2010 R&D 100
Winner
The Lincoln
Laboratory Miniaturized Radio Frequency (mini-RF) Four-Channel Receiver,
developed by Massachusetts Institute of
Technology Lincoln Laboratory, Lexington, Mass., is a four-channel receiver
module formed from a single chip set that detects low-level signals across a
wide frequency range in the presence of many interferers, while requiring
minimal space and power. It costs 30 to 80% less than its competitors.
The design takes advantage of advances in commercial silicon
germanium (SiGe) semiconductors, resulting in a high dynamic range and lower size,
weight, and power (SWaP) requirements. The receiver is tunable between 50 and
3600 MHz, and has a 36 MHz instantaneous bandwidth. It detects signals as low
as 96 dBc.
The mini-RF uses only 2.5 W per channel, which is 3 to 10
times less power than its competitors, in a package that is comparable to a
small standard six-inch school ruler. The product has been used successfully in
military applications, networking, and telecommunications industries.
Technology
Miniature
radio frequency receiver
Developers
Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Laboratory
Development Team
|
| (L to R): Merlin R. Green, Matthew D. Cross, Sabino Pietrangelo, Daniel D. Santiago, and
Helen H. Kim
|
The Lincoln
Laboratory Miniaturized Radio Frequency (mini-RF) Four-Channel Receiver Development
Team from Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Laboratory:
Matthew D. Cross
Merlin R. Green
Helen H. Kim
Sabino Pietrangelo
Daniel D. Santiago
