Aerospace and defense (A&D) system designers and integrators are obsessed with shrinking the size, weight, and power (SWaP) of their equipment, but they can't afford to sacrifice performance. Phase noise is a critical parameter for military radar systems and even for commercial 5G cellular wireless networks and microwave signal sources for those systems must maintain the lowest possible single-sideband (SSB) phase noise.
Addressing that need, Synergy Microwave Corp. developed the coaxial-connected DRO series and smaller, surface-mount SDRO series dielectric resonator oscillators (DROs). Whether as free-running or packaged phase-locked sources, they minimize phase noise as well as mechanical size and are ideally suited for applications in ultra-low-noise phase-locked sources.
As an example, the model KSFLOD12800-12-1280 phase-locked source combines Ku-band frequency synthesizer circuitry with a compact DRO oscillator to produce low-noise signals at 12.8 GHz. Phase noise is –122 dBc/Hz offset 10 kHz from a 12.8-GHz carrier, dropping to –158 dBc/Hz offset 10 MHz from that carrier frequency.
The phase-locked source, which itself generates at least +10-dBm output power, is designed for a 1280-MHz oscillator capable of providing +9- to +13-dBm reference signals. It includes SMA female connectors and measures just 2.25 × 2.25 × 0.50 in. for those tight designs. Other frequency options are available.