Folded waveguide circuit for broadband MM wave TWTs

In millimeter wave band, the folded waveguide circuit exists some advantages such as wide operating frequency band, high mechanism strength, better heat disspation, easy fabrication and lower cost. It is expected that contradictory between broadband and high power in millimeter wave range can be solved by using the folded waveguide circuit. Computational results of dispersion character and coupling impedance of the folded waveguide are given. It is shown that the folded waveguide has wide bandwidth character in millimeter wave band.     

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.     

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%.     

Novel 53/106 GHz Dual-Band MMW LC Oscillator Implemented in SiGe BiCMOS Technology

In this Paper, we present a fully integrated millimeter wave LC voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO), which employs a novel topology, operating at dual-band frequency of 53.22 GHz-band and 106.44 GHz-band. The low-phase noise performance of –107.3 dBc/Hz and –106.1 dBc/Hz at the offset frequency of 600 kHz, –111.8 dBc/Hz and –110.6 dBc/Hz at the offset frequency of 1 MHz around 53.22 GHz and 106.44 GHz are achieved using IBM BiCMOS-6HP technology, respectively. Two tuning ranges, of 52.7 - 53.8 GHz and 105.4 - 107.6 GHz for the proposed LC VCO are obtained. The output voltage swing of this VCO is around 1.8 V_p-p at the operation frequency of 53.22 GHz and 0.45 V_p-p at 106.44 GHz; the total power consumption is about 16.5 mW. To our knowledge, this is the first oscillator which operates at dual-band frequency above 50 GHz with the best preformance.     

Efficient Broad Band HE11 Mode Exciter

A new scheme of quasi-optical HE₁₁ mode exciter is presented. It consists of a smooth rectangular horn, dielectric focusing lens and output waveguide section. The main advantages of the converter are frequency broad band operation and simple design. Results of measurements of converter parameters performed at millimeter waves agree well with the design parameters: total conversion efficiency exceeds 96% in the frequency band of 20%.     

Waveguides with inner dielectric cylinder(s) for Cerenkov free electron laser

Waveguides with inner dielectric cylinder(s) for Cerenkov free electron laser are presented. An analysis on the dispersion relations and the distributions of the axial electric field components of the waveguide modes, which are important to determine the operating frequency and gain, has been carried out. The results show that the waveguides can be employed to generate radiations at lower millimeter wavelength with higher gain and larger power output.     

Analysis and design of a new type NRD-guide E-plane Y-junction circulator

A new type of E-plane Y-junction circulator has been developed based on the nonradiative dielectric waveguide (NRD-guide) in Ka- band. First, the circulation principle has been analysed by the theory of polarization wave. The field components in the nonreciprocal Y-junction zone and the conclusion of 60° phase difference between clockwise and counterclockwise rotating polarization modes has been obtained. And then, the resonant frequency of the non-dc biased triangle ferrite sample has also been calculated. This kind of structure is benefit to enlarge the bandwidth of the Y-junction circulator. As an example, we had designed and fabricated a circulator in Ka-band. Its operating frequency is 35. 1GHz, the 1.5dB insertion loss and 20dB isolation bandwidth is about 1. 0GHz.     

Experimental investigation of millimeter wave Gunn oscillator circuits in circular waveguides

Millimeter wave Gunn oscillator circuits using circular waveguides for 33–50 GHz and 75–110 GHz frequency bands are described. These oscillators are simpler to construct at millimeter wavelengths compared to the conventional rectangular waveguide circuits. The effect of various circuit parameters on the oscillator frequency and output power has been experimentally studied. The CW power and mechanical tuning range obtained from the circular waveguide Gunn oscillators are found to be comparable and sometimes even better than those obtained with conventional rectangular waveguide circuits using the same Gunn device.     

One-Circuit Stabilization of Millimeter-Wave Solid-State Oscillator by Quasi-Optical Resonator

The construction and operating characteristics of the highly stabilized millimeter wave IMPATT oscillator are described. The frequency stability is 8.1 × 10^-7 at 115 GHz. The output power is no less than 15 mW. The sphere-corner-echelette open resonator have been used for oscillator stabilization. This approach is also adaptable to the Gunn oscillator.     

A Mode Converter with Multi-waveguide Output from the TE01 Circular Waveguide Mode to the TE10 Rectangular Mode for Millimeter Wave Gyro-device Applications

A mode converter with multi-waveguide output for millimeter wave gyro-device applications is proposed in this article, which is used to convert the TE₀₁ circular waveguide mode into the TE₁₀ rectangular waveguide mode. Computer simulations with Ansoft HFSS code show that the energy transmission coefficient of larger than 95.96% may be reached in the frequency range from 34.094 GHz to 35.8 GHz (a bandwidth of 1.706 GHz) at a VSWR of lower than 1.5 for the input operating mode.     

