Discontinuity of NRD-Guide and Its Application in Millimeter Wave Circuits

In this paper, the performances of two typical discontinuous structures of the NRD-guide, the traverse metallic rod to disturb an incident wave and the traverse probe to excite required modes, are analyzed and computed by utilizing the theory of modes orthogonality of the NRD-guide. The moment method is used to evaluate the current distribution on the rod and probe and the affection of some higher-order modes is taken into account simultaneously. On these bases, the multitone exciting steady states of two kinds of important circuits that employ the above discontinuous structures, the NRD-guide crossbar balanced mixer and the LSM ₁₁ ⁰ -mode oscillator, are simulated by the harmonic balance technique based on the multi-dimensional discrete Fourier transformation (MDFT-HB method).     

Nonlinear Frequency-Modulation Distortion Analysis for VCO Based on Harmonic Balance Method

The analysis methods for the steady-state responses of the voltage tuning negative resistance oscillator (voltage-controlling oscillator, VCO) by the microwave nonlinear autonomous circuit harmonic balance method in millimeter-wave bands are studied in the paper. Firstly, the quasi-periodic characteristic of the steady-state response of the VCO modulated by a periodic signal is proved. Then, on the bases of the harmonic balance analysis and the inter-modulation balance analysis, a novel method for obtaining the steady-state tuning performance and the nonlinear frequency-modulation distortion characteristic of the VCO is presented. The total analysis process is aimed to a kind of NRD-guide Gunn diode VCO. The large-signal lumped equivalent circuit model of the millimeter-wave P⁺N-junction varactor is also given for explaining the algorithm and the principle of the NRD-guide VCO.     

Steady State Responses of NRD-Guide Crossbar Balanced Mixer in MM-Wave Band

The periodic and quasi-periodic steady states of the nonradiative dielectric waveguide (NRD-guide) crossbar single-balanced mixer excited by single tone or dual tones in mm-wave band are deeply researched in the paper. Based on the wideband dispersion characteristics, the mode self-contained property and the modes orthogonality and a series of modes excitation criterions of the NRD-guide, a novel mixer is designed and analyzed. Two important parameters, the local oscillator and incident wave inductive electromotive forces corresponding to the LSE/LSM mode-converter and LSM-mode probe respectively, are calculated firstly by using the wire-antenna theory and the moment method. According to the theorem of band-pass signal sampling, a kind of integrated and general quasi-periodical steady-state responses algorithm for the nonlinear microwave/mm-wave circuits excited by multiple tones, the inter-modulation balance method based on the multi-dimension discrete Fourier transformation (MDFT-IMB), is designed and then successfully applied to calculate the performances of the above NRD-guide mixer.     

Steady-State Responses of NRD-Guide LSE/LSM Mode Oscillators in MM-Wave Bands

The analysis methods for the steady-state responses of the mm-wave band NRD-guide negative impedance oscillators based on nonlinear microwave autonomous circuits harmonic balanced method are presented in the paper in details. Firstly, the large-signal nonlinear lumped equivalent circuits of the Gunn diode are studied in mm-wave bands. Then, the performances of two kinds of NRD-guide autonomous circuits, the probe-exciting LSM ₁₁ ^o-mode oscillator and the LSE ₁₁ ^o-mode oscillator, are analyzed by the way of extracting the large-signal dynamic harmonic admittance (conductance) of the Gunn diode or directly configuring the harmonic balance equations for the oscillator. The input impedance of the exciting probe in the oscillator and the performances of the load-pulling and the local stability of the NRD-guide oscillator are also involved.     

Analysis and application of NRD-guide excitors

In this paper, the NRD-guide excitors using a length of coaxial line which consists of a rectangle external conductor and a thin round inner conductor are presented, and the characteristics of the input impedances of LSE ₁₁ ^o mode and LSM ₁₁ ^o mode at the insertion points are analysed and calculated by using the method of the rector Green's function respectively. The computation results show that the mode excitors are able to improve the operating modes matching between NRD-guide and the quasi-TEM transmission line. The structures are suitable for fabrication LSE ₁₁ ^o mode oscillator and LSM ₁₁ ^o mode oscillator to compose millimeter wave NRD-guide integrated front ends. An example of an LSE ₁₁ ^o mode oscillator in Ka-band is given. Its oscillation frequency and output power could be easily adjusted by changing the parameters of the excitor.     

