DEFINITION:

Covers RF equipment, subsystems and building blocks, active and passive components, and related design and characterisation tools in the whole RF domain.

(Notes: All quasi-optic are covered by 1-H-9 and free-space aspects are covered by 1-L. All quality aspects are covered by 1-D-6 and 1-A-7. All ground station RF technologies for TT&C and payload data are covered by 1-L).

(Source: ESA TD 6E)

SUBDOMAINS:

1. RF Modelling and Design Tools: Covering design and analysis tools for RF equipment and components.
2. RF Equipment: Covering RF equipment and subsystems (e.g. SSPAs, LNAs, frequency converters and multipliers, local oscillators and synthesisers, multiplexers).
3. RF Devices: Covering the design, specification, development and characterisation of active devices (e.g. diodes, transistors, mixers, multipliers, integrated circuits) and passive devices (e.g. filters, resonators, MEMS devices, cables and connectors), including packaging and interconnection.
4. Vacuum Electronics: Covering technologies and techniques related to high-power RF amplification using vacuum electronic devices (e.g. TWT).
5. Time and Frequency: Covering the techniques and technologies for the generation of reference signals (oscillators and clocks of all types, e.g. quartz, VCOs/NCOs, Rb, Cs, H-maser) and their means for comparison and dissemination as required for telecom, navigation and science applications. (Note: Optical atomic clocks are covered in 1-G-8).
6. RF Measurement, Characterisation and Calibration Techniques: Covering RF equipment and components, including for high-power, corona and multipactor testing.