SANTANA – Smart Antenna Terminal for Broadband Mobile Satellite Communications at Ka-Band

Abstract

Smart antennas employing Digital BeamForming (DBF) at Ka-band frequencies will be key elements for the next generation of broadband satellite communication systems. This frequency band offers high bandwidth, whereas DBF provides a high degree of system flexibility. Scope of the two-phase project Smart Antenna Terminal (SANTANA) is the development of advanced satellite communication terminals for mobile segments (e.g. aircrafts). The antenna consists of an Rx (20 GHz) and a separate Tx (30 GHz) array. In order to realise high gain DBF arrays, the Tx/Rx antennas are composed of 4x4 array modules which are used as basic building blocks. After a short introduction explaining the background and vision of the SANTANA project, a general system overview on the terminal-antenna concept will be given, followed by the presentation of measurement results. After that, the focus will be on novel concepts of an improved terminal architecture which is currently developed in the second project phase: • An enhanced RF-to-antenna interconnect design, which enables separate testing of RF- and antenna structures before integration and allows for a new architecture to enhance the thermal management. • An improved Rx-antenna element and feeding structure. • A new Tx antenna layout, based on a LTCC multilayer structure, featuring hybrid couplers, shielding cavities and a calibration network. An outlook on the fixed and mobile tests of a system, composed of 4 basic building blocks for high data rate planned to be carried out in 2006 will conclude this contribution.