A comparison of precipitation attenuation and radar backscatter along Earth--Space paths

Measurements of attenuation by precipitation at 4, 8 and 15 GHz have been made along elevated paths through the troposphere. Simultaneous measurements of radar backscatter at 2.9 GHz are used to derive, consistent with existing theoretical relations, empirical expressions relating backscatter to attenuation. It is concluded that, for rains observed at Ottawa, Ont., Canada, and provided that the hydrometeors are liquid, the empirical relations can be used to determine the attenuation caused by rains of different types. However, for situations in which either hail or an intense bright band was observed, the attenuations calculated from the radar data were grossly in error.     

Microwave Dielectric Behavior of Wet Soil-Part 1: Empirical Models and Experimental Observations

This is the first paper in a two-part sequence that evaluates the microwave dielectric behavior of soil-water mixtures as a function of water content, temperature, and soil textural composition. Part I presents the results of dielectric constant measurements conducted for five different soil types at frequencies between 1.4 and 18 GHz. Soil texture is shown to have an effect on dielectric behavior over the entire frequency range and is most pronounced at frequencies below 5 GHz. In addition, the dielectric properties of frozen soils suggest that a fraction of the soil water component remains liquid even at temperatures of -24° C. The dielectric data as measured at room temperature are summarized at each frequency by polynomial expressions dependent upon both the volumetric moisture content m and the percentage of sand and clay contained in the soil; separate polynomial expressions are given for the real and imaginary parts of the dielectric constant. In Part II, two dielectric mixing models will be presented to account for the observed behavior: 1) a semiempirical refractive mixing model that accurately describes the data and requires only volumetric moisture and soil texture as inputs, and 2) a theoretical four-component mixing model that explicitly accounts for the presence of bound water.     

A novel quasi-optical resonator for the surface near-millimeterwaves

The theory and experimental investigations are presented for a new type of quasi-optical near-millimeter-wave prismatic resonator, which provides frequency selective transformation of the plane waves into the surface waves. Theoretical expressions are obtained for the Q-factor and finesse, which consider dielectric loss and the effect of prism finite aperture. The theoretical evaluations are verified by experimental measurements in the frequency range 300-500 GHz using a prismatic resonator made from the optical quality fused silica glass. The increase of intensity of surface waves by a factor of 10-25 is demonstrated for the prismatic resonator made from an extremely low-loss dielectric     

A broad-band low-noise SIS receiver for submillimeter astronomy

A quasi-optical heterodyne receiver using a Pb-alloy superconductor-insulator-superconductor (SIS) tunnel junction as the detector and a planar logarithmic spiral antenna for the RF coupling is described, and its performance is compared with the predicted performance of a theoretical model. Noise measurements were made in the laboratory at frequencies between 115 GHz and 761 GHz, yielding double-sideband noise temperatures ranging from 33 K to 1100 K. The receiver has also been used for astronomical spectroscopy on the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory (Mauna Kea, Hawaii) at 115, 230, 345, and 492 GHz     

Measurments of attenuation and refractive dispersion due to atmospheric water vapor at 80 and 240 GHz

Field line-of-sight propagation experiments were made at 80 and 240 GHz on a horizontal path of 810 m. The measured attenuations showed quadratic dependences on atmospheric water vapor density, and absorptions in excess of theoretical predictions were observed at both frequencies, while the measured refractive dispersion between these two frequencies showed a linear dependence on water vapor density and was in good agreement with theoretical prediction. Liebe's model for water vapor attenuation including empirical continuum absorption is confirmed to be effective for 80 and 240 GHz.     

A helicopter-borne eight-channel ranging scatterometer for remotesensing. I. System description

For pt.II see ibid., vol.31, no.1, p.170-9 (1993). HUTSCAT, a helicopter-borne dual-frequency FM-CW scatterometer, is described. The HUTSCAT measures the backscattering properties of a target with a range resolution of 65