INTERMODULATION IN MULTIPLE FIXED BEAM DISTRIBUTED-AMPLIFIER PHASED-ARRAY ANTENNA SYSTEMS

In the recent development of phased array/distributed amplifier systems for application to mobile satellite or thin route communication systems, the intermodulation (IM) generated by the element amplifiers is spatially dispersed in such a way that some of the IM radiated energy falls outside the intended beam area. In addition, some of the IM falling inside the beam area has frequencies different from the carriers intended for that area. It is known that for fixed beam systems with frequency reuse, an average IM noise reduction of several dB can be realized. In the specific case under investigation, of four beams, nine frequencies and 12 carriers (1.33 frequency reuse factor), an IM improvement of about 2.0 dB is realized. The improvement in carrier-to-IM-noise ratio can be applied to increase system capacity, or for given capacity it can be used to reduce RF power amplifier back-off, which can be translated into a reduction of spacecraft prime power requirement. The considerable advantage gained from the multiple beam distributed amplifier approach makes it worthwhile to explore the workings of such a system and other benefits it may offer. One of the benefits is a common RF power pool for all carriers and beams, and the other is the spatial dispersion of intermodulation (IM). A satellite multiple beam pattern and the spatial dispersion of IM products are shown in Figure 1.