Balancing networks for symmetric antennas: part II-practical implementation and modeling

The practical aspects of implementing the three fundamental types of balancing networks presented in the first part of this paper, using a 180/spl deg/ 4-port hybrid network are investigated. It is shown, for the first time, that the use of attenuators between the hybrid and the antenna detracts from the ability of the balanced-to-unbalanced network (balun) to balance any of the three quantities: current, voltage, or forward power. It is shown that additional time delay or linear phase shift, even when made equal for each port, makes the implementation of a current or voltage balun difficult over a broad frequency range although narrowband operation is still possible. Thus, the placement of phase-matched coaxial lines between the balun and the antenna is not desirable. It is shown that the equal-delay hybrid is uniquely adapted for the realization of a voltage or current balun. Finally, the modeling of symmetric antennas as driven by each fundamental type of balun is presented.     

Converting baluns into broad-band impedance-transforming 180/spl deg/ hybrids

A technique for converting baluns into 180/spl deg/ hybrids by adding an in-phase power splitter is presented in this paper. Incorporating the broad-band antiphase and in-phase power splitting characteristics of the balun and power splitter results in a 180/spl deg/ hybrid with broad-band characteristics. This technique also provides a means of achieving perfect matching and output isolation for three-port lossless baluns. Applying this technique to a Marchand balun will result in a broad-band impedance-transforming 180/spl deg/ hybrid. Simple design equations based on the scattering matrix are presented. These theoretical results are validated by an experimental 180/spl deg/ hybrid using a coupled line Marchand balun. It achieves amplitude balance of 0.5 dB and phase balance of less than 5/spl deg/ from 1.2 to 3.2 GHz.     

Balancing networks for symmetric antennas .I. Classification and fundamental operation

Emphasis has been placed on the quality of a metrology antenna system that allows it to be represented accurately using analytical or numerical models. Central to this capability is the efficacy of the balancing networks, sometimes referred to as balanced to unbalanced transformers (baluns). In this paper, we classify three fundamental types of baluns and show that all three can be derived from the 180/spl deg/, four-port hybrid network. Balanced antennas driven from coaxial feed lines and operated in the presence of an asymmetric scatterer present an intrinsically unbalanced load to the balun. We show that in such situations the current balun is the only appropriate balun to employ. For numerous antenna metrology applications, in particular, site attenuation measurements, 180/spl deg/, four-port hybrid networks have been employed as baluns. Network relations are derived relating the so-called voltage and current baluns to the 180/spl deg/, four-port hybrid network. It is shown that, in addition to acting as a 0/spl deg/ or 180/spl deg/ power divider, the hybrid network can serve as either a voltage or a current balun depending on the termination at the isolated port. In contrast to the traditional approach, it is shown that when using a 180/spl deg/ hybrid as a balun, the isolated port should be terminated in such a way that the hybrid behaves as a current balun as opposed to a 180/spl deg/ power divider. This will yield experimental results that can be more readily reconciled with models.     

Ring-hybrid microwave voltage-variable attenuator using HFET transistors

In this paper, a voltage-variable microwave attenuator circuit is presented. The input signal first enters a rat-race power splitter where a 0/spl deg/ and a 180/spl deg/ pair of signals is generated. The 0/spl deg/ signal passes through a common-gate field-effect transistor (FET) that is fully turned on, with its gate voltage set to 0 V. The 180/spl deg/ signal enters another common-gate transistor biased in the triode region. By changing the gate voltage of the second FET, the amplitude of the 180/spl deg/ signal is varied. The in-phase and out-of-phase signals are summed at the output and variable attenuation is achieved. The concept was demonstrated experimentally from 3.0 to 3.4 GHz and a variable attenuation from 6 to 30 dB was achieved. The phase response is linear over the frequency band and exhibits a group delay of 0.71 ns. The input 1-dB compression point of the attenuator is 0 dBm and the second harmonic suppression is 18.5 dB at 0-dBm input power.     

