Wideband, Subharmonic Mixer for Spectrometers

About this technology

Overview

Heterodyne wave spectrometers include a receiver and are configured to analyze electromagnetic waves by mixing an incoming signal with a reference signal (local oscillator - LO) to produce a lower intermediate frequency (IF) for processing. Within the receiver, a mixer plays a crucial role by combining the incoming signal with a reference signal from a LO producing an IF signal, which retains the spectral information of the original signal but at a lower, more easily processed frequency. Thus, the mixer enables the receiver to convert high-frequency signals into a more manageable form for detailed analysis. Planetary observational spectrometers require a receiver with a wide IF bandwidth and low noise temperature to detect molecular species simultaneously in a desired frequency range. Existing mixers have a limited IF range, which may not be viable for future-state NASA remote-sensing applications. As a result, engineers and researchers at NASA have developed a novel compact mixer, achieving a wide IF bandwidth of approximately 70 GHz, a low noise temperature below 4,000 K, and a conversion loss under 12 dB at 470-600 GHz for space applications and may provide significant advantages to commercially-available spectrometers.