We have developed novel compact suspended stripline filters and low-loss passives based on MMIC wafer fabrication techniques and heterogeneous integration through gold-gold compression bonds. The key features are high precision, on-wafer testable for known-good-die, and high electromagnetic isolation. This approach is best suited to designs in the range of 0.5-100 GHz. As an example of applying this novel capability, a 0–11 GHz & 11–22 GHz contiguous diplexer filter was designed and fabricated to produce a SiC center-conductor die which is bonded and suspended in gold-plated silicon ground cavities using heterogeneous integration. EM modeling accurately predicts filter performance and multiple fabricated copies of the filter have near-identical S-parameters characteristics.

Presents information on the IMS 2020 Conference.

This paper investigates the use of thin phased array tiles for the microwave transmitter portion of a space based solar power satellite. Tile phased arrays have been developed for avionic radar, and for 5G telecommunications. This paper attempts to answer the question: "Will it be possible to use these tile arrays for space based solar power systems?".

This paper will explore the feasibility of implementing a reflectionless bandpass filter based on transmission line elements [1]. A number of challenges were encountered: high coupling, high impedance, and low impedance values are required. Some approximations were investigated. Different layouts were investigated.

Size reduction will be important for some new applications in space. Reflectionless filters offer an opportunity for reduced size and design complexity for multiplexer and diplexer applications. They offer broadband matched terminations. To take full advantage of the rflectionless filters, the number of unique elements can be reduced by taking advantage of g-value identities, and symmetry. A quadraplexer design using Wenzel's elliptical diplexer design, and reflectionless prototypes will be compared for performance and the number of elements.

When new technologies emerge, some early applications become unsustainable, unendurable, and fade away. This article will describe three models for sustainable 3D printing applications based on early musical instruments. Examples of renaissance woodwinds will be described, including a cornetto, a crumhorn, a fife, a bocal for a large recorder, and a recorder tuned to A=415 instead of 440 Hz. The model will be applied to an example of how 3D printing can support green technology and how the green product can be an endurable product.

Transmission line circuits, acoustic circuits called a cornettino and crumhorn, were designed, manufactured, and tested. The circuit design program used GNU OCTAVE; STL files were created with openSCAD, a 3D CAD program. The manufacturing design rules are summarized, and the resulting surface roughness and tolerances were measured. For the microwave and acoustical domains, the size and shape are similar, so experiments in one domain are relevant to the other. For microwave applications dielectric properties are considered.

Lists the recipients of 2014 MTT Society awards.

The first reported reconfigurable wideband mm-wave CMOS based beam forming network IC is demonstrated. The IC consists of two independent inputs and two correlated outputs. Each of the four RF paths has 2 bits amplitude control and 3 bits phase control, as well as a wideband amplifier to maintain RF signal power. The measured RMS amplitude and phase error is less than 0.4dB and 4° respectively. Amplifier power gating is added for low-power modes and calibration. An addressable shift register core (ASRC) to command the beam forming IC is included. The ASRC provides intelligent control of adjacent III-V based chips. The IC is 5mmX5mm and consumes 45mW of DC power.

In this study, we investigate anomalous flex cable performance in a phased-array antenna on advanced EHF. A number of low-gain IF paths were found in one local-oscillator region during thermal cycle testing, subsequently causing an out-of-specification condition. Utilizing advanced diagnostic tools, the contractor determined that the root cause of the gain drop was a failure in a flex coaxial cable. We outline the development of an analytical phenomenology model employed in understanding the failure pathology and verifying the root cause. We have developed 3-D finite-element models using Ansoft High Frequency Structure Simulator (HFSS) that mimic the insertion loss behavior associated with cable failure modes. To synthesize a particular loss characteristic, we use an equivalent circuit model consisting of parallel- LC sections. A closed-form analytical expression for resonance frequency was derived, linking the circuit and physical parameters; linear regression is used to fit measured data to the HFSS cable model. Using the phenomenology model, we determined that the root cause of the failures is a delamination of the layered outer sheath of the cable. Two mechanisms were discovered: 1) spurs in the outer layer and 2) complete layer separation over short cable lengths. The first mechanism induces a small frequency-independent increase in the loss and is inversely proportional to the spur delamination angle. This loss is attributable to conventional aging and considered benign. With the second mechanism, the delamination gap induces a sharp resonance in the loss at a discrete frequency and is reminiscent of a low-order filter. This phenomenon is a malignant loss responsible for our anomalous out-of-specification condition. We completed a parametric study using the phenomenology model, and determined that: 1) resonance frequency is inversely proportional to the gap width (Wg) ; 2) resonance frequency is proportional to the square root of the gap size (?{dg}) ; 3) insertion loss amplitude is proportional to the air gap size and width; and 4) the Q of a given delamination region is proportional to the square root of the gap size.

