Mr. Miguel A. Piqueras Profile

Miguel A. Piqueras

Innovation Deputy Director at DAS Photonics

SPIE Involvement:

Author

Publications (17)

Proceedings Article | 12 July 2023 Open Access

Open Access

Paper

Design and development of PhLEXSAT – a flexible photo-digital communication payload for very high throughput satellites

Madhubrata Chatterjee, Chiara Palla, Edem Fiamanya, Steve Legate, Antoni Castells Cervello, Laurent Roux, Marta Beltran, Miguel Angel Piqueras, Patrick Runge, Nigel Cameron, Jakub Zverina

Proceedings Volume 12777, 127773I (2023) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2690526

KEYWORDS: Photonics, Analog to digital converters, Satellites, Clocks, Design and modelling, Interfaces, Repetition frequency, Digital signal processing, Astronomical imaging, Electronic circuits

Read Abstract +

Cost of in-orbit capacity is an important element to take into account when ordering new satellites in order to remain competitive with terrestrial-based solutions. This can be achieved by minimizing the size, weight, and power consumption (SWaP), volume, reducing spacecraft AIT, etc. Properties of photonics components makes them a natural candidate while designing future generation Satcom payloads. Photonic components offer the advantage of minimizing the SWaP of satellite communication payload and are capable of offering a limitless bandwidth in THz range at around 1550 nm wavelength. Light weight and low volume photonic components offer almost lossless propagation in an optical fibre within a spacecraft and immunity to Electromagnetic Interference (EMI). With the advancement of photonic technology, it is now possible to develop Tbps-like software defined photonic payload of high data rates and frequencies with almost lossless propagation in an optical fibre. However, at present in the satcom industry only a few demonstrations of photonic devices in non-critical equipment with limited degree of integration can be found. This paper presents a space-based photo-digital communication payload called PhLEXSAT and shows how the advantages offered by photonics can be utilized in increasing the capacity of Very High Throughput Satellites (VHTS) while reducing the cost at the same time. PhLEXSAT is a Ka/Q/V/W band communication system that will use novel optical devices for space-based systems, these are currently under design and development stage. The architecture incorporates advanced broadband photonic ADC and photonic DAC with digital processing firmware with a high degree of miniaturization and power-consumption efficiency. This design will be suitable for future Terabit per second satellites. PhLEXSAT project is focusing on the advancement of these key photonic technologies to develop a photo-digital channelizer for flexible HTS. PhLEXSAT project, funded under the European Union H2020 programme, is led by DAS Photonics in cooperation with MDA UK, Eutelsat, Axenic, HHI Fraunhofer and Argotech. Additional presentation content can be accessed on the supplemental content page.

Proceedings Article | 11 June 2021 Open Access

Open Access

Presentation + Paper

Optical harness and receiver for future L-band radiometer

Teresa Mengual, P. Villalba, M. Piqueras, E. Rico, J. Ramírez, R. Vilaseca, A. Catalán

Proceedings Volume 11852, 118522T (2021) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2599450

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Proceedings Article | 11 June 2021 Open Access

Open Access

Presentation + Paper

Final demonstration results of OPTIMA, photonic payload for telecommunication satellites

Javad Anzalchi, Joyce Wong, Valentin Polo, Teresa Mengual, Miguel Piqueras, Pablo Villalba, Eddie Prevost, Karen Ravel, Nick Parsons, Michael Enrico, Johan Bauwelink, Michael Vanhoecke, Antonello Vannucci, Andrea Annoni

Proceedings Volume 11852, 118523T (2021) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2599622

