DARPA is pursuing a COmpact Front-end Filters at the ElEment-level (COFFEE) program that aims to develop a new class of integrable, high-frequency RF filters for next-generation wideband arrays. The idea is to build filters that operate over a wide range of frequencies that are also small enough to fit behind each element of a phased array.
“Wideband, digital-at-every-element AESAs are particularly compelling for applications like advanced radar, electronic warfare (EW), and communications,” said Dr. Benjamin Griffin, a program manager in the Microsystems Technology Office (MTO). “However, high bandwidth receivers often have a limited dynamic range, leaving them vulnerable to electronic jamming. Further, digital-at-every-element exposes each element to interferers and requires filtering at the element level, leaving very little room to integrate conventional filter technologies.”
COFFEE is a part of DARPA’s Electronics Resurgence Initiative (ERI) – a five-year, upwards of $1.5 billion investment in the advancement of the U.S. semiconductor industry.
