Nanotechnology RADAR thermal management

Active phased array antennas in state of art radars, adopt many high power amplifiers. High power transmit-receive modules are assembled in dense electronic environments and they have to cope with severe environmental operative condition. Radar state of art systemic signal processing requires growing and enormous power calculation in order to obtain unprecedented hard real-time performances as well as implementing adaptive knowledge based algorithms. Unfortunately the present steady growth of the micro-processors performance are reaching a saturation point due to the approaching limit of miniaturizations. Present and future active phased array antennas and signal processors have large and increasing heat dissipation problems. Nanotechnologies are emerging as enabling technologies that will provide a revolution in the sectors of sensors and radar systems. These innovative technologies could enable new solutions and improve weight, size, speed, power consumption, efficiency, and so on. In addition, the nanotechnologies could solve the increasing heat dissipation problems by adopting Carbon NanoTubes CNT ropes or arrays for thermal management and interconnection. © 2008 IEEE.