Feasibility of a multipurpose transceiver module for phased array radar and EW applications using RFIC technology

Phased array antennas have a large number of civilian and military applications. In this paper we briefly review common approaches to an integrated implementation of radar and electronic warfare digital phase array module and highlight features that are common to both of these applications. Then we discuss how the promising features of the radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC)-based technology can be utilized in building a transceiver module that meets the requirements of both radar and electronic warfare applications with minimum number of external components. This is achieved by researching the pros and cons of the different receiver architectures and their performance from the targeted applications point of view. Then, we survey current RFIC technologies and highlight the pros and cons of these technologies and how they impact the performance of the discussed receiver architectures.