DIGITAL PROCESSING UNIT FOR RF PAYLOADS AND MICROWAVE INSTRUMENTS- EXPRO+

Objectives: The objective of this activity is to design and develop a digital processing unit for RF payloads and microwave instruments using novel European technologies and components and to evaluate their performance.Description: Novel high-speed data acquisition and conversion devices together with reconfigurabledigital processing devices and high-speed digital data transmission are enabling a new generation of flexible, scalable and compact digital processing units for RF payloads.These units can perform direct conversion and reconfigurable digital processing for data reduction, allowing a simpler RF chain and reusing the same hardware to address different needs, from single channel reception and/or transmission to multiple channel reception and transmission, and in different domains, such as Earth Observation, Navigation, etc.Novel technologies exist, ranging from direct conversion to/from Ka-band, microprocessors, reconfigurable FPGAs with high-speed serial links, etc. in either fullyEuropean EEE components or EEEs with a significant European contribution such as building blocks and/or IP cores. These have promising performances and key parameters compatible with advanced digital processing units, but a comprehensive evaluation of these technologies working together as part of a system is still missing.Therefore, the proposed activity aims to take a systemic approach to the evaluation of such building blocks and technologies through breadboarding of a digital processing unit for RF payloads and microwave instruments. Reference operative scenarios relevant toRF payloads and microwave instruments shall be specified as use-cases and implemented, getting insight into technology gaps and limitations. The use cases focus on generic applications (i.e. EO, NAV).The following tasks are foreseen in the frame ofthis activity: Define at least two RF payload and/or microwave instrument use-cases, derive requirements for breadboarding and processing and assess EEE components with a significant European contribution to be used as building blocks of digital processing unitfor RF payloads (data acquisition and conversion, digital data processing, clock generation and distribution, high-speed links), including supporting SW toolchains. Breadboard representative digital processing unit using the identified technologies, such as analogue-to-digital (ADC), digital-to-analogue (DACs)converters, digital processing, and evaluate the selected technologies. DevelopSoftware and/or VHDL (Very High-Speed Integrated Circuit HardwareDescription Language) for implementing at least one of the defined use-cases.