Photonic Radio Frequency Memory - Design Issues and Possible Solutions

摘要

False target generation, range and velocity gate pull-off are Electronic Attack (EA) techniques in which received radar pulses are stored, then read out and re-transmitted back to the source radar after the desired length of time. The memory can be either a recirculating delay line or a digital radio-frequency (RF) memory (DRFM). The DREM stores a digitized sample of each received pulse, which can provide high fidelity of the analogue-digital conversion process has sufficient dynamic range. The speed of digital signal processing and memory plays a critical role in DRFM design. The analogue-digital conversion process and bit-rate limit the range of frequencies that DRFMs can cover. Photonics is currently being investigated to implement EA techniques such as false target generation, range and velocity gate pull-off. To fully take advantage of the unique benefits offered by photonics to implement EA techniques, the development of photonic RF memory (PRFM) is required. PRFM can potentially cover frequencies from near DC to 110 GHz, which are of interest in Electronic Warfare (EW). Photonic technology offers the opportunity for high fidelity signal storage without the use of down-conversion or analogue-to- digital converters. In this report, design issues and possible solutions of PRFM are discussed to assist with the ongoing experimental investigation.