The development of nonradiative dielectric waveguide transmitting front-end in Ka-band

The operating theory,design method and experimental results of the nonradiative dielectric waveguide (NRD-guide) transmitting front-end in millimeter wave band are related in details in this paper. As a kind of dielectric waveguide,the NRD-guide possesses fine transmission performances, and it can be used to fabricate the millimeter wave hyterodyne integrated circuits. The two kinds NRD-guide transmitting front-ends substantiated in the paper, the voltage controlling oscillator(VCO) and twin-Gunn-diode power-combiner,have very similar structures to each other and possess compact sizes, fine machinery and electric performances.For the VCO front-end in Ka-band, the frequency modulation band is greater than 150MHz, the output power is larger than 20mW.For the power-combiner, the output power is larger than 40mW,the combination efficiency is better than 90%,the frequency stabilization reaches 1.68×10^–5. Combined with the receiving front-end reported before,the transmitter and receiver can be composed to a dielectric waveguide R/T module to be applied in some millimeter wave sub-systems.     

Operational Features of a Millimeter-Wave Balanced Mixer with a Broadband Intermediate-Frequency Output

We consider operational and structural features of a millimeter-wave balanced mixer with a broadband intermediate-frequency (IF) output. In this case, the heterodyne frequency is in the close vicinity of the IF band. The problem is reduced to an increase in isolation in the heterodyne-IF circuit along with the decrease in the mixer conversion loss in the broad IF band. As a result, we realized the mixer design with the following parameters: mixer input band 26-40 GHz, IF output band 0-18 GHz, conversion loss 6-8 dB, and heterodyne-IF isolation is 10-20 dB. The mixer circuit based on a combination of waveguide-slotted, coplanar, and microstrip transmission lines is studied.     

The digital predistortion of non-linear frequency modulation of voltage-controlling-oscillator in MM-band

The reason and rectification method of the non-linear frequency modulation of voltage-controlling-oscillator in millimeter-wave band have been presented in this paper. The digital predistortion for the controlling signal of the varactor in VCO possesses high rectification sensitivity, simple circuit and convenient adjustment. The method can be used in mm-wave and microwave VCOs that are fabricated by all kinds' transmission lines, and can eliminate the dispersion of FM characteristic in VCOs that are usually caused by the machining deviation and the inconsistent parameters of semiconductors. The digital predistortion technique has been applied in NRD-guide VCO in Ka-band, which main performances are: f0 = 36.30648GHz, the frequency-stability reaches 2.26×10^–5, the maximum frequency-deviation is 150MHz, the linear-FM error is less than 5%.     

Theoretical and experimental research on nonradiative dielectric waveguide directional couplers

A practical design of nonradiative dielectric (NRD) waveguide directional couplers is presented. The dispersion characteristics of coupled NRD-guides and the scattering coefficients of NRD-guide directional couplers are studied as well as the transitions from metal rectangular wave-guide to NRD-guide couplers. Experiments of 3-dB and 10-dB NRD-guide couplers in ka-band show that the couplers are of good performance and promise in millimeter-wave integrated circuits.     

A five port hybrid ring mixer design

The design, construction and measured experimental characteristics of a Ka-band balanced mixer based on microstrip technology, are presented. The mixer was realised using a configuration of a rat-race hybrid with five ports and two GaAs beam lead Schottky diodes. This type of balanced mixer is advantageous because it avoids via holes, airbridges and crossing transmission lines that deteriorate the performance of the circuit, and make its construction more difficult. The circuit was constructed in uniplanar microstrip configuration, so the circuits pattern was defined on one side of the substrate only, using thin film techniques. Performance characteristics of the mixer are presented as a function of RF and LO power, RF frequency and voltage bias of the Schottky diodes.     

Measurement of the reflector antenna absorption at terahertz frequencies by the method of a balanced radiometer

The inherent noise of a prototype panel of the millimeter-wave telescope main reflector is measured at room temperature. A modulation radiometer based on a heterodyne detector with an input superconducting mixer and a balanced antenna switch is used. The noise temperature of the detector in the double-sideband mode equals 570 K at a local oscillator frequency of 842 GHz. The absorption factor of the aluminum panel calculated from the thermal radiation intensity is 0.31 ± 0.07%. This value is checked on samples made of phosphor bronze and stainless steel. The respective absorption factors are 0.41 ± 0.07 and 1.30 ± 0.07%, which are close to those obtained earlier for these materials using radiometers with direct-reading detectors. The wide dynamic range of the heterodyne detector simplifies calibration of the radiometer: there is no need to cool down the sensitive element below liquid helium temperature. A balanced switch of a new design makes it possible to radically suppress the influence of the background and take precision room-temperature measurements.     

60 GHz Radio over Fiber Technology for Wireless Access by employing Narrow-Angle PSK Modulation

This paper investigates two key techniques used in 60 GHz Radio over Fiber (RoF) technology for wireless access, namely, the generation of 60 GHz signals and the distribution of 60 GHz local oscillator (LO). In the proposed model, a 60 GHz PSK signal is generated by a heterodyne of two subcarriers with narrow-angle PSK (NA-PSK) modulation, whose phase shift is equal to one half that of a normal PSK signal. Then we use a 60 GHz mixer to frequency mix two PSK signals in two different bands, 60 GHz and baseband. By doing this, the modulation information can be fully eliminated, resulting in a 60 GHz LO. In the wireless terminal, coherent demodulation is realized by a self-mixing of the transmitted 60 GHz PSK signal and LO. Thus no millimeter-wave (mm-wave) band oscillator is needed in the wireless terminal.     