A new wide-band planar balun on a single-layer PCB

A new wide-band microstrip balun implemented on a single-layer printed circuit board (PCB) is presented in this letter. The proposed planar balun consists of a wide-band Wilkinson power divider and a noncoupled-line broad-band 180/spl deg/ phase shifter. To demonstrate the design methodology, one prototype is realized. The new design was simulated and validated by the measurement. Measured results show that 10-dB return loss of the unbalanced port has been achieved across the bandwidth from 1.7 GHz to 3.3 GHz, or 64%. Within the operation band, the measured return losses for both the two balanced ports are better than -10 dB, and the balanced ports isolation is below -1.5 dB. The measured amplitude and phase imbalance between the two balanced ports are within 0.3 dB and /spl plusmn/5/spl deg/, respectively, over the operating frequency band.     

A novel planar dual balun for Doubly Balanced star mixer

A novel planar dual balun for doubly balanced star mixer is presented. The balun consists of two identical Marchand baluns using coupled microstrip lines. It shows the amplitude imbalance within 1.2 dB and the phase imbalance within 180/spl plusmn/1.5/spl deg/ over 1.2 to 2.8 GHz. The star mixer using a pair of the suggested balun has the conversion loss about 6 dB in the band.     

CMOS Distributed Active Power Combiners and Splitters for Multi-Antenna UWB Beamforming Transceivers

This paper presents the design of the first CMOS distributed active power combiners and splitters with wideband variable delay and gain. These circuits are the key components for use in multi-antenna (MA) ultra-wideband (UWB) point-to-point beamforming communication systems with multiple transmit and receive antennas. Two broadband circuit topologies for each active power combiner and splitter are proposed, one of which being fabricated in a 0.13-mum CMOS process. The proposed fabricated distributed active power combiner and splitter operate across wide range of frequencies that cover the UWB frequency range from 3.1 to 10.6 GHz. The gain of each RF path of the power combiner and splitter is independently controllable from -15 to 6 dB and from -16 to 9.5 dB, respectively. The wideband variable delay of each RF path varies from 32 to 42 ps for the two-stage power combiner, and from 43 to 53 ps for the three-stage power splitter across the UWB frequency range. Supplied from 1.8-V DC voltage, the power combiner and splitter consume 8.5 mA and 11.4 mA, respectively.     

A new active RF phase shifter using variable gain, drain Voltage controlled PHEMTs:A 2.4-GHz ISM implementation

Phase shifters operating at RF bands are an essential component of phased and adaptive arrays circuits. In this letter, an active phase shifter is proposed, using vector summing of an in-phase and a quad-phase replica of the incoming signal. The proposed scheme was designed and implemented using a Wilkinson power combiner/divider, a branch line hybrid coupler and single-stage variable gain amplifiers (VGAs), achieving continuous phase shift within the range of [0/spl deg/, 90/spl deg/]. The manufactured prototype is suitable for WLAN operations in the 2.4-GHz ISM band. Details of the phase shifter design and experimental results are presented.     

Improving the Graceful-Degradation Performance of Combined Power Amplifiers

The standard method of employing n-way hybrid power divider/combiner to combine n amplifiers offers some sort of graceful-degradation performance when one or more of the amplifiers fail. Two schemes are discussed that improve that performance significantly. The first, which was proposed previously, involves replacing each failed amplifier by an equal-delay "through" connection. The second involves using a resistor-free combiner, and seperating each failed amplifier from the combiner by an appropriately placed short or open circuit.     

A lamp power control scheme for dimmable electronic ballasts to minimize the temperature effect on the lamp brightness

A hybrid lamp power control scheme for dimmable electronic ballasts is proposed. Apart from adjusting the brightness of the lamp, the proposed method can also minimize the ambient temperature effect on light output. Instead of regulating the lamp current, the proposed method is based on regulating the power supplying the lamp. First, the dimming operation is achieved by regulating the dc voltage at the ballast inverter input. Second, variation of the lamp power (due to the temperature effect) is regulated by sensing the inverter average input current to adjust the switching frequency of the inverter. An 18 W prototype has been built and tested. The lamp power and luminous output of the prototype at the ambient temperature from 5/spl deg/C to 35/spl deg/C have been studied.     

