IEICE Transactions on Electronics
Online ISSN : 1745-1353
Print ISSN : 0916-8524
Special Section on Recent Progress in Superconductive Digital Electronics
Superconductor Digital-RF Receiver Systems
Oleg A. MUKHANOVDmitri KIRICHENKOIgor V. VERNIKTimur V. FILIPPOVAlexander KIRICHENKORobert WEBBERVladimir DOTSENKOAndrei TALALAEVSKIIJia Cao TANGAnubhav SAHUPavel SHEVCHENKORobert MILLERSteven B. KAPLANSaad SARWANADeepnarayan GUPTA
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2008 Volume E91.C Issue 3 Pages 306-317

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Abstract

Digital superconductor electronics has been experiencing rapid maturation with the emergence of smaller-scale, lower-cost communications applications which became the major technology drivers. These applications are primarily in the area of wireless communications, radar, and surveillance as well as in imaging and sensor systems. In these areas, the fundamental advantages of superconductivity translate into system benefits through novel Digital-RF architectures with direct digitization of wide band, high frequency radio frequency (RF) signals. At the same time the availability of relatively small 4K cryocoolers has lowered the foremost market barrier for cryogenically-cooled digital electronic systems. Recently, we have achieved a major breakthrough in the development, demonstration, and successful delivery of the cryocooled superconductor digital-RF receivers directly digitizing signals in a broad range from kilohertz to gigahertz. These essentially hybrid-technology systems combine a variety of superconductor and semiconductor technologies packaged with two-stage commercial cryocoolers: cryogenic Nb mixed-signal and digital circuits based on Rapid Single Flux Quantum (RSFQ) technology, room-temperature amplifiers, FPGA processing and control circuitry. The demonstrated cryocooled digital-RF systems are the world's first and fastest directly digitizing receivers operating with live satellite signals in X-band and performing signal acquisition in HF to L-band at ∼30GHz clock frequencies.

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© 2008 The Institute of Electronics, Information and Communication Engineers
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