A compact millimeter-wave finline and microstrip hybrid integrated front-end

Unlike usual millimeter-wave(MMW) beam lead mixer, an integrated mixer using packaged diodes with large junction area is designed, and a novel dielectric resonator stabilized microstrip oscillator is given. On these bases, a high performance MMW finline and microstrip hybrid integrated front-end has been developed with minimum double side band noise figure of 4 dB and frequency temperature coefficient of 510 PPm/°C. It has been fabricated in small amounts and works well in many MMW systems.     

Development and Study of a Planar Schottky-Diode Mixer for the 1.5-mm Waveband

We describe the design of a waveguide planar Schottky-diode mixer for frequencies of about 200 GHz and a measurement system for testing the mixer performance. A backward-wave oscillator with a frequency doubler was used as the local oscillator. The results of room-temperature measurements of the mixer conversion losses and noise temperature as functions of the frequency and power of the local oscillator are presented.     

Characteristics of InSb mixers and backward wave oscillators in a submm heterodyne receiver

In this paper some aspects of two of the most important components of a previously described submm heterodyne are discussed: the InSb mexer and the backward wave oscillator. The (known) properties of the InSb mixer and our method of fabrication will be briefly discussed. The aspect of matching this mixer to the waveguide is treated more extensively both in theory and practice. Finally the performance of InSb as a mixer at higher frequencies is briefly considered. Some properties of the backward wave oscillator which are of special relevance when using it in combination with an InSb mixer, have been measured and they are discussed in the last section.     

基于二极管精确电路模型的183GHz分谐波混频器设计

针对亚毫米波混频二极管管对电路模型不够精确的问题,采用场路结合协同分析,将进出二极管的频率信号分类处理,建立了一种应用于亚毫米波分谐波混频器电路的反向并联二极管对精确电路模型。基于获取的管对精确电路模型,建立了全局性的分谐波混频器电路的集总元件等效电路模型,设计并实现了一款183GHz分谐波混频器。测试结果表明混频器在本振频率为92GHz、功率为2mW,射频频率176~192GHz范围内,双边带变频损耗小于6.8dB,等效噪声温度小于800K,在182GHz测得最小双边带变频损耗为4.9dB,与仿真数据吻合较好。     

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.     

A Multibeam SIS Mixer Module for a Focal Plane Array Receiver

The integration of many receiver units into a receiver array is a common method of improvement of imaging systems. This approach, well known in the mm band for Schottky mixer arrays, has not so far been developed for Superconductor - Insulator - Superconductor (SIS) junction mixers, which give the best sensitivity in the short mm wave range and in the submm range.We demonstrate for the first time a practical low noise multibeam receiver module using SIS mixer technology. The basis for the integration of several SIS mixers with a common local oscillator source is given by the saturation of the SIS receiver noise dependence upon local oscillator power. The module comprises three identical SIS mixers integrated with a common local oscillator, coupled through a three branch waveguide directional coupler. The multibeam module has been developed for a focal plane array receiver of the 30 meter radio telescope of the Institut de Radioastronomie Millimétrique (IRAM).     

SEMICONDUCTOR-SUPERLATTICE FREQUENCY MIXER FOR DETECTION OF SUBMILLIMETER WAVES

We report on a GaAs/AlAs superlattice frequency mixer for detection of submillimeter waves. The mixer is based on the nonlinear miniband transport giving rise to domains excited under the action of a microwave field. We designed the mixer for broadband operation (300–600 GHz). For studying basic properties, we investigated the mixer as a harmonic mixer in 15^th order to detect radiation at a radio frequency (RF) near 300 GHz using local oscillator (LO) radiation of a frequency near 20 GHz. We reached a noise equivalent power (NEP) of about 10 fW/Hz. We also show that the use of the superlattice mixer together with a superlattice frequency multiplier allows to realize a superlattice-based free-space transmission line for submillimeter waves.     

Research of sine waveguide slow-wave structure for a 220-GHz backward wave oscillator

A watt-class backward wave oscillator is proposed,using the concise sine waveguide slow-wave structure combined with a pencil electron beam to operate at 220 GHz.Firstly,the dispersion curve of the sine waveguide is calculated,then,the oscillation frequency and operating voltage of the device are predicted and the circuit transmission loss is calculated.Finally,the particle-in-cell simulation method is used to forecast its radiation performance.The results show that this novel backward wave oscillator can produce over 1-W continuous wave power output in a frequency range from 210 GHz to 230 GHz.Therefore,it will be considered as a very promising high-power millimeter-wave to terahertz-wave radiation source.