TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Materials/Processes, Sensors, Electronics

ACQUISITION PROGRAM: IMS (Integrated Warfare Systems - Radar component) TBD

OBJECTIVE: Develop and demonstrate electric field tunable multi-ferroic material based filters for C-band RF applications with state of the art tunability, loss and linearity.

DESCRIPTION: Modern RF electronics continually push the performance envelope for power, bandwidth, linearity and efficiency. With increasing bandwidth availability, signal selectivity in a sea of clutter becomes increasingly important. Tunable filters are used to increase the signal to noise ratio across a spectrum of desired frequencies. Semiconductor varactors are typically used with good results for these applications but are limited by loss and linearity above UHF. MEMS-based filters and YIG resonator filters are limited by tuning speed.

Multi-ferroic materials provide an appealing alternative tunable filter technology by combining the tunability of ferrite materials with voltage control and miniature size. Electric field tuning in devices based on multi-ferroic materials arises from the coupling of a ferroic material to a piezo-electric material. Recent demonstration of voltage tuning of a composite multi-ferroic ferrite-piezoelectric resonators is significant in this regard. When bilayers of yttrium iron garnet (YIG)-lead zirconate titanate (PZT) and YIG/lead magnesium niobate�lead titanate (PMN-PT) bilayers are subjected to an electric field, mechanical deformation in the piezoelectric produces a frequency shift in the magnetic response of the ferrite. Such electrical tuning is rapid, requires minimal power, and has the potential to be integrated in a hybrid manner with other circuits.

It can be expected that device improvements that build on existing experiments will lead to a laboratory demonstration of multi-ferroic filters exhibiting reasonable power handling and low insertion loss, in a compact, easily hybridized form. The goal of this program is to utilize multi-ferroic devices in C-Band (5-7 GHz) filter devices. Successful proposals will support a fully connectorized filter demonstration with the following characteristics: a 3rd-order Chebychev bandpass filter shape, a tuning range > 33% (5-7 GHz), a fractional 3-dB bandwidth < 10%, a passband insertion loss < 3 dB, IIP3 > 40 dBm, P1dB: > 20 dBm, and tuning speed < 10 �s.

PHASE I: Demonstrate, using test results of the performance of suitable multi-ferroic devices, that the filter along with its required dc magnetic field bias having the specifications listed in the description above may be successfully fabricated in a multi-functional based planar technology.

PHASE II: Fabricate, test, and deliver two multi-ferroic filters in a conventional connectorized microwave fixture, with integrated planar dc magnetic bias, meeting the specifications of Phase I, along with a compatible control interface suitable for laboratory demonstration.

PHASE III: Target industrial partners for technology transition with potential integration into one or more Navy systems.

PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIAL POTENTIAL/DUAL-USE APPLICATIONS: The proposed technology is expected to result in a high level of interest in these circuits for current and future generation electronic warfare and radar systems.

REFERENCES:
1. P. Wong, I. Hunter, "Electronically Tunable Filters," IEEE Microwave Magazine. v. 10, pp.46-54 (2009).

2. W. J. Kim, W. Chang, S. B. Qadri, H. D. Wu, J. M. Pond, S. W. Kirchoefer, H. S. Newman, D. B. Chrisey, J. S. Horwitz, "Electrically and magnetically tunable device using (Ba, Sr) TiO3/Y3Fe5O12 multilayer," Appl. Phys. A 71, pp.7-10 (2000).

3. G. Srinivasan and Y. K. Fetisov, "Ferrite-piezoelectric layered structures: Microwave magnetoelectric effects and electric field tunable devices," Ferroelectrics 342, 65 (2006).

4. Ce-Wen Nan, M. I. Bichurin, S. Dong, D. Viehland, and G. Srinivasan, "Multiferroic magnetoelectric composites: Historical perspective, status and future directions," J. Appl. Phys. 103, 031101 (2008).

KEYWORDS: multi-ferroic; filter; ferrite; piezoelectric; electronic warfare; tunable

** TOPIC AUTHOR (TPOC) **

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