A W-band Frequency Source with Low Spurs and Low Phase Noise

A W-band millimeter wave frequency source is developed by frequency multiplier chain and injection locking. The referenced crystal oscillator (CO) signal 120 MHz is multiplied 400 times to output 48 GHz signal. Then, it is used as a referenced source of fundamental-wave injection-locked harmonic Gunn oscillator with output power more than 10 mW at 96 GHz and spurious output less than −65 dBc. The measured phase noise is −97 and −105 dBc/Hz at 10 kHz and 200 kHz offset, respectively. At last, the influence of the flicker noise, provided by the frequency multipliers and amplifiers, is analyzed.     

An efficient Schottky-varactor frequency multiplier at millimeter waves. Part II: Tripler

The multiplication efficiency of millimeter wave triplers was studied. In the case of a commercially available Schottky-varactor, the tripler efficiency versus pump power, bias voltage, and embedding impedances at the fundamental and harmonic frequencies was simulated using a nonlinear analysis program. A scaled model of a waveguide mount was used to experimentally optimize the impedances. For experimental verification a tripler from 33–39 GHz to 99–117 GHz was constructed. The highest efficiency measured was 28% at 107 GHz with 5 mW input power. The highest efficiency obtained with 30 mW input power was 18%.     

Investigation into the Effect of Dielectric Loss on RF Characteristics of Helical SWS

A general theory has been developed to account for the effect of the dielectric loss of discrete rods on the performance characteristics of an actual helical slow wave structure (SWS). The effect of the lossy dielectric rods has been studied on various propagation parameters, namely, phase propagation constant, interaction impedance and attenuation constant at different operating frequency. It is clearly shown that the influence of dielectric loss on RF characteristics is much larger at the millimeter frequency band than that at the microwave frequency band, especially on interaction impedance and attenuation constant. The general theory developed here has been further confirmed by comparing the results with those obtained elsewhere for some special cases.     

A unique method for reducing losses of bends in dielectric optical wave guide

The dielectric optical wave guide is finding growing attention at millimeter wave frequencies. However the dielectric optical waveguide radiates at bends and thus transmission loss increases. These radiations are in the outword direction of bends. This output radiation at output bends arises due to change in phase velocities of the propagating wave at the centre of the dielectric guide and the phase velocity at the outer surface of the dielectric guide. A unique methiod is suggested to avoid these radiation losses.Experimental results are also shown at microwave frequencies.     

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.     

Simulations of a two-stream backward-wave oscillator with a slot-hole structure

We study a two-stream backward-wave oscillator with a slot-hole structure at short millimeter waves with the help of a three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulation. In order to increase the interaction region of the electron beam, the efficiency and the output power, a slot-hole loaded rectangular waveguide structure used as the high-frequency system is proposed. Based on the mechanism of the backward-wave oscillator, a slow-wave oscillator with a frequency of 0.14 THz is designed. The simulations show that the output power and the efficiency of the oscillator can be enhanced due to the coupling between the two beams through the slot holes. The interaction efficiency is 5.18%, and the starting current density is below 5 A·cm^-2 for the two beams. These attractive results indicate that, based on the two-stream backward-wave oscillator, we can get short millimeter wave sources with high power and low current density.     

Calculation of Mutual Coupling between Two RLTs in Millimeter Wave VCO Waveguide Cavities with Mode Matching Methods

In the design of millimeter wave voltage control oscillators (VCOs), mutual coupling effect is of great importance for it influences the tuning and power characteristics of VCOs significantly. In this paper, mutual coupling between two in-line radial line transformers (RLTs) in rectangular waveguide cavities of millimeter wave VCOs has been evaluated with mode matching methods. Mutual coupling characteristics varying with various parameters of resonate cavity such as the distance between two diodes, the position of sliding short, the radii of bias pins, the radii of RLTs, and the height of diodes are presented. Some useful conclusions concerning two RLTs configuration have been derived, which is helpful to design millimeter wave VCO of this structure.     

Active Microstrip Antenna with a Gunn Diode

Continuous electromagnetic emission from a Gunn diode built in a microstrip log-periodic antenna in the frequency range from 25 to 60 GHz is studied experimentally. The microstrip antenna was located on an insulating substrate with a thickness of about a quarter of the wavelength and with a metallized back side. It is shown that the output radiation power of such an antenna reaches 5 mW, which is over 50% of the power received from similar diodes in the waveguide cavity. The oscillation regime was varied from single-mode to noise-like, depending on the dielectric thickness and could be synchronized by external emission. Such a quasi-optical structure based on a Gunn diode is convenient for summing up powers from individual oscillators in an open resonator and is of great interest for the terahertz frequency band.