Read Abstract +

One of the main challenges in space communication has always been attempting to meet the demanding requirement for greater capacity and routing complexity associated with Very High Throughput Satellite (VHTS) missions. Increased amounts of hardware associated with such high capacity mission pushes the payload towards limitation in mass, power consumption, thermal dissipation and accommodation on the spacecraft. This paper describes activities and the final demonstration results of the OPTIMA project. OPTIMA is funded by the EU commission under Horizon 2020, COMPET-2-2016, maturing satellite communication technologies. The objective of the OPTIMA project was to demonstrate and validate the concept of significantly improving the SWaP of VHTS payloads by defining and developing a photonic payload hardware demonstrator based on various photonic equipment building blocks and testing the demonstrator to TRL 6. Since photonic technology is not yet mature for use in the space environment, the OPTIMA project developed and environmentally tested to TRL 6 the necessary photonic devices and hardware payload equipment. Benefits offered from the use of photonic technology in VHTS payload architectures have shown significant mass saving. This comes not only from reduced equipment unit mass but also from a lower number of units required as a consequence of implementing photonic technology. There are also additional benefits, including reduced DC power consumption and improved power dissipation. The OPTIMA demonstrator is based on Ka-band frequency; however, a holistic approach has been taken when deriving equipment specifications by considering VHTS payload requirements as a whole to ensure the demonstrator will lead to technology developments that can easily scale up in terms of frequencies (such as Q/V band) and use in a wide range of VHTS payload architectures. During the early part of the OPTIMA project, the specification of each building block has been established with emphasis on RF and optical performance, mass, footprint, power consumption, power dissipation and cost. The OPTIMA project aims to provide a strong initial impulse to the photonic payloads for telecommunication satellites by focusing the efforts of various industrial and academic actors from the European photonic and space landscape towards the concrete goal of demonstrating the validity of the photonic payload concept.

Proceedings Article | 11 June 2021 Open Access

Open Access

Poster + Presentation + Paper

Miniaturised photonic front-end for the next generation of space SAR applications

T. Mengual, Vanessa Duarte, V. Polo, M. Piqueras, P. Sanchis, A. Brimont, D. Zurita, B. Chmielak, S. Suckow, A. Giesecke, E. Matarazzo, L. DiPalma, D. Maiarelli, H. Wang, P. Huggard

Proceedings Volume 11852, 1185255 (2021) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2599928

Read Abstract +

There is a natural trade-off between spacecraft size and functionality in all current satellite applications, independently of orbit and mission. Therefore, advances in both miniaturization and integration technologies are required to increase satellites’ lifetime and performance, simultaneously reducing their cost. In case of the next generation of Earth Observation satellites, one of the key development areas is synthetic aperture radar (SAR) antennas, where expected progress will be to increase the operating bandwidth - requiring, for instance wideband true-time delay (TTD) beamformers - and miniaturization, drastically reducing the mass and volume compared to current implementations. In this scenario, the use of photonic integrated circuits (PIC) technology in the beamforming network, in combination with an optical fibre harness, are obvious key enabling technologies for future SAR instruments. Optically implemented TTD beamforming structures achieve orders-of-magnitude improvements in size and mass compared with coaxial cable and RF switch based alternatives. Photonic technology also brings easy routing thanks to wavelength-division multiplexing, antenna and RF system integration due to the EMI -free characteristic of the optical fibre and a reduction of the risks associated with the in-orbit antenna deployment. Additionally, the inherent broadband characteristic of photonic technology, related to the transport and processing of RF signals, simplifies the beamforming network and signal distribution design for different frequencies, applications and missions. In the H2020 RETINA project (H2020-SPACE-2018-821943) a consortium formed by DAS Photonics, Airbus Italia, AMO GmbH, STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory and Universitat Politècnica de València is developing a miniaturised photonic front-end for next-generation X-band space SAR applications. In this article we present advances in design and fabrication of PIC for TTD, the design and predicted performance of multi element, dual polarisation antenna building blocks and photoreceivers for phase and amplitude controlled optical to RF conversion.

Proceedings Article | 12 July 2019 Open Access

Open Access

Paper

A Ka-band single string photonic payload flight demonstrator for broadband high throughput satellite systems and an in orbit demonstrator of optical RF distribution on board satellites

Miguel Piqueras, Javier Martí, Silvia Delgado, Rob Singh, Robert Parish, Ghislain Turgeon, Agustin Zornoza

Proceedings Volume 11180, 111807F (2019) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2536186

KEYWORDS: Satellites, Ka band, Optical fibers, Satellite communications, Integrated optics, Receivers, Oscillators, Solid state lighting, Frequency conversion, Frequency converters

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Proceedings Article | 12 July 2019 Open Access

Open Access

Paper

Optical harness (OHA) for future L-band radiometer

M. Piqueras, T. Mengual, J. Blasco, M. Aamer, O. Navasquillo, J. Ramírez

Proceedings Volume 11180, 111807O (2019) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2536195

KEYWORDS: Antennas, Radio optics, Radiometry, Clocks, Calibration, Ocean optics, L band, Optical correlators, Analog electronics, Optical components

