Low Noise Tile

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The Low Noise Tile (LNT) aims to demonstrate state-of-the-art noise performance of aperture arrays for the Mid Frequency Aperture Array (MFAA) of the SKA. An earlier AJDI of December 18, 2013 showed the first results of the noise temperature of the new frontend design based on the SkyWorks LNA, to be used in the LNT, giving a considerable improvement with respect to the Apertif design, shown in the AJDI of August 6, 2010.

Today's image, as a next step, shows a similar improvement for the new LNA, now integrated with the Vivaldi antenna element, for which the noise temperature was measured in a special single antenna test fixture in THACO ( for THACO see the AJDI of July 11, 2011). While the Apertif design gave a noise temperature of approximately 60 K in the test fixture, this has decreased to approximately 40 K for the new antenna element. The improvement gives a good indication of what may be achieved for the noise temperature of an array, using these new elements.

We are now in the process of producing enough elements to make an array, so we can directly compare the array performance with the Apertif elements with that of an array of improved LNT elements. The pictures show the single antenna test fixture used for the measurements, and the noise temperatures for the Apertif and the LNT single antenna elements.