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Advanced Digital Receiver (ADR)

Program Manager: Dr. Dennis Healy

Overview

Military sensing and communication systems operate in challenging electromagnetic environments where very high linear dynamic range is required to detect small target signals obscured by a strong background of interference, jammers, and clutter. The difficulty is compounded by the increasing tendency to require that these same systems also receive over a very broad bandwidth. Given system bandwidth requirements, the dynamic range offered by current electronic systems is far short of what our sensors require.

Program Goal

ADR will demonstrate a sophisticated digital receiver based on advanced SD analog to digital conversion (ADC) technology. This advance will show the way to a next generation of digital receivers with greatly enhanced capabilities including: reduced size, weight and power; enhanced programmability, flexibility and performance; and reduced life cycle cost.

ADCs will be developed offering, for example, 16 effective bits at 100 MHz instantaneous bandwidth and >100 dB spurious free dynamic range (SFDR). This represents a significant breakthrough in digitizer performance. Applying a sophisticated feedback correction and novel digital linearization techniques, noise is pushed out of the broad bandwidth of interest, opening the way to an astonishing transformation of sensor and communication capabilities.