Avances Tecnológicos en Circuitos de Microondas y Antenas para Sistemas de Comunicaciones Espaciales (TECNOSAT)

Título del proyecto: Avances Tecnológicos en Circuitos de Microondas y Antenas para Sistemas de Comunicaciones Espaciales (Acrónimo: TECNO-SAT)
Entidad financiadora: Generalitat Valenciana (Programa PROMETEO para Grupos de Investigación de Excelencia)
Ref. PROMETEO/2011/061
Entidades participantes: Grupo de Aplicaciones de Microondas (Universidad Politécnica de Valencia), Grupo de Radiación y Electromagnetismo (Universidad Politécnica de Valencia),
Duración: 01/01/2011 – 31/12/2014
Investigador responsable: Dr. Vicente E. Boria Esbert
Número de investigadores participantes: 6

Abstract: Microwave circuits and antennas have a key impact on the overall functioning of the whole space communications system, they are present in payloads, satellite communications modules and in earth segment stations. In turn, the next generation of space communications systems require higher requirements (some multidisciplinary) in the technological development of these components. These include a higher degree of compaction (miniaturization), reliability and connectivity (reconfigurability), advanced electrical responses (lower insertion loss, multiple passbands and higher selectivity), and capacity to handle larger channel widths band and higher power levels. Considering all these needs in the space sector, this project aims to develope innovative solutions for high frequency components (antennas and circuits) in different classical technologies (waveguide, and hybrid waveguide-planar), and emerging ( substrate integrated waveguide, SIW), including capability to tune (with micro-electro-mechanical systems, MEMS) and advanced artificial materials (periodic and lefthandle media). In order that the new passive subsystems (circuits and antennas) developed in this project can be transferred in the near future to the demanding space sector, prototypes and demonstrators will be implemented whose behavior will be validated experimentally in the laboratories of the applicant research group.In this sense, it is also intended to improve the electromagnetic analysis and design optimization processes of these components, and develope new models for predicting the RF discharge effects (multipactor and corona) and passive intermodulation (PIM). For this, it is intended to work with the High Power RF Space Laboratory, which recently has been installed by the European Space Agency and the Space Consortium Valenciano in the city of Valencia, which will host the practice of validation new technological solutions proposed. Finally, this R & D project has also a significant component in the field of training of young researchers and highly qualified professionals in the scientific and technological project, by proposing graduate programs in technology and applications space communications systems. To address this R & D project under the PROMETHEUS program (aids to R & D groups of excellence in Valencia), a team of six doctor-researchers is established, three of whom are professors and three lecturers all of them affiliated to the University Institute of Telecommunications and Multimedia Applications (iTEAM) of the Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV). This research team has relevant scientific-technological experience in the scope of this proposal (electromagnetism applied to microwave circuits and antennas), accumulating a total of 15 research sexenios in the project start date (January 2011).