Beamformer Circuit

[pragash]

I want to design a beamformer circuit. There are many beamformer ICs from Analog devices.

https://www.analog.com/en/product-category/beamformers.html

I wonder what the circuit looks like. any other materials that will help me to design a beamformer will be greatly appreciated.

 

[dick_freebird]

Per-channel phase shifters and variable gain blocks, each with fine
grained settings and a good, stable match between both on-chip
and neighbor-chip channels. Every element of the panel needs to
be accurately "aimed".

You are probably looking mostly at digital delay / phase shifters
(switched-LC) and digital step attenuators (switched-R or switched-C)
with some gain / buffer blocks.

 

[pragash]

Why are you recommending digital phase shifters instead of analog?

 

[dick_freebird]

I'm not recommending either way, but believe that
managing a large panel by analog signals (which in
the end will still be made digitally) will be much more
of a noise sensitive wireball. That in fact was the old
way. Layers behind the panel with the phase / amplitude
stuff and MxN independent feed wires to the MxN panels
(or maybe 2xMxN if the TX and RX go by different wires
to / from the on-element circulators).

Nowadays a commutated RF switch may replace the
circulator, and local gain / phase control lets elements
share a common feed and serial bus for great savings
in copper and structural weight.

Switches and passives will be much more stable in
hostile environments, than a "Vtune for gain and
Vtune for phase". Analog "might" do better for fine
resolution, but if that ends up "in the noise" for
"that sure is a big ball of unintended antennae"
then digital stays clean a lot better. Especially if you
keep a discipline of not chattering a bunch of serial
data during time-of-flight-and-return.

I'm not a radar guy but I've done 4 element-control chips
for space radars, over the years. Now you know what I
know, about the bigger picture.