plasma antenna technology overview

1© Copyright Plasma Antennas Ltd 2014

Technology and Products

Plasma Devices

and Conventional Technology

-

Technology Overview

© Copyright Plasma Antennas Ltd 2014 2

About us

• Founded 2001 by Dr David Hayes with seed capital from Oxford Technology Seedcorn VC

• Recognised as world leader in advanced electronic beam-steering antenna technologies based on 12 years of ground-breaking R&D

• Addressing large, high-growth markets with breakthrough Plasma technology combined with solid revenues from existing “conventional” products

• Work with BTS/Backhaul/Small Cell Vendors and Government Security & Defence organisations

Plasma Device with RF PCBs and Plasma Test Antenna


Markets Mobile Broadband Secure / Private Networks Homeland Security

Lower Cost / High Volumes

Mid Price Range / Medium Volumes Wide-band / Low Volumes

Example

ProductsAccess & Backhaul Ad hoc/Nomadic Operation Signal Monitoring / UWB Radar

Conventional Technology - Product Portfolio


PRODUCT FREQUENCYOPTIONS

FOV TYPICAL FEATURES

SP-2520 Dual Polar

Patch Array

Currently

5.3GHz to 5.8GHz

(other bands are possible)

±55°Az Floodlight

Independent

Beams

SP-4642 Dual Polar

Patch Array

Dual Band

Currently

Steered 2 to 3GHz or

3 to 4GHz

plus Fixed 5 to 6GHz(other bands are possible)

±55°Az Floodlight

Simultaneous

Beam Version

SP-3540 Vertical Polar

Patch Array

Currently 4.4GHz to 5GHz


±55°Az

±12°El

Floodlight

2D Scanning

Null Selection

RP-4210 Dual Polar

Vivaldi Array

Currently

Wideband 3GHz to 9GHz

9 to 26GHz


±60°Az Floodlight

Independent

Beams

Electronically scanned planar arrays

FLOODLIGHT BEAM

DIRECTED BEAMS


PRODUCT FREQUENCY OPTIONS TYPICAL FEATURES

SC-800 Dual Slant Polar Patch

Array

8+8 Directed Beams

+ Omni Mode

+ Multi-modal Beams

Currently 2 to 6GHz


Independent Beams

Lower Cost

SC-1020 Dual Polar Patch Array

20 + 20 Directed Beams

+ Omni Mode

+ Multi-modal Beams

Currently 4 to 6GHz


Independent Beams

Multiple beam

Version

DP-5459 Dual Polar Patch Array

20+20 Directed Beams

+ Omni Mode

+ Multi-modal Beams

Currently 4 to 6GHz


Independent Beams

Null Selection

SC-1000 Vertical Polarisation

Amplified Tx/Rx Operation

12 Directed Beams

+ Omni Mode

Currently 5 to 6GHz


Distributed Amplifiers

Active Gain

Electronically scanned cylindrical arrays

OMNI MODE

DIRECTED BEAMS


UWB Feeds & Field Probes

UWB Low Noise Front-ends

UWB Antennas1 to 40 GHz+

2 to 40 GHzDual Polar Cross Vivaldi Horn

2 to 24 GHz, 24 to 40 GHz, 2 to 40 GHz Dual Channel + Selected Band Filtering

Electronically Scanned V&H Mechanical Scanned Compact

Dish Surveillance Unit (not

shown)

Ultra-wideband Technologies –Product Portfolio


• Lower Cost and Complexity – Relative to alternative solutions of similar performance

• Lightweight, Compact and Reliable, – No moving parts and highly integrated beam selection and beam forming

• Wide Instantaneous Bandwidth– Time delay steered operation (not phase shifted) for wideband pencil beam operation

• Wide Frequency Coverage– Technology applicable to bands within the 1GHz to 100GHz+ range

• Wide Electronically Steered Azimuth and Elevation Coverage

– Number and shape of directed beams can be tailored to meet specific system requirements

Typical Benefits

• Fast Beam Switching

– Possible within inter-packet/inter-pulse periods

• Adaptive Beam Shaping and Nulling

– Allows optimised beam footprints and maximization of SINR

• High CW RF Power Handling– Operation with commercially available radio and radar front-ends

• Reciprocal Tx/Rx Operation– Allows precise alignment of Tx and Rx beams without calibration (important in many civil and

military applications)

• Omni and Floodlight Beams– Enables one to many broadcast modes to allow beam scheduling and synchronisation


• Fully custom antenna solutions

• Millimetre wave systems

• Microwave lenses

• UWB surveillance

• Controllable time delays, filters

• Novel semiconductor processes

• Satellite uplink, downlink and inter-link

• UAV C2, Data and SAR

• Autonomous road vehicles

• Future telecoms infrastructure, eg. 5G, NGMN

Research and development activities &

capabilities


HyperbolaSilicon Lens

30GHz & 38 GHz Versions

Open EllipseCylindrical Array

5 to 6 GHz Version

Closed EllipsePlanar Array

7 to 9 GHz Version

Plasma

SiliconDevice(PSiD)

PlasmaSilicon

Antenna(PSiAn)

Plasma Silicon Technologies – Demonstrator Units


Disruptive Features of Multi-beam

Antennas

• Unlike phased arrays most do not use Tx/Rx amplifiers

• Very low loss, highly linear switches with good power handling• State-of-the-art azimuth/elevation beam-formers

• Time-delay steered and have wide instantaneous bandwidth

• Both FDD and TDD operation• Replace fixed beam with higher gain electronically directed antennas

• Retain omni and floodlight beams for acquisition and broadcast• Cylindrical antennas are lower gain and dual polar with 360 degree coverage

• Planar antennas are higher gain and dual polar with 120 degree coverage

The Plasma device technology, at a demonstrator level provides– greater power handling

– many more beams (100s maybe 1000s)

– operate at higher frequencies– cost less in high volumes

……it is a highly credible way forward for 5G and other wireless applications (e.g. backhaul and ITS).


Team

Executive

• Peter Curnow-Ford CE0

• Richard Keeton C00 and CT0

• Dr Ruth Harper VP Silicon Technology

• John Connolly Engineering Manager

Non-Executive

Clive Dolan Defence Systems

John Burrows Entrepreneur

Malcolm Thixton Financial Director

Dr. David Hayes, Founder and Chairman

Founder and Chairman of Plasma Antennas Limited, based in Winchester, England, where he coordinates the company’s research and development of their multi-beam antennas for both civil and defence applications. He has authored papers in the fields of telecommunications, antenna technology, electronic warfare and radar and has been the invited speaker at various international conferences. Currently, his areas of special interest include solid state plasma antennas, wide-band antennas, smart antennas for future wireless networks and the efficient electromagnetic modelling of antennas using optical ray tracing techniques. Dr. Hayes has held a variety of research posts, including Chief Engineer, Microwave and Optics Group, Roke Manor Research Limited and Technical Director, Elettronica UK Limited.

Venture Capital and Chief Advisor: Lucius Cary, Oxford Technology Management


Contact Details:

Dr David Hayes, Peter Curnow-Ford and Richard Keetonemail: [email protected], [email protected] and [email protected]

website: www.plasmaantennas.com

Tel: +44 (0) 1962 832 772

Basepoint Winchester

1 Winnall Valley Road

Winchester

Hampshire SO23 0LD

United Kingdom