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Proceedings Article | 12 July 2019 Open Access

Open Access

Paper

Towards demonstration of photonic payload for telecom satellites

J. Anzalchi, J. Wong, T. Verges, O. Navasquillo, T. Mengual, M. Piqueras, E. Prevost, K. Ravel, N. Parsons, M. Enrico, J. Bauwelink, M. Vanhoeecke, A. Vannucci, M. Tienforti

Proceedings Volume 11180, 111805A (2019) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2536109

KEYWORDS: Satellites, Satellite navigation systems, Astronomical imaging

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Proceedings Article | 12 July 2019 Open Access

Open Access

Paper

Towards demonstration of photonic payload for telecom satellites

Javad Anzalchi, Joyce Wong, Thibaut Verges, Olga Navasquillo, Teresa Mengual, Miguel Piqueras, Eddie Prevost, Karen Ravel, Nick Parsons, Michael Enrico, Johan Bauwelink, Michael Vanhoecke, Antonello Vannucci, Marcello Tienforti

Proceedings Volume 11180, 111804T (2019) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2536092

KEYWORDS: Satellites, Switches, Optical switching, Satellite communications, Electronics, Collimators, Ka band, Modulation, Defense and security, Electromagnetic coupling

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Proceedings Article | 12 July 2019 Open Access

Open Access

Paper

A flight demonstration photonic payload for up to Q/V-band implemented in a satellite Ka-band hosted payload aimed at broadband high throughput satellites

Miguel Piqueras, Javier Martí, Silvia Delgado, Rob Singh, Dan Beeder, Robert Parish, Ghislain Turgeon, Antoni Castells, Laurent Roux

Proceedings Volume 11180, 111804S (2019) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2536091

KEYWORDS: Satellites, Ka band, V band, Optical fibers, Frequency conversion, Solid state lighting, Oscillators, Satellite communications, Interfaces, Computer architecture

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Proceedings Article | 21 November 2017 Open Access

Open Access

Paper

Photonic beamforming network for multibeam satellite-on-board phased-array antennas

M. Piqueras, F. Cuesta-Soto, P. Villalba, A. Martí, A. Hakansson, J. Perdigués, G. Caille

Proceedings Volume 10566, 105661A (2017) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2308219

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Proceedings Article | 20 November 2017 Open Access

Open Access

Paper

High performance photonic ADC for space applications

S. Pantoja, M. Piqueras, P. Villalba, B. Martínez, E. Rico

Proceedings Volume 10565, 1056511 (2017) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2309100

KEYWORDS: Pulsed laser operation, Astronomical imaging, Analog electronics, Signal processing, Quantization, Fiber lasers, Signal to noise ratio, Ka band, Femtosecond phenomena, Modulation

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Proceedings Article | 17 November 2017 Open Access

Open Access

Paper

Reconfigurable microwave photonic repeater for broadband telecom missions: concepts and technologies

M. Aveline, M. Sotom, R. Barbaste, B. Benazet, A. Le Kernec, J. Magnaval, P. Ginestet, O. Navasquillo, M. Piqueras

Proceedings Volume 10563, 105633M (2017) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2304115

KEYWORDS: Microwave photonics, Photonics, Microwave radiation, Electro optics, Ka band, Satellites, Polarization, Astronomical imaging, Receivers, Wavelength division multiplexing

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Proceedings Article | 17 November 2017 Open Access

Open Access

Paper

Opto-microwave, Butler matrixes based front-end for a multi-beam large direct radiating array antenna

M. Piqueras, T. Mengual, O. Navasquillo, M. Sotom, G. Caille

Proceedings Volume 10563, 105633Q (2017) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2304244

KEYWORDS: Antennas, Picosecond phenomena, Matrices, Microwave radiation, Phase shifts, Integrated optics, Waveguides, Photonic integrated circuits, Optics manufacturing, Astronomical imaging

Read Abstract +

The evolution of broadband communication satellites shows a clear trend towards beam forming and beamswitching systems with efficient multiple access schemes with wide bandwidths, for which to be economically viable, the communication price shall be as low as possible. In such applications, the most demanding antenna concept is the Direct Radiating Array (DRA) since its use allows a flexible power allocation between beams and may afford failures in their active chains with low impact on the antenna radiating pattern.

