Peter Delos, Analog Devices, Inc., Norwood, Mass.

Is it possible that a broadband noise source could be used to calibrate an array of receivers?  Noise has many features that lends it to a calibration waveform.   Noise can excite many frequencies simultaneously and is already used in known methods for adaptive filter algorithms. Find out the answer in this expert advice article.

There are many challenges associated with the migration to near elemental digital beamforming for AESAs. The challenges range from calibration, digital control, distribution of clocks, LO, power, processing the volume of data and the physical size constraints of the electronics. The prolific advancement of RFICs for the wireless industry continues to enable the ability for higher levels of integration in RF designs and now practical implementations of every element digital beamforming arrays is becoming a reality. In this article, we focus on the physical size requirements for the electronics. The physical size requirements as a function of the operating frequency are discussed and practical implementation methods are reviewed.