Exhaustive qualification and endurance testing of the 300 GHz frequency doubler of the sub-millimeter instrument of the Jupiter Icy Moon Explorer mission

Abstract

The Submillimetre-Wave Instrument (SWI) is a passive microwave spectrometer of JUpiter ICy moons Explorer (JUICE), a large-class mission of ESA's Cosmic Vision. It consists of two 600 GHz and 1200 GHz dual channel radiometers that involve compact, non-cryogenic Schottky diodes based solid-state devices for the mixer and last stage local oscillator frequency multipliers that are passively cooled to 150K. In this paper we will present the exhaustive qualification and endurance testing of the 300 GHz doubler element, standing at the interface between the warm (300K) and cold (150K) electronic front-end for both 600GHz and 1200 GHz channels. We present its associated extensive set of screening and lot acceptance testing as a part of the delivery of the final MMIC subcomponents integrated in the flight and flight spare models including the test structures used, the tests conditions as well as the failure criteria (PDA, allowable drifts).