Advanced Technologies fOr Millimeterwave Integrated filters in Q and V bands – ATOMIQ

Several technologies are under development in the frame of this project:
Ceramic SIW Technology
Silicon SIW Technology
Plastic SIW Technology
3D Additive Manufacturing Ceramic Technology

Development of high performance ceramic to be used in 3D rapid prototyping ceramic process.
Space evalution of SIW technologies

Design of the first prototypes on-going

6 papers (International and National Conferences)

The proposed study constitute a building block of a future Telecoms multimedia satellite program targeting to provide a very high data rate internet connection to 450 000 families in “white” areas for the same cost as the optical fiber networks in order to complete the overall country coverage. The main idea, supported by the CNES French space Agency through studies like Megasat or MM2G and more recently THD-SAT in the frame of the “Programme d’Investissement d’Avenir”, is to avoid a national digital discrepancy between the towns and the campaign. The required data rate increase is based on the use of new frequency bands for satellite Telecoms : the Q band (around 40GHz) and the V band (around 50GHz) in order to save frequency bandwidths in the already used satellite Telecoms bands. The use of the Q and V bands leads to different scientific and technical issues for the equipments of the future satellite Telecoms payloads. The filtering problem in the frequency converter equipments is, in particular, a serious question to which the present study want to answer.
Filtering constraints identified today in the frame of the THD-SAT project represent a first part of the medium and long term needs required by the future high data rate telecommunication payloads in Q and V bands. New needs emerge actually with frequency plans which tend to the diversification and the complexity (use of Ku-band as a complement to the Ka band considered in THD-SAT, inter-satellite link to 55GHz...). Beyond the strict needs expressed first in THD-SAT, the ATOMIQ project aims to develop filter functions based on the use of more innovative technologies, with lower technology readiness levels (TRL) to further extend the performance and meet the medium and long term requirements of all the future Q/V band frequency converters.
The study, after a phase of requirement definition, will be organized around two main themes. The first theme will include activities aiming at the improvement of the stereolithography (development of low loss temperature compensated ceramics and a post production laser adjustment method) and at the introduction of a new low pressure ceramic molding technology. The second topic will cover the rise in frequency of SIW filters through work on the laser machining and the ceramic substrate edge metallization (alumina and fused silica) on the one hand and through the development of an innovative polymer molding technology (COC) on the other part.
Finally, the proposed project should allow to solve a real technical issue for the future Telecoms multimedia satellite systems thanks to the study of innovating concepts that should be probably used for other microwave or millimetre applications outside the space field. The project will be based on the collaboration between expert laboratories in the field of the filtering (LAB-STICC and XLIM), a prime company of the space industry (Thales Alenia Space France) and two innovating SME (3D CERAM and TFP) that will benefit of scientific and technical transfers from the universities through the achieved developments. ELLIPTIKA and CTTC, two other SME, will be also involved by a direct subcontracting.