Wideband Dual-Polarized Patch Antenna With Broadband Baluns

A pair of novel 180deg broadband microstrip baluns are used to feed a dual-polarized patch antenna. The 180deg broadband balun delivers equal amplitude power division and consistent 180deg (plusmn5deg) phase shifting over a wide bandwidth (>50%). We demonstrate that for a dual-polarized quadruple L-probe square patch antenna, the use of the proposed 180deg broadband balun pair, in place of a conventional 180deg narrowband balun pair, provides improved input port isolation and reduced H-plane cross-polarization levels over a wider frequency range, while maintaining low E-plane cross-polarization levels and stable E- and H-plane co-polarization patterns throughout the impedance passband     

A Three-Port Network with Constant Phase Difference Properties (Correspondence)

The 90/spl deg/ hybrid and the 180/spl deg/ TEM magic tee can, at least theoretically, be made to work over bandwidths of 10 to 1, and more. The device described is not limited to 90/spl deg/ or 180/spl deg/. It provides a phase shift between its outputs that is not only constant with frequency, but also capable of being set at any value. In addition, the ratio of the powers delivered to the outputs may be set as desired.     

Subharmonically pumped CMOS frequency conversion (up and down) circuits for 2-GHz WCDMA direct-conversion transceiver

Subharmonically pumped frequency down- and upconversion circuits are implemented in 0.18-/spl mu/m mixed-mode CMOS technology for 2-GHz direct-conversion WCDMA transceiver applications. These circuits operate in quadrature double-balanced mode and a required octet-phases (0/spl deg/, 45/spl deg/, 90/spl deg/, 135/spl deg/, 180/spl deg/, 225/spl deg/, 270/spl deg/, and 315/spl deg/) local oscillator (LO) signal comes from an active multiphases LO generator composed of a polyphase filter and active 45/spl deg/ phase shifting circuits. For linearity improvement, predistortion compensation and negative feedback schemes are used in the frequency down- and upconversion circuits, respectively. The downconverter achieves a conversion voltage gain of 20 dB (to 1-M/spl Omega/ load), 4-dBm IIP3 (18-dBm OIP3 to 50-/spl Omega/ load), 41-dBm IIP2 and 8.5-dB DSB NF at 1-MHz IF frequency, consuming 13.4 mA from 1.8-V supply, in the WCDMA Rx band (2110-2170 MHz). The upconverter, operating as two switched gain modes in the WCDMA Tx band (1920-1980 MHz), consumes 19.4 mA from 1.8-V supply and shows 14.5-dB conversion power gain, 15 -dBm OIP3 (0.5-dBm IIP3) and -11 dBm P/sub 1dB/ at maximum gain mode. At minimum gain mode, it realizes -0.3-dB conversion loss, 10.7-dBm OIP3 (11-dBm IIP3) and 0-dBm P/sub 1dB/, respectively. 3GPP WCDMA modulation tests are performed for both up- and downconversion circuits and the results are discussed in this paper.     

A Programmable Surface Acoustic Wave Matched Filter for Phase-Coded Spread Spectrum Waveforms (Short Papers)

A programmable surface acoustic wave (SAW) matched filter for biphase-coded spread spectrum waveforms has been constructed using a temperature-stable ST-cut quartz tapped delay line (TDL) and silicon-on-sapphire integrated control circuits. Construction is hybrid with wire stitch bond interconnections between the acoustic and microelectronic portions of the device. The SAW TDL operates at 120-MHz center frequency with 100-ns spacing between adjacent taps for a 10-MHz chip rate. The output of each tap can be individually switched to a load with 0 or 180/spl deg/ phase shift by the silicon-on-sapphire integrated control circuits. The high-speed capability of silicon-on-sapphire integrated circuits allows programming (code changing) to be achieved with a serial data input at 10-MHz rates, while the low temperature coefficient of ST-cut quartz allows satisfactory operation over a wide temperature range (-25/spl deg/C to +85/spl deg/C).     

