Design of a varactor-tunable metamaterial absorber

In this paper, we design a varactor-tunable metamaterial absorber （MA）. The tunable MA is based on a mushroom-type high impedance surface （HIS）, in which varactors are loaded between adjacent metal patches to adjust the capacitance and tune the resonance frequency, the primary ground plane is etched as the bias network to bias all of the varactors in parallel, and another ultra-thin grounded film is attached to the bottom. Its absorption characteristics are realized for electrically dielectric loss. The simulated values of a sample indicate that a tunable frequency range from 2.85 GHz to 2.22 GHz is achieved by adjusting the varactor capacitance from 0.1 pF to 2.0 pF, and better than 0.97 absorbance is realized; in addition, the tunable frequency range is expanded from 4.12 GHz to 1.70 GHz after optimization.     

Varactor-tunable frequency selective surface with an embedded bias network

A new technique for designing a varactor-tunable frequency selective surface （FSS） with an embedded bias network is proposed and experimentally verified. The proposed FSS is based on a square-ring slot FSS. The frequency tuning is achieved by inserting varactor diodes between the square mesh and each unattached square patch. The square mesh is divided into two parts for biasing the varactor diodes. Full-wave numerical simulations show that a wide tuning range can be achieved by changing the capacitances of these loaded varactors. Two homo-type samples using fixed lumped capacitors are fabricated and measured using a standard waveguide measurement setup. Excellent agreement between the measured and simulated results is demonstrated.     

柱面天线射频感性耦合等离子体放电模式特性的实验研究

利用Z-scan、电流、电压探头,通过测量等离子体吸收功率、天线电流、电压、等离子体直流悬浮电位等多种参数,研究了匹配网络、天线耦合强度、导电地面积、气压等多种因素对E,H放电模式特性及模式转化行为的影响.基于Γ型阻抗匹配网络中串联电容对射频电源输出功率的影响,提出了E—H放电模式转化的正负反馈区概念.研究发现：在相同的其他放电条件下,处于正反馈区时等离子体放电易于产生跳变型模式转化,而且模式跳变的临界天线电流、回滞宽度、跳变临界功率、跳变功率差等参数均随阻抗匹配网络参数产生明显变化;在负反馈区内,模式转化过程趋于连续.由于阻抗匹配网络的影响,E—H模式的跳变电流并不是总大于H—E模式的跳变电流.在不同导电地面积、阻抗匹配网络、气压下,模式转化过程中等离子体直流悬浮电位的变化呈现多样性. 关键词： 射频等离子体 感性耦合 容性耦合 模式转化     

低场核磁共振短死时间射频线圈与射频开关的设计

本文以核磁共振（NMR）射频线圈振铃信号产生原理为对象进行分析研究,提出了一种适用于低场环境下由环状间隙腔线圈与螺线管线圈构成的收发分离式短死时间射频线圈设计方案,采用优化调谐匹配网络提高发射效率;根据射频线圈方案需求设计了快速切换的射频开关及驱动．在此基础上依据仿真结果制作了短死时间射频线圈,并应用于自主研制的低场9.51 MHz便携式NMR谱仪系统,进行NMR实验,结果显示可将收发切换时间缩短至10 μs以内,验证了该设计方案的可行性．     

基于开口环的可调谐滤波器及其电磁带隙

基于开口谐振环上加载变容二极管设计可调谐滤波器,很好地实现了电磁波带隙的可调.在单环开口谐振环缝隙处或者双环开口谐振环的两环之间加载变容二极管,改变加载变容管上得的电压,改变该结构的分布参量而达到滤波器可调性能.同时通过数值计算分析了该滤波器结构对电磁波的频率响应函数,指出其形成电磁波带隙的物理机制,为了消除开口谐振环的磁谐振效应而关闭开口谐振环的缝隙实验进行了验证.研究表明基于变容管开口环的可调谐滤波器所形成的电磁波带隙中,有的带隙是源于磁谐振机制.有的带隙是源于电谐振机制.对该滤波器形成带隙物理机制的研究,可以更好地理解开口谐振环,有助于其在光学和微波波段器件的设计.     

