Photonic technologies for aerospace applications

Mauro Varasi (Finmeccanica)

Roma - August 20th, 2008

Outlook

Photonics: where optics meet electronics Why photonics

Structural Monitoring: FBG

Gyro Radar Data Links New technological frontiers Conclusions

Photonics: where optic meets electronic .. .. in airborne platforms

EW systems
Microwave Photonics

Airborne Radars
Photonic ADC & wideband digitizer Optical Computing .

Digital Photonics

Optical BFN Waveform Generator Filtering Antenna remoting, Transponder L.O. generation/distribution

Signal and Data Processing Subsystems Interconnect

Inertial Monitoring Fiber Optic Sensors Units Smart structure

Homeland security Inertial sensors (gyro, acceler., .) Acoustic Sensor (hydrophones, ..) .

Photonics

High data rate interconnections Secure Comms .

Fiber Optic Link

Data Distribution

In package Chip to Chip On board Board to Board ..

Optical interconnect

Health Monitoring

Chemical / Biological sensors Homeland security .

Optoelectronic Sensors

Cryptography Optical computers Secure comms

Quantum Optics

Secure Comms

Smart Structures

Sensors

Photonics: where optic meets electronic .. .. in airborne platforms

BRAGG GRATING FIBER OPTIC TERMINATION

Subsystems Interconnect
computers sensors / actuators weapons fly-by-light ..

Data Interconnect Health Monitoring

Structural Engine Human

Inertial Monitoring Units

gyroscope ..

Signal and Data Processing

Smart Structures Distributes fiber Sensors sensors

FBG

Airborne Radars EW systems

ESM ECM Navigation Fire control

FLIR wind shear LIDAR / LOAS Multi-Hyper Spectral DIRCM / Designators

Secure Comms

Why photonics ?

improved EM interference immunity

reduce volume and weight huge digital data handling capability low losses / low dispersion wide instantaneous bandwidth

real time processing

high accuracy and resolution .

Structural Monitoring: FBG

Health Management System (HMS) & Health Monitoring Equipment (HME)

Load monitoring Strain Sensors Impacts Revelation Corrosion Revelation Defects Revelation Damage monitoring

NDT

Stress measure
Fatigue Life Analysis Health Monitoring Equipment (HME)

PROGNOSIS

DIAGNOSIS

Health Management System (HMS)

HMS on-board connected to the ground support structure

Structural Monitoring: FBG

Fiber Optic Bragg Grating (FOBG)

Bragg Law

AOTF PRINCIPLE

AOTF

The sensorised fiber composite structure

is

embedded

into

the
BRAGG GRATING FIBER OPTIC TERMINATION

Variations of the grating pitch can be read (i.e. mechanical stress, thermal deformations, pressure variation, ice formation)

Several sensors can be positioned on the same Cobonded J-spar with embedded FOBG senso fiber and separately A multiplex fiber system can be realized

Structural Monitoring: FBG

PYLON HOUSING TEST BOX

Typhoon
Embedding of FOBG sensors into composite materials (carbon); Centre Fuselage
Stringer 10

System integration and ground test demonstration

AREA A

C27J
Frame 18 left side AREA B FORWARD

Gyro

Gyroscopes are key elements of IMU (Inertial Monitoring Units) in the navigation system of airborne platforms

Optical gyroscopes have no moving parts, then: - gravitation doesnt affect - no need for gimbal mounting - reduced sensitivity to vibrations - insensitive to EM fields
Combiner cw path

ccw path Splitter

Sagnac effect: rotation induces phase shift between cw and ccw radiation paths =4 / c

Gyro

Fiber optic gyroscope 0,01 deg/h Can be produced in a smaller size in principle (looses precision though)

Gyro

STRATEGIC

NAVIGATION 1 nautical mile/hour

TACTICAL

CONSUMER

103
Scale Factor Stability (ppm)

FLIGHT CONTROL SMART MUNITIONS ROBOTICS TACTICAL MISSILE MIDCOURSE GUIDANCE MEMS / AHRS TORPEDO

FIBER OPTIC
STRATEGIC CRUISE MISSILES STRATEGIC BALISTIC MISSILES AIR/LAND/SEA NAVIGATION SURVEYING

MEOMS

102

10

MECHANICAL

AUTONOMOUS SUBMARINE NAVIGATION

Earth rate

RING LASER

Gyro Technology Applications

10-2 10-1 1 10 102 103 104 105
Bias Stability (deg/h)

