Ultrawideband Modular RF Frontend Development for Photonically-enabled Imaging Receiver

This paper presents a modular-based RF frontend developed for photonically-enabled phased array systems that are capable of ultrawideband operation from microwave to millimeter wave frequencies. The 1×8 modular architecture with integrated antennas, LNAs, and electro-optical modulators is reconfigurable and scalable to form any sized 2D phased arrays. The developed phased array system demonstrates the ability to process multiple wide bandwidth RF beams simultaneously, yielding unmatched beam-bandwidth product (BBP).