Discrete Signal Moving Target Indicator (MTI)

This final technical report describes an experimental R and D program to apply charge transfer device (CTD) technology to the design and fabrication of a three-pulse MTI, and demonstrate its capabilities in an actual radar system. The specified 50 dB cancellation ratio was achieved. The CTD is a sampled data integrated circuit in which samples are stored and processed as discrete packets of charge. Utilizing a continuous range of amplitude, CTD's eliminate the cost, volume, and power penalties inherent in the A/D and D/A conversion used in digital systems, while retaining the advantages of stability and small size. The design trade-offs necessitated by using devices available at the beginning of the contract, and subsequent limitations are discussed. The present state-of-the-art CTDs would eliminate the need for the multiplexing used for this contract and reduce the hardware by a factor of four. CTD technology offers stable, low cost alternative to MTI design. In addition, signal processing methods such as pulse compression, correlation, chirp z transforms and allied techniques are under investigation and should be considered by the system designer.