10-6
10-1

10-5

10-4

10-3

Radar

Photonic solutions in Airborne Radar systems

Beam Forming networking in phased array active antennas

Time delay lines Analog/Digital signal processing and distribution Fiber optic massive data transmission systems Very fast A/D converter Parallel optical computing Antenna remoting Antenna calibration

Radar

Digital Photonics
Photonic ADC Converters

Photonic
a technology for advanced Radar and EW systems
Filtering

Frequency Generation

Fiber Optic Massive Data Transmission System

Y AX N

100 Gsample/s BW >20 GHz Resolution >8 bit

Antenna Remoting Trasponder

>100 Gbit/s per link Processor speed > 10 THz 10.000 Giga Multiply Acc. Op. per sec.

Photonic Digital Signal Processor

Optical BFN

Microwave Photonics

Radar
Four steps towards the Photonic Antenna System
RX

TX

Step IV: Step III: Step II: Step I: Photonic supports the RF system Photonic implements complex RF functions Photonic replaces relevant parts of the RF system Photonic assimilates the RF system

Radar
Analog to Digital conversion
Concepts of Photonic A/D conversion basically relies on using an optical architecture to:
Generate a stream of very low jitter sampling optical pulses + wavelength dispersion Modulate the height of the dispersed optical pulses by the voltage signal to be sampled through an optical modulator Split along multiple (N) parallel wavelength channels the samples

Perform A/D conv. in each channel with 1/N sampling rate using std electronic A/DCs
Recombine the bit stream by digital processing

Radar
Frequency / Waveform Generations
Optoelectronic schemes and architectures for low phase noise RF oscillators at microwave frequencies (typ. 1 to 20 GHz) with high spectral purity (typ. -140 dBc/Hz @ 10 kHz offset for X band radar application)
optical output

dual frequency optical source

ampli. filter RF splitter

photodiode

fiber loop(s) or -sphere(s) or -disk(s)

Pump Laser
RF output

E/O Modulator Optical_Out

RF Filter RF_Out Optical Path E l ec t ric a l P a th RF A mplifier RF

S p lit te r

F iber S pool P hoto Detector

Radar
Optical Beam Forming in Phased Array Antennas

Antenna architecture for the beamforming (BFN) function, supporting simultaneous multiple RF functions and allowing for a dynamic reconfiguration of array elements Analog RF and Digital control signals distributed by the same fiber network
Control
Optical MIR

BFN
Optical Routing Switch

Radar Rx

Optical MIR

BFN BFN BFN

EW Rx

Optical MIR

Comms Rx

Optical MIR

Comms Rx

Optical Interconnections
Due to continually shrinking feature sizes, higher clock frequencies, and the simultaneous growth in complexity, the role of interconnect as a dominant factor in determining circuit performance is growing in importance Optical interconnects to mitigate the limitations of metal interconnects

on-chip

on-board

board to board

Optical Interconnections

sub-system to sub-system fly by light the step beyond the fly by wire

Optical Interconnections
AFDX (Avionics Full-Duplex Switched Ethernet): Airbus implementation

Through the use of twisted pair or fiber optic cables, FullDuplex Ethernet uses two separate pairs or strands for transmit and receiving data. AFDX extends standard Ethernet to provide high data integrity and deterministic timing

New technological frontiers

What ahead ?
Multifunctional low cost integration: Hybrid Silicon Photonics Functional Polymer Integrated Circuits III-V Circuitry New devices and sensors: Photonic Band Gap Nanophotonics Plasmonics New crossings with electrons/electronics: Plasmonics THz

New technological frontiers

Multifunctional low cost integration: Hybrid Silicon Photonics Functional Polymers Integrated Circuits III-V Circuitry

New technological frontiers

New devices and sensors: Photonic Band Gap Plasmonics

New technological frontiers

Nano Photonics

Conclusions

Photonic is a powerful underpinning technology in many avionic

applications, enabling to advanced solutions and new capabilities

The use of COTS from the consumer communication market is

accelerating the introduction of photonic solutions into aerospace platform

The most advanced photonic technologies are going to facilitate the

photonic insertion into the aerospace platforms with their new multifunction integration capabilities and advanced functionalities.