On the photon transition
In the West, radiophotonics is denoted by the term mwp-microwavephotonics, in Russia, as proposed by Academician RAS Yury Vasilyevich Gulyayev and Academician MAI Alexei Nikolaevich Shulunov, the term “radiophotonics” is accepted, which is already accepted by some Western experts.
It is based on the modulation of laser radiation with a microwave signal for further transformations already in the optical range. Replacing an electron with a photon allows you to improve the functional construction of radio equipment, remove electromagnetic compatibility issues, increase the speed and amount of information transmission by several orders of magnitude, significantly reduce weight, size and power consumption, for example, the same radar and ultra-long-range detection.
“Understanding the inevitability of replacing electronic circuit solutions with radiophoton solutions,” notes Alexey Nikolaevich, “came in connection with the achievement of the limiting technological characteristics of integrated microelectronics, the transition to smaller dimensions of components due to the multiple decrease in the length of optical waves”.
Radiophoton technologies in the world are led by the USA, the EU, Japan, South Korea and China.
And we even have an advanced script
“I witnessed and participated in the transition of the radio-electronic industry from vacuum to solid-state, which took place in the USSR and the world since the end of 50-s - the beginning of 60-s of the last century,” says Alexey Shulunov, “but with the beginning of the new century, he noted that There is a grandiose transition to new technologies - radiophotonic, first discrete component, and from 2012 – 2014 to integral. A new equipment, measuring equipment is being created, personnel are being trained, new specialties are emerging, a complete production infrastructure is being organized. ”
It is worth noting that the first “road map” on photonics began to operate in Russia since the 2013 year. In 2016, by decree of the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, the second edition of the Road Map was launched. Also entered into action "Technological platform for photonics." However, in one of the domestic projects of the concept of development of photonics, it is emphasized that the funds for the development and implementation of technologies based on it require several orders of magnitude less than for the development of radio electronics technologies. And this, according to Alexei Shulunov, is an unforgivable mistake. “Without changing the attitude in the country and departments to the development of new photon technical solutions,” says Alexei Shulunov, “in three or four years the entire Russian industry, especially its radio-electronic industry, will lag behind in the development of these technologies that it will be engaged in import substitution solving this problem. "
And above all, the most important issue that requires its urgent solution is the issue of creating a domestic radiophotonic component base. Its component base is based on A3B5 materials (gallium arsenide, gallium nitride, indium phosphite ...), which simultaneously possess optical and radio-technical properties. For their creation, Academician RAS Zhores Alferov was awarded the Nobel Prize. Without them, do not create radiophotonic equipment.
The country has separate technologies of some discrete components of photon radio electronics with the level of development of the end of 90-s. However, in science and industry there is no groundwork for modern serial discrete and integral execution of the components of photonics. The work is constrained by the lack of modern materials, software products for modeling components and extremely poor financing. Research institutes (research institutes) and design bureaus (design bureaus) of industry have practically no material and instrumentation base, as well as trained personnel for working out new industrial technologies, creating production capacities for final products.
Only a few enterprises in the domestic defense-industrial complex (DIC), some research institutes fully possess such a modern technological base of production. According to the discrete component basis of radiophotonics, separate projects are being implemented in JSC Polyus Research Institute, Research Institute of Semiconductor Physics and Research Institute of Automation and Electrometry of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, some scientific institutes located in St. Petersburg, Perm, Tomsk, and enterprises of JSC RTI. KRET JSC, Radar-Mms JSC, NIIDAR Research and Production Corporation create separate final pilot prototypes: active phased array antenna (AFAR) fifth-generation radar with the use of the newest radiophoton component base. And at MEPhI, a full-cycle technology has been developed up to creating an element base of the appropriate size on a substrate.
However, in general, the state of radiophotonics in the country - the technological base, available human resources, organization of work - as Alexei Shulunov noted, clearly requires active actions.
