High-Dynamic-Range Receivers for Digital Beam Forming Radar Systems

A microwave S-band receiver was developed for studying dynamic range issues in digital beam forming (DBF), phased-array radar systems with multiple receivers. Particular attention was paid to understanding the balance between the analog and the analog-digital conversion segments of the receiver to maximize its dynamic range. Measurements of spurious signals were made well below the receiver noise floor to gain an understanding of which spurs, if correlated among the receivers in a DBF system, might appear above the noise level at the output of the digital beam former.