Low-Noise Systems in the Deep Space Network

This book explores the low-noise microwave systems that form the front end of all DSN ground receiving stations. It explains why the front end of each antenna is key to establishing the sensitivity, polarization, frequency diversity, and capabilities of the receiving chain and, therefore, the entire ground station. With the guidance of this book, you will gain unprecedented insight into all of the major topics needed to understand how to improve a ground station s receiving capability.

MacGregor S. Reid, PhD, worked at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) from 1969 until his retirement in 1998. For the last ten years of his career, he was technical executive assistant to the director. He served a three-year term as vice president of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), Washington, D.C. Dr. Reid was formation chairman of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Subcommittee on Space Systems and Operations for nine years, and he represented the United States on ISO's Committee on Aircraft and Space Operations for twelve years. He has served on many advisory committees, both nationally and internationally, and he is the author of more than eighty publications in the technical literature, three of which have won awards. In recognition of his international work, an asteroid was named after Dr. Reid in 1998 (6894 MacReid). He was awarded medals from AIAA and NASA, and six monetary awards from NASA for the invention of new technology.

Foreword	p. xi
Preface	p. xiii
Acknowledgments	p. xvii
Contributors	p. xix
Introduction	p. 1
References	p. 10
System Noise Concepts with DSN Applications	p. 13
Introduction	p. 13
Noise Temperature Concepts	p. 18
Thermal Noise	p. 18
System Operating Noise Temperature	p. 19
Planck's Radiation Law Noise Power Reduction	p. 20
Translating Noise Temperature Reference Locations	p. 24
Noise Temperature and Loss Contributions	p. 26
Receiver Noise Temperature and Noise Figure	p. 27
Antennas	p. 27
Antenna Noise Temperature	p. 27
DSN Antennas	p. 29
Antenna External Noise Sources	p. 30
Low-Noise Amplifiers	p. 40
Receiver Effective Noise Temperature	p. 40
Noise Temperature of Cascaded Amplifiers	p. 40
Receiving Systems	p. 42
Receiving System Figure of Merit	p. 42
Receiving System Operational Noise Temperature	p. 43
Measurements	p. 60
Y-Factor Noise Temperature Calibrations	p. 60
Attenuation	p. 65
Receiving System Nonlinearity	p. 66
Receiving System Mini-cals	p. 71
Radiometers in the DSN	p. 72
Introduction	p. 72
Total Power Radiometers	p. 72
Dicke Radiometers	p. 74
Noise-Adding Radiometers	p. 75
Radiometer Stability Performance	p. 80
Status and Future	p. 81
Notation and Terms	p. 84
References	p. 89
Ruby Masers	p. 95
Introduction	p. 95
Ruby Properties	p. 98
Spin Resonance, the Applied Magnetic Field, Ruby Orientation, the Low-Temperature Requirement, and Excitation	p. 100
Spin-Lattice Relaxation Time, Inversion Ratios, Transition Probabilities, the Filling Factor, and Magnetic Q	p. 103
Ruby Maser Noise Temperatures	p. 109
Ruby Masers as Noise Temperature Standards	p. 116
Immunity from Radio Frequency Interference (RFI)	p. 119
Early DSN Cavity Masers	p. 120
Comb-Type Traveling-Wave Masers	p. 122
Reflected-Wave Masers	p. 137
Ka-Band and the Return to Cavity Masers	p. 140
Analysis of Maser Designs	p. 143
References	p. 154
Cryogenic Refrigeration Systems	p. 159
Introduction	p. 159
Advantages of Using Cryogenic Cooling	p. 161
Open-Cycle Refrigeration	p. 164
Heat Transfer	p. 170
Antenna-Mounted Operation	p. 174
Closed-Cycle Helium Refrigerators	p. 177
Conclusion	p. 192
References	p. 192
HEMT Low-Noise Amplifiers	p. 195
Introduction-Semiconductor Conductivity	p. 195
Charge Carrier and Energy Band Gap	p. 196
Charge Carrier Transport Properties	p. 197
Donor and Acceptor Impurities	p. 199
Heterojunction-HEMT versus MESFET	p. 200
The Many Acronym-ed Device (MAD)-A Brief HEMT History	p. 201
HEMTs in the Deep Space Network and Radio Astronomy-Voyager at Neptune	p. 201
InP HEMT LNAs in the Deep Space Network	p. 202
HEMT Growth Technology	p. 203
Molecular Beam Epitaxy	p. 203
Metal-Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition (MOCVD)	p. 204
HEMT Materials Evolution-From GaAs to InAs	p. 205
Optimized Low-Noise AlGaAs/GaAs HEMT Structure	p. 206
The GaAs Pseudomorphic HEMT-AlGaAs/InGaAs/GaAs PHEMT	p. 208
InAlAs/InGaAs on an InP HEMT	p. 209
InAlAs/InGaAs on GaAs HEMT-Metamorphic HEMT or MHEMT?	p. 211
Device Fabrication	p. 211
Wafer Preparation and Cleaning	p. 212
"Hybrid" Lithography	p. 213
HEMT Noise Modeling	p. 219
Noisy Linear Two Port Model	p. 219
Semi-Empirical Small Signal Noise Models	p. 221
LNA Development	p. 226
Device Characterization-Cryogenic Probe Station	p. 226
Device Characterization-Cryogenic Probe Station Calibration	p. 228
Device Characterization Measurements and Models	p. 230
Passive Component Characterization Measurements and Models	p. 234
LNA Modeling and Characterization	p. 234
Subsystem Measurements	p. 239
Conclusion	p. 242
References	p. 243
Atmosphere Attenuation and Noise Temperature at Microwave Frequencies	p. 255
Introduction	p. 255
Surface Weather Model	p. 258
Calculation of T[subscript p](h)	p. 258
Calculation of [alpha](h,f)	p. 259
Water Vapor Radiometer Data	p. 266
Overview of Water Vapor Radiometer Operations and Data Processing Approach	p. 266
Calculation of Atmospheric Noise Temperature from Sky Brightness Measurements at 31.4 GHz	p. 266
DSN Atmospheric Noise Temperature Statistics Based on WVR Measurements	p. 270
Weather Forecasting	p. 273
Concluding Remarks/Future Directions	p. 276
Current State	p. 276
Ka-Band Near-Term Development	p. 276
Arraying	p. 278
Optical	p. 279
Space-Based Repeaters	p. 279
References	p. 280
Antenna Calibration	p. 283
Introduction	p. 283
Calibration System Requirements	p. 287
Conventional Approach to Aperture Efficiency and Pointing Measurements	p. 288
Source Size Correction Factor	p. 289
Flux Density	p. 292
Source Temperature	p. 292
The Raster-Scan Method	p. 293
Fluctuations in System Noise Temperature	p. 297
OTF-Mapping Research and Development System Design	p. 300
Test Results	p. 304
Blind-Pointing Calibration	p. 305
Cassini-Jupiter Microwave Observation Campaign (Cassini JMOC)	p. 309
Introduction	p. 309
Observations	p. 310
Results	p. 311
Operational Antenna Calibration & Measurement Equipment (ACME) for the DSN	p. 314
ACME Major Capabilities	p. 315
Subsystem Design and Description	p. 316
Radiometer Calibration	p. 317
Pointing Measurements	p. 317
Subreflector Optimization	p. 318
Conclusions	p. 319
References	p. 320
Microwave Antenna Holography	p. 323
Introduction	p. 323
Holography System Simulation	p. 327
Holography Receiver Signal Analysis	p. 336
Mathematical Formulation Data Processing	p. 340
Applications	p. 346
34-m BWG Research and Development Antenna	p. 346
Gravity Performance of the BWG Antennas	p. 348
Operational DSN 34-m BWG Antenna Network	p. 353
Subreflector Position Correction	p. 355
Conclusion	p. 357
References	p. 358
Acronyms And Abbreviations	p. 361
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

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