Design and implementation of a miniaturized water vapor profiling radiometer

At present, the vast majority of ground-based and airborne microwave remote sensing instrumentation is produced using waveguide-based or connectorized discrete microwave components, which are high in cost and large in volume. Recent maturation of monolithic microwave and millimeter-wave integrated circuit (MMIC) technologies developed for the wireless communications and defense industries is expected to enable development of a new generation of radiometers. This work describes the design of a prototype miniaturized water vapor profiler for the 3D measurement of tropospheric water vapor using a four-sensor network, including the fabrication and initial performance evaluation of its RF and IF sections.