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The design and calibration of the cross-correlator are crucial issues for interferometric imaging systems. In this paper, an analog complex cross-correlator with output DC offsets and amplitudes calibration capability is proposed for interferometric passive millimeter-wave security sensing applications. By employing digital potentiometers in the low frequency amplification circuits of the correlator, the outputs characteristics of the correlator could be digitally controlled. A measurement system and a corresponding calibration scheme were developed in order to eliminate the output DC offsets and the quadrature amplitude error between the in-phase and the quadrature correlating subunits of the complex correlator. By using vector modulators to provide phase controllable correlated noise signals, the measurement system was capable of obtaining the output correlation circle of the correlator. When injected with -18 dBm correlated noise signals, the calibrated quadrature amplitude error was 0.041 dB and the calibrated DC offsets were under 26 mV, which was only 7.1% of the uncalibrated value. Furthermore, we also described a quadrature errors calibration algorithm in order to estimate the quadrature phase error and in order to improve the output phase accuracy of the correlator. After applying this calibration, we were able to reduce the output phase error of the correlator to 0.3°. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The design, analysis, implementation, and measurement of a compact analog complex cross-correlator for passive millimeter-wave imaging applications are presented in this paper. The correlator uses the “add and square” and “subtract and square” detection scheme by adopting the Schottky diodes and RF distribution network. Meanwhile, in order to realize the correlator with a compact size and low cost, commercially available surface mounting devices and multilayer PCB technique are employed. The relationship between the phase error of the correlator and the phase unbalance of the RF distribution network is also analyzed. Single-frequency test is applied to the correlator, and the results of the measurement reveal that the correlator operates well within the frequency range of 1.5–2.5 GHz. Moreover, a measurement system based on an actual imaging scenario is also developed to characterize the performance of the correlator when injected with correlated broadband noise signals, and the measurement results show that the correlator is well suited for imaging applications. The bandwidth of the current version correlator is around 1 GHz, but it could easily be changed by replacing distributed components. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

An analysis of the response of a scanning-beam millimeter-wave correlation radiometer is presented with an emphasis on the spectral signal response. The derivation and subsequent analysis presented here focuses specifically on the effects of the natural oscillation of the signal, called the fringe frequency, as it pertains to rotating sensors. The amplitude and bandwidth of the spectral density are analyzed in multiple cases, including for tracking and nontracking antennas, and for situations in which the antenna beam or the fringe washing function of the correlation radiometer is wide and can be neglected. Closed-form solutions are found for the case where the antennas track the source. Theoretical and simulated responses are given, and experimental results are compared to expected results from the theory for a correlation radiometer designed for security sensing. Measured experimental results show minimal deviation from theoretical calculations, validating the theoretical models derived herein. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]