Broadband folded Wilkinson power combiner/splitter

A new folded Wilkinson power combiner/splitter has been realized at millimeter-wave frequency with an area that is one half that of the standard two-stage Wilkinson power combiner. The new splitter has an insertion loss of 5dB, an isolation of 15dB and a return loss 15dB from 15 to 45GHz.     

Design and realisation of dual-band 3 dB power divider based on two-section transmission-line topology

A new dual-band 3 dB three-port power divider with arbitrary impedance terminations is proposed. The structure is composed of a two-section transmission-line transformer and an isolation resistor. Each transmission line's electrical length is /spl pi//3 at the fundamental frequency. Based on an ideal transmission line model, new design equations and graphs are given. The technique is validated by the experimental results on a 3 dB 900/1800 MHz power divider with Z/sub S/=100 /spl Omega/ and Z/sub L/=50 /spl Omega/. Good performances of the proposed power combiner/divider at both frequencies are obtained.     

W-band CPW RF MEMS circuits on quartz substrates

This paper presents W-band coplanar waveguide RF microelectromechanical system (MEMS) capacitive shunt switches with very low insertion loss (-0.2 to -0.5 dB) and high-isolation (/spl les/ -30 dB) over the entire W-band frequency range. It is shown that full-wave electromagnetic modeling using Sonnet can predict the performance of RF MEMS switches up to 120 GHz. Also presented are W-band 0/spl deg//90/spl deg/ and 0/spl deg//180/spl deg/ switched-line phase shifters with very good insertion loss (1.75 dB/bit at 90 GHz) and a wide bandwidth of operation (75-100 GHz). These circuits are the first demonstration of RF MEMS digital-type phase shifters at W-band frequencies and they outperform their solid-state counterparts by a large margin.     

Linear tunable phase shifter using a left-handed transmission line

We demonstrate a compact, linear, and low loss variation hybrid phase shifter using a left-handed (LH) transmission line. For frequencies from 4.3 to 5.6 GHz, this phase shifter gives a nearly linear phase variation with voltage, with a maximum deviation of /spl plusmn/7.5/spl deg/. Within this frequency range, the maximum insertion loss is 3.6 dB, and the minimum insertion loss is 1.8 dB over a continuously adjustable phase range of more than 125/spl deg/, while minimum return loss is only 10.2 dB. Furthermore, this phase shifter requires only one control line, and it consumes almost no power.     

A complete single-chip GPS receiver with 1.6-V 24-mW radio in 0.18-/spl mu/m CMOS

A compact ultra-broadband MMIC-compatible uniplanar balun has been developed using offset air-gap coupler. The offset air-gap coupler presents tight coupling and low conductor loss, and thus allows the balun to show low loss at mm-wave frequencies. The measured insertion loss was less than 2 dB from 26 to 55 GHz, and amplitude and phase imbalance was less than /spl plusmn/1dB and 5/spl deg/, respectively over a wide frequency range from 27 to 69 GHz.     

A multiply-by-3 coupled-ring oscillator for low-power frequency synthesis

A frequency-synthesis technique which extracts the Nth harmonic from an N-stage oscillator is presented. This technique enables significant power savings in the prescaler of a frequency synthesizer. The maximum achievable voltage swing from such an oscillator is estimated. To study this technique, a multiply-by-3 circuit with two 180/spl deg/-coupled single-ended three-stage ring oscillators has been fabricated in 0.24-/spl mu/m CMOS, designed to work in the 902-928-MHz ISM band (U.S. and Canada). It provides two outputs: one at the normal operating frequency of the oscillator and the other at three times that frequency. The circuit can work at voltages as low as 1.3 V, while consuming 210 /spl mu/A of current.