Abstract

The concept of advanced phased array antennas, based on the combination of a large number of active elements, is critically dependant on the availability of compact and minimum weight, low consumption and high-reliability microwave T/R modules. The main guideline for the design is to achieve the best trade-off between performance, reliability and manufacturing cost. THOMSON-CSF is leading phased array developments with T/R modules in S, C, X bands and also wideband for airborne, space and ground-based radars. Examples will be given. The technological trends will be discussed, as following: Electrical architecture of the T/R module. Performance in relation with the GaAs processes: MESFET, pHEMT or HBT. Packaging in relation with the level of hermeticity : . micro or macropackages, . ceramic or printed circuit multilayer, . silicon substrates, . robotic manufacturing. - Tests duration and number reduction.. Some different possible designs of T/R module for the future will be discussed.