The Active Aperture Array program seeks to develop innovative technologies that will enable the revolutionary architectures and capabilities of future electronically scanned array (ESA) apertures. The technologies may include, but are not be limited to:
- antenna elements
- polarization
- isolation
- electronics
- signal sources
- waveform generators
- exciters
- beamforming
- lightweight structures
- thermal management
- power conversion
- power management
- heterogeneous signal processing
- modular open system architecture (MOSA) functional allocation and interfaces.
The emphasis is on enabling affordable solutions while satisfying challenging size, weight, power and cost (SWAP-C) constraints without sacrificing advanced performance at RF frequencies from microwave through millimeter wave.
Research Concentration Areas
- Improvement of solid state device parameters including: switching speed, power efficiency, bandwidth, noise, dynamic range, linearity, packaging, miniaturization, assembly and robustness to dense signal environments
- Increasing the performance and efficiency of component technologies via advanced semiconductor III-V materials such as InP, GaN, SiC and other evolving nanotechnology materials
- Demonstrating size reduction of components needed to fit within an array lattice
- Mixed analog and digital conversion circuits and signal processing architectures
Research Challenges and Opportunities
- Performance
- Operation in harsh natural and manmade environments
- Bandwidth
- Packaging and architectures that support SWAP-C constrained platforms
- Affordability
How to Submit
For detailed application and submission information for this research topic, please refer to our broad agency announcement (BAA) No. N0001425SB001.
Contracts: All white papers and full proposals for contracts must be submitted through FedConnect; instructions are included in the BAA.
Grants: All white papers for grants must be submitted through FedConnect, and full proposals for grants must be submitted through grants.gov; instructions are included in the BAA.