Recently designed, modern versions of renaissance woodwind instruments such as the recorder and serpent use square cross sections and a folded acoustic transmission line. Conventional microwave techniques would expect that this bend would cause unwanted reflections and impedance discontinuities. This paper analyses the folded acoustic transmission line using finite-difference, time-domain techniques and shows that the discontinuity can be compensated with by the use of a manufacturable method.

This paper describes the use of the microwave techniques of time domain reflectometry (TDR) and de-embedding in an acoustical application. Two methods of calibrating the reflectometer are presented to evaluate the consistency of the method. Measured and modeled S-parameters of woodwind instruments are presented. The raw measured data is de-embedded to obtain an accurate measurement. The acoustic TDR setup is described.

Experiments are performed on an HTS transmission line fabricated with a series array of Josephson junctions. We have determined the phase shift mechanism and have measured the magnitude of the phase shift of wide junctions. A qualitative model of the phase shift mechanism has been developed which explains the effects of applied magnetic fields. (C) 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

A high temperature superconducting (HTS) X-band phase shifter using a distributed Josephson inductance (DJI) approach was designed and fabricated. Phase swings of over 60 degrees were measured at 65 K and below, with measurable phase shifts at temperatures above 77 K. High quality HTS films and superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs) were deposited by laser ablation. A total of 40 HTS step edge SQUIDs were successfully integrated into a monolithic HTS circuit to produce a phase shifter in a resonant configuration. The magnitude of the Josephson inductance is calculated and a lumped element model is compared to measurements.< >

The authors report on a novel microwave phase shifter featuring rapid electronic adjustment, continuous phase control true time delay operation, high device fault tolerance, and very broadband operation. By coupling a large number of superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs) to a superconducting microstrip transmission line, a variable magnetic medium in which the wave velocity is controlled electronically is created. The authors have measured 60 degrees phase shift at 10 GHz, and wideband operation from 5 to 15 GHz for an 8-cm-long Nb transmission line coupled to 1600 SQUIDs, each containing a single Nb/AlO/sub x//Nb tunnel junction. The observed phase shift corresponds to a change in wave velocity of about 1 part in 60.<>

We describe a monolithic high-temperature superconductor (HTS) phase shifter based on the distributed Josephson inductance (DJI) design integrated monolithically into a 10-GHz microstrip line. This microwave circuit incorporates >1000 HTS rf SQUIDS. Recent data demonstrate the performance of this broadband HTS circuit. We observed phase shifts greater than 150° in resonant structures, and 20° in broadband circuits. The nonlinear inductance of the superconducting transmission line can be used for other novel applications, including parametric amplification. A comparison of the DJI circuit to a series array of Josephson elements (used for pulse sharpening) will contrast these two new and exciting nonlinear transmission line circuits.

We describe a monolithic phase shifter which combines the low loss of high-temperature superconductivity (HTS) with the variable dielectric properties of a ferroelectric material SrTiO3. Phase shifts greater than 28 degrees per wavelength were observed around 30-degrees K. The compatibility of YBa2Cu3O7-x and other ferroelectric materials is discussed.

A monolithic high-temperature-superconductor (HTS) phase shifter integrated into a 10-GHz microstrip line is described. This is the first demonstration of a nonresonant HTS circuit based on a distributed Josephson inductance approach. Phase shifts greater than 150 degrees in resonant structures and 20 degrees in broadband circuits were observed.<>

We have fabricated and tested RF SQUIDS made of Nb and YBa2Cu3O7 (YBCO), a high-temperature superconductor, at 10 GHz using TE011 mode cavities and HTS microstrip resonators. Devices were screened at 27 MHz, and subsequently evaluated at 10 GHz. The SQUID circuit parameters, k2Q and beta, were determined at different temperatures.