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MALIBU, Calif., April 30, 2010—HRL Laboratories, LLC, announced today completion of Phase 1 work on the EMPiRe Program, or Electromagnetic Pulse-tolerant Microwave Receiver Front-end. HRL has been leading a team of subcontractors in designing and testing a revolutionary microwave receiver front end that protects electronic components from high-power microwave weapons, direct-energy weapons and electromagnetic pulses resulting from nuclear blasts.
Conventional receiver front ends reside unprotected between the antenna and signal-processing electronics, exposed to electromagnetic attacks that can cause semiconductor damage and significantly compromise entire military systems. The HRL front end does not absorb incoming microwave power, but senses incoming electrical fields through a high-performance microwave photonic link that provides an optical signal to the shielded receiver. All optoelectronics, lasers, photo detectors, and associated electronics are contained in a protective enclosure penetrated only by tiny glass-filled apertures through which laser light is fed.
The architecture provides wider bandwidth than existing technology and much greater sensitivity. High-power testing confirmed the receiver front end can withstand powerful microwave bursts (up to 100 MW/m2). Based on early measurements and analyses, HRL scientists predict that the front-end could be implemented in a way that does not degrade even the most stringent sensitivity requirements. Because the sensor head absorbs negligible radio-frequency power, potential damage from a microwave attack is essentially eliminated, offering instantaneous system recovery.
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HRL Laboratories, LLC, Malibu, California (www.hrl.com) is a corporate research-and-development laboratory owned by The Boeing Company and General Motors specializing in research into sensors and materials, information and systems sciences, applied electromagnetics, and microelectronics. HRL provides custom research and development and performs additional R&D contract services for its LLC member companies, the U.S. government, and other commercial companies.