Project description
Embracing surface acoustic wave filters in satellites
Surface acoustic wave (SAW) filters are the most significant components in smart phone, IoT devices and televisions to avoid potential interference from the surrounding environment and improve the received signal quality. They work on the principle of the inverse piezoelectric effect. However, piezo-on-insulator (POI) substrates have not yet made the leap to the space industry. The EU-funded HOMEMADE project targets the development of SAW filters based on POI substrates for the space industry up to a TRL 7. The filter technology will address the volume demands required for geosynchronous and low-Earth-orbiting satellite constellations.
Objective
The HOMEMADE project falls directly into the scope of the HORIZON EUROPE policy: “To reduce the dependence on critical technologies and capabilities from outside Europe for future space applications”. We target a fast growing market which integrates communication satellites in 5G networks that will reduce digital divide by meeting latent demand for digital broadband. The project aims at developing a truly new Surface Acoustic Wave(SAW) filter technology not yet available to space industry. This innovation based on Piezo-On-Insulator (POI) wafers already produced for Smart phone industry is not accessible to space industry due to market size and its own high reliability specificities. Compared to existing technologies, POI-based SAW filters enable high integration, temperature stability, thermal management, low insertion loss and high rejection with various bandwidths in L- and S-band frequencies, replacing leaky waves on usual piezoelectric substrates by real guided waves on Silicon-based wafers. This project will deliver, as first pillar, POI-based SAW filters for space industry up to a TRL7 addressing all volume demands, in line with Geosynchronous Earth Orbiting satellites to Low Earth Orbiting satellite constellations. The supply chain for key items such as POI wafer supply, to front-end and back-end process is based in Europe. The high demand of innovation yielding reduced mass in satellites especially for new growing markets within a limited access time, has pushed to develop in HOMEMADE a second pillar that will deliver disruptive POI based SAW filters able to compete with bulky mechanical filters. The value chain includes European supplier of specific acoustic passive SOI-FREC as part of the SOITEC group with space integrator and technology supplier TAS, UCL and SME INC both world leaders in the field POI based material and device optimization, and finally ALT European centre of excellence for space reliability of high complexity active and passive components.
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HORIZON-RIA - HORIZON Research and Innovation ActionsCoordinator
38190 Bernin
France