detector. Once furnished with the additional circuitry, an investigation of adding an optical data transfer system, which will also serve as the ADC by employing a time-based ADC architecture, will also be conducted. This complete receiver will be placed inside a "thick" Vivaldi antenna and will become a very unique system that converts RF broad-band received signal to a digitized optical output. A demonstration of commercial potentials of the highly sensitive receivers are also planned with a development of a high-end GPS receiver equipped with novel low-noise ESD circuitry that is co-designed with the receiver front-end. A proof-of-concept GPS receiver will be designed to validate its characteristics experimentally.