WORKING GROUP № 19 NTS MIC
In the 2012 year, according to Alexei Shulunov, together with the academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, scientific director of the Institute of Radio Engineering and Electronics Yury Gulyaev, they raised the problem of developing new areas of radio electronics on new physical principles in Russia. The first deputy chairman of the Military Industrial Commission Yury Borisov got acquainted with the memorandum prepared by them. He ordered the creation of a working group No. 19 of the Scientific and Technical Council of the MIC on radiophotonics issues, which was headed by Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Igor Fedorov. This group includes scientists and specialists from a number of enterprises of science and industry in different regions of the country, including Alexey Shulunov. As a result, a draft plan for the development and transition of science and industry in Russia to a new technological order was created. These developments have become interested in the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation and began to support them. The use of radiophotonics in the corresponding component base, which needs to be created, will change the functional construction of all current electronic equipment - means of guidance, detection, reconnaissance, and radar.
In 2014, under the leadership of the working group No. 19 of the Scientific and Technical Council of the MIC, AO RTI produced research work on assessing the state of radiophotonics in the world and Russia, and a corresponding draft of its development program was developed. This work showed that to overcome our backlog, the necessary annual costs should be about 2 – 3 billion rubles. on research and technology creation and 6 – 7 billion rubles. - for technical re-equipment and instrumentation equipment, not counting personnel training and internships.
IN LEADERS - RADIO ELECTRONIC VETERAN
Group No. 19 and directly Alexey Shulunov evaluated the potential of a number of domestic defense enterprises of the radio-electronic industry for the development and further promotion of radiophotonic technologies. By all indications, the oldest scientific research institute for long-distance radio communications in the country has become the leading enterprise in the new industry. Therefore, in addition to working in working group No. 19, the military industrial complex headed by Aleksey Shulunov, headed the radiophotonics laboratory at NIIDAR. “Currently, all radars, including early warning systems, are relatively narrow-band,” said Alexey Nikolayevich, who turned 2017 years old in December 80. - In broadband radars using radio photon component base, you can get up to 90% information about the object being located, find out what is found in air or space: an airplane, a rocket, a debris, a meteorite. Such radars of various ranges and capacities, including early warning, acquire the properties of complexes capable of creating a portrait of an object detected by a radar, for which at present the enormous radio-optical space objects recognition complex "Kron" of the National Space Monitoring System (SSS) is only capable of Mount Chapal in Karachay-Cherkessia. And with the radiophotonic microchip technology, there will be a radical decrease in size, weight, power consumption of the radar hardware complex and a significant increase in its tactical characteristics. Only giant-sized antenna systems will remain from the giant radars of the SPRN, SKKP, PNN ”.
An experimental X-band radar with an optical local oscillator that can be tuned in the widest range of radio waves has already been created in the NIIDAR laboratory. This is a unique device. The receiver allows to unify hardware solutions on any receiving radar channel of almost all frequency ranges. He alone can work on multiple receiving antennas. Thanks to radiophotonic technology, the size of the equipment will decrease significantly, and its reliability will increase.
The scientific and thematic center No. 5 was also created at NIIDAR, whose task is to comprehensively cover and organize work in all areas of the tasks of creating the radiophotonic industry. In fact, this may already be the working body of the Interdepartmental Commission of the President of the Russian Federation on the Innovative Development of Russia. The scope of technical tasks of the center includes participation in the creation of an integral and discrete component base, the creation of new radio equipment and radio engineering systems, metrology and standardization issues, international cooperation, including with the BRICS countries, and a host of other topics on radiophotonics. The oldest and most authoritative radio-electronic enterprise in Russia and the world, as Alexey Shulunov noted, has all the possibilities for such work. It is only necessary to unite efforts for the transition to new technologies in industry, to make the state program really workable and, in a state way, to control its implementation. Applying radiophotonics to the specific tasks of creating radars, this enterprise already now develops technologies for a wide range of military and civilian products.
So, the transition to the newest technologies, most important for the defense of the Russian state, which will allow creating advanced electronic weapons and keeping up with the "partners", is also due to the talents of engineer Alexei Shulunov.
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