Forming multiple antenna beams, as for ‘multimedia via satellite’ missions, can be done mainly in three ways: in microwave domain, by digital or optical processors:
- Microwave beam-formers are strongly constrained by the mass and volume of microwave devices and waveguides
- the bandwidth of digital processors is limited due to power consumption and complexity constraints.
- The microwave photonics is an enabling technology that can improve the antenna feeding network performances, overcoming the limitations of the traditional technology in the more demanding scenarios, and may overcome the conventional RF beam-former issues, to generate accurately the very numerous time delays or phase shifts required in a DRA with a large number of beams and of radiating elements.

Integrated optics technology can play a crucial role as an alternative technology for implementing beam-forming structures for satellite applications thanks to the well known advantages of this technology such as low volume and weight, huge electrical bandwidth, electro-magnetic interference immunity, low consumption, remote delivery capability with low-attenuation (by carrying all microwave signals over optical fibres) and the robustness and precision that exhibits integrated optics.

Under the ESA contract 4000105095/12/NL/RA the consortium formed by DAS Photonics, Thales Alenia Space and the Nanophotonic Technology Center of Valencia is developing a three-dimensional Optical Beamforming Network (OBFN) based on integrated photonics, with fibre-optics remote antenna feeding capabilities, that addresses the requirements of SoA DRA antennas in space communications, able to feed potentially hundreds of antenna elements with hundred of simultaneous, orthogonal beams.

The core of this OBFN is a Photonic Integrated Circuit (PIC) implementing a passive Butler matrix similar to the structure well known by the RF community, but overcoming the issues of scalability, size, compactness and manufacturability associated to the fact of addressing hundred of elements. This fully-integrated beam-former solution also overcomes the opto-mechanical issues and environmental sensitivity of other free-space based OBFNs.

Proceedings Article | 25 September 2017 Open Access

Open Access

Paper

Opto-microwave Butler matrixes based front-end for a multi-beam large direct radiating array antenna

M. Piqueras, T. Mengual, O. Navasquillo, M. Sotom, G. Caille

Proceedings Volume 10562, 1056259 (2017) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2296138

KEYWORDS: Antennas, Picosecond phenomena, Optics manufacturing, Integrated optics, Waveguides, Photonic integrated circuits, Polarization, Microwave radiation, Matrices, Phase shifts

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Proceedings Article | 25 September 2017 Open Access

Open Access

Paper

Tunable and reconfigurable photonic Rf filtering for flexible payloads

M. Piqueras, M. Beltrán, J. García, P. Villalba, O. Navasquillo

Proceedings Volume 10562, 1056220 (2017) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2296226

KEYWORDS: Optical filters, RF photonics, Filtering (signal processing), Nonlinear filtering, Modulation, Tunable filters, Astronomical imaging, Modulators, Signal generators, Electronic filtering

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Proceedings Article | 25 September 2017 Open Access

Open Access

Paper

High speed, high frequency electro-photonic ADC for space enabled routers and flexible antennas

M. Piqueras, P. Villalba, V. Polo, A. Álvaro, J. Rodriguez, S. Lecomte, E. Portuondo-Campa, M. Maignan, G. Spühler

Proceedings Volume 10562, 105625U (2017) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2296202

KEYWORDS: Photonics, Antennas, Satellites, Analog electronics, Modulators, Astronomical imaging, Ka band, Integrated optics, Quantization, Satellite communications

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Proceedings Article | 12 October 2015 Paper

Paper

Photonic front-end for the next-generation of space SAR applications

M. Piqueras, T. Mengual, B. Chmielak, A. Catalani, P. Huggard, H. Wang, R. Ortuño

Proceedings Volume 9639, 96391I (2015) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2194966

KEYWORDS: Antennas, Photonic integrated circuits, Waveguides, Synthetic aperture radar, Integrated optics, X band, Phased array optics, Wave propagation, Switches, Silicon

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Showing 5 of 17 publications

Conference Committee Involvement (7)

Emerging Technologies IV

11 September 2019 | Strasbourg, France

Emerging Technologies

12 September 2018 | Berlin, Germany

Emerging Imaging and Sensing Technologies

13 September 2017 | Warsaw, Poland

Emerging Imaging and Sensing Technologies

28 September 2016 | Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Emerging Technologies

23 September 2014 | Amsterdam, Netherlands

Showing 5 of 7 Conference Committees

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