Development of the RF Front-end of a Multi-Channel Microwave Radiometer for Internal Body Temperature Measurements

Abstract

Microwave Thermograph (MT) is based on measuring the electromagnetic field spontaneously emitted by a body in micro-wave frequency range. In microwave radiometers, temperature measurement is made by measuring the thermal noise power. The primary module that is used for detecting this thermal noise power is the RF Front-end, which must meet very challenging requirements in terms of accuracy for measuring the noise power at the input of the receiver. The work that will be presented here will exhibit the design approaches and specifications as well as the trade-offs and performance criteria towards the development and prototyping of the RF Front-end for a Multi-Channel Microwave Radiometer for internal body temperature measurements in the l-4GHz frequency bands. The RF Front-end is intended to be integrated and be a part of a full Microwave Radiometer device that targets early detection of malignant tumours. The latter relate with the increase of temperature in cancerous cells and the precise detection of the temperature difference, which is the goal of the radiometer.