Investigation of high sensitivity radio-frequency readout circuit based on AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistor

An Al Ga N/Ga N high electron mobility transistor(HEMT) device is prepared by using a semiconductor nanofabrication process. A reflective radio-frequency(RF) readout circuit is designed and the HEMT device is assembled in an RF circuit through a coplanar waveguide transmission line. A gate capacitor of the HEMT and a surface-mounted inductor on the transmission line are formed to generate LC resonance. By tuning the gate voltage V g, the variations of gate capacitance and conductance of the HEMT are reflected sensitively from the resonance frequency and the magnitude of the RF reflection signal. The aim of the designed RF readout setup is to develop a highly sensitive HEMT-based detector.     

A Gunn-Diode Active Leaky-Wave Frequency Scanning Antenna

A frequency tunable active leaky-wave scanning antenna using Gunn-diode voltage control oscillator (VCO) as source is developed. The frequency tuning controlled by changing either the varactor diode dc bias or the Gunn diode dc bias is demonstrated. The measured scanning angle of active antenna is close to 15 degree as the Gunn VCO frequency tuned from 12.58GHz to 12.98GHz. To excite the first higher order mode of the microstrip leaky-wave antenna is fed asymmetrically. The dominant mode excitation has been successfully suppressed by adding a sequence of covered wire in the middle line of the microstrip leaky wave antenna. This is a prototype of frequency scanning antenna using two terminal device, which can be easily scaled up to millimeter wave frequency region.     

Coarse and Fine Control of the EPR Frequency of a Loop-Gap Resonator Using a Single-Turn Coil with a Varactor Diode Attached

Coarse control and fine control of the resonant frequency of a loop-gap resonator (LGR) operating at an electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) frequency of ca. 650 MHz were achieved using a single-turn coil with a varactor diode attached (a frequency shift coil). When the distance between the LGR and the frequency shift coil was changed from 15 to 10 mm under the condition of constant voltage to the varactor diode (0 V), a shift of the resonant frequency of the LGR of ca. 20 MHz was observed (coarse frequency control). When the voltage applied to the varactor diode was changed from 0 to 15 V at the same distance between the LGR and the frequency shift coil (10 mm), a shift of the resonant frequency of the LGR of ca. 200 kHz was observed (fine frequency control). There were no significant changes in sensitivity of EPR measurements of a phantom (comprised of agar with a nitroxide radical and physiological saline solution) without and with the frequency shift coil. The EPR sensitivity did not change discernibly when the resonant frequency was shifted by the frequency shift coil. Furthermore, radio-frequency phase adjustment for homodyne detection could be performed by using the frequency shift coil without applying frequency modulation to the carrier wave.     

A 300 GHz quasioptical schottky frequency doubler

A monolithically integrated frequency multiplier based on a planar antenna providing impedance matching has been realized and measured at 300 GHz. Each of the two circuits comprises a Schottky varactor, slot antenna, MIM-capacitor and microstrip bias feed. The theoretical design aspects, the technological approach and the RF performance are addressed.     

Implanted silicon varactor for TV tuner

Ion implanted silicon planar varactor diodes of large capacitance variation ratio have been developed for UHF/VHF TV tuner circuits. The ratio of the capacitance variation achieved at 3 V to 25 V is between 6 and 7 with devices exhibiting low leakage and a required breakdown voltage of 30 V. Ion implantation has been used to introduce phosphorus into n-type silicon in the predeposition cycle. The device fabrication is completed using conventional diffusion techniques which also include thermal annealing. The fabrication process involves a minimum number of processing steps to produce low-cost devices. These diodes were used in a VHF TV tuner to obtain gain between 18 and 32 db in different bands, indicating high values of the quality factor of the varactors.     

变容管的非线性性能及时变参量的分析

在变容管的各种参量应用中,变容管的非线性性能成为最基本的重要资料。提高变容管的非线性度,在应用中可以相应减小注入功率。在研究低注入或其他非正弦波注入应用的特性时,更应对变容管时变参量的基波及谐波分量与变容管非线性度及注入电压比等之间的关系深入研究。本文目的在于分析上述问题,选用合适的非线性性能的表示法,采用图解法求出变容管归一化时变参量的基波及谐波分量的特性,并绘出这些分量与变容管非线性度γ,注入电压比m₁之间的关系曲线。这些通用曲线在分析变容管的各种参量应用中可作为重要参考资料,并举例示出这些曲线的用途。     

Excitation of the half-frequency of the input signal in theresponse of an antenna immersed in a plasma

The nonlinear response of a cylindrical monopole antenna immersed in a steady-state collisionless magnetic-field-free plasma and driven by a single-frequency RF source is investigated. The thickness of the ion sheath surrounding the antenna is controlled by a DC bias applied to the latter. It is found that at frequencies of the driving signal close to twice the frequency of a sheath wave resonance, the 1/2-subharmonic is excited, provided that the input power level is sufficiently high. The dependence of this process on the sheath thickness and on the electron plasma density is studied in the vicinity of several sheath wave resonances. This nonlinear effect is interpreted as a parametric excitation due to the periodic modulation of the sheath thickness, and hence its capacitance, by the applied RF signal. A similar effect can be obtained by replacing the antenna-sheath-plasma structure in the measuring circuit by a variable capacitance diode. A numerical analysis of the differential equation describing the current waveform in a microwave network modeling the antenna-sheath-plasma system is presented. It confirms the fact that a periodically modulated capacitance embedded in a linear circuit is responsible for the observed excitation of the half-frequency of the input signal     

Quantized current in a quantum dot turnstile

We have performed RF experiments on a lateral quantum dot defined in the two dimensional electron gas (2DEG) of a GaAs/AlGaAs heterostructure. The small capacitance of the quantum dot gives rise to single-electron charging effects, which we employed to realize a quantum dot turnstile device. By modulating the tunnel barriers between the quantum dot and the 2DEG leads with two phase-shifted RF signals, we pass an integer number of electrons through the quantum dot per RF cycle. This is demonstrated by the observation of quantized current plateaus at multiples ofef in current-voltage characteristics, wheref is the frequency of the RF signals. When an asymmetry is induced by applying unequal RF voltages, our quantum dot turnstile operates as a single-electron pump producing a quantized current at zero bias voltage.     

Metamaterials with tunable nonlinearity

A new approach to the implementation of electromagnetic metamaterials with tunable nonlinearity in the microwave range has been proposed. The characteristics of a split ring resonator equipped with a varactor diode to ensure a nonlinear response and a photodiode to supply a dc bias voltage depending on the illumination intensity have been examined. It has been shown that an increase in the illumination intensity shifts the resonance response toward lower frequency and an increase in the power of the exciting signal shifts the resonance response toward higher frequency.     

Estimating patient dielectric losses in NMR imagers

Dielectric losses in the patient may impair radiofrequency receiver coil sensitivity, and transmitter coil efficiency, in nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) imagers. The frequency dependence of this loss mechanism is derived. Patient losses in a solenoidal head coil used for imaging heads were simulated by a cylindrical saline phantom. The frequency dependence of the loss introduced by the phantom can indicate whether dielectric losses in the patient will be significant compared to eddy current losses. The detuning caused by the phantom is used to calculate an upper limit for the distributed stray capacitance between coil and patient. Given the approximate conductivity of the patient, an upper limit for the dielectric loss can be estimated. Some methods of reducing patient dielectric losses are suggested.     

Electronically tunable surface-coil-type resonator for L-band EPR spectroscopy

The automatic frequency control (AFC) circuit in conventional electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectrometers automatically tunes the microwave source to the resonance frequency of the resonator. The circuit works satisfactorily for samples stable enough that the geometric relations in the resonance structure do not change in a significant way. When EPR signals are measured during in vivo experiments with small rodents, however, the distance between the signal source and the surface-coil detector can change rapidly. When a conventional AFC circuit keeps the oscillator tuned to the resonator under those conditions, the resultant frequency change may exceed +/-5 MHz and markedly shift the position of the EPR signal. Such a shift results in unacceptable effects on the spectra, especially when the experimenter is dealing with narrow EPR lines. The animal movement also causes a mismatching of the resonator and the 50-ohm transmission line. Direct results of this mismatching are increased noise; shifts in the position of the baseline; and a high probability of overdriving the signal preamplifier with consequent loss of the EPR signal. We therefore designed, built, and tested a new surface-coil resonator using varactor diodes for tuning the resonance frequency to the fixed frequency oscillator and for capacitive matching of the resonator to the 50-ohm transmission line. The performance of the automatic matching system was tested in vivo by measuring EPR spectra of lithium phthalocyanine implanted in rats. Stability and sensitivity of the spectrometer were evaluated by measuring EPR spectra with and without the use of the automatic matching system. The overall experimental performance of the spectrometer was found to significantly improve during in vivo experiments using the automatic matching system. Excellent matching between the 50-ohm transmission line and the resonator was maintained under all experimental circumstances that were tested. This should allow us now to carry out experiments that previously were not possible.     

基于有源超表面的导电板雷达截面增强捷变设计

提出了一种使用散射方向图的动态可重构以实现雷达散射截面增强的捷变设计方法。结合变容二极管加载,使用具有嵌入式偏置回路的物理单元,所提出的有源超表面可以在具有梯度电压的外加直流偏置下,对平面电磁波的正入射或斜入射产生可电调的反射系数相位分布,以达到对反射波角度的灵活重定向,进而有助于单站或双站雷达散射截面增强的捷变效果。以导电平板为例,对三种不同的入射反射场景进行了计算与全波仿真,在设计频率10 GHz处,所提出的设计产生了可重构的散射方向图,表明了该设计对反射波角度的实时控制,并结合实验测量验证了单站与双站雷达散射截面的有效增强结果。     

Simulation Investigation of Millimeter Wave Varactor-tuned Transmission Cavity-stabilized Oscillator

A new circuit configuration for millimeter wave varactor-tuned transmission cavity-stabilized oscillator has been proposed in this paper. Compared to conventional varactor-tuned reflection cavity-stabilized oscillator, in this configuration, a high quality factor transmission cavity directly coupled to varactor diode is employed to improve the performances of the oscillator. The operation frequency of this oscillator can be tuned by varying the resonant frequency of the transmission cavity through changing bias voltage of the varactor diode. An equivalent circuit model for the oscillator has been presented in order to theoretically investigate the performance characteristics of the oscillator. On the basis of this model, electrical tuning characteristics have been studied. Mode jumping phenomena during electrical tuning process have been analyzed for obtaining stable operations of the oscillator. The analytical formulae of quality factor and efficiency have been derived in terms of relevant circuit parameters. Particular emphasis has been paid on several circuit parameters which have a substantial impact on circuit performance. Some design considerations have been pointed out according to the simulation results, which are useful to the design and fabrication of this type of oscillators.     

Design of a tunable frequency selective surface absorber as a loaded receiving antenna array

An effective approach to designing a tunable electromagnetic absorber is presented and experimentally verified; it is based on an idea that an existing frequency selective surface （FSS） absorber is regarded as a loaded receiving antenna array. The existing absorber is effectively simplified by withdrawing half of the loaded resistors; a more compact one is obtained when lumped capacitors are introduced. Building on this, a varactor-tunable absorber with a proper bias network is proposed. Numerical simulations of one tunable absorber with 1.6 mm in thickness show that a wide tuning range from 3.05 GHz to 1.96 GHz is achieved by changing the capacitance of the loaded varactor from 0.5 pF to 5.0 pF. An experiment is carried out using a rectangular waveguide measurement setup and excellent agreement between the simulated and measured results is demonstrated.     

Ka波段的反射型模拟电调移相器设计

为了能对射频信号进行连续相位调制,设计了Ka波段新型小型化的模拟电调移相器,该电路基于90°分支线电桥与并联结构变容二极管实现电路大范围移相,利用四分之一波长微带线实现电路匹配及阻抗变换,通过并联补偿电阻平衡其插入损耗波动,并对其进行了详细分析与探讨。仿真及实测结果表明:该移相器在29~31GHz频段范围内,可获得180°左右的相移量,插入损耗优于6.5dB,插入损耗波动在1dB内,相移误差小于10°。