Development and Implementation of a VHF High Power Amplifier for the Multi-Channel Coherent Radar Depth Sounder/Imager System.

摘要

This thesis presents the implementation and characterization of a VHF high power amplifier developed for the Multi-channel Coherent Radar Depth Sounder/Imager (MCoRDS/I) system. MCoRDS/I is used to collect data on the thickness and basal topography of polar ice sheets, ice sheet margins, and fast-flowing glaciers from airborne platforms. Previous surveys have indicated that higher transmit power is needed to improve the performance of the radar, particularly when flying over challenging areas.;The VHF high power amplifier system presented here consists of a 50-W driver amplifier and a 1-kW output stage operating in Class C. Its performance was characterized and optimized to obtain the best tradeoff between linearity, output power, efficiency, and conducted and radiated noise. A waveform pre-distortion technique to correct for gain variations (dependent on input power and operating frequency) was demonstrated using digital techniques.;The amplifier system is a modular unit that can be expanded to handle a larger number of transmit channels as needed for future applications. The system can support sequential transmit/receive operations on a single antenna by using a high-power circulator and a duplexer circuit composed of two 90° hybrid couplers and anti-parallel diodes. The duplexer is advantageous over switches based on PIN-diodes due to the moderately high power handling capability and fast switching time. The system presented here is also smaller and lighter than previous implementations with comparable output power levels.