Teraphysics supports USAF communications
The U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research has contracted Ohio-based Teraphysics Corp. for radar and wide-bandwidth communications applications.
Teraphysics is a compact device manufacturer with specialization in technology operating in the millimeter wave and terahertz bandwidths.
Under the more than $749,000 contract Teraphysics will develop a prototype and test a miniature 95 gigahertz amplifier for use with high-resolution radar and wide-bandwidth communications applications.
To meet the Air Force’s requirements, Teraphysics engineered a palm-sized amplifier that can deliver tens of watts of output power at 95 gigahertz using a diamond sheet-supported micro helix design. Company officials say they also can produce a beam of hundreds of watts with a coupling scheme that combines output from multiple amplifiers.
“With its small size and high efficiency, the 95 gigahertz design will significantly outstrip existing capabilities in radar and military communications,” said Teraphysics President Gerald Mearini, in a statement. “It will also have important applications in commercial communications systems and other areas.”
Company officials say Teraphysics is planning to span the most useful portions of the underused millimeter wave and terahertz frequency band by developing a family of compact and efficient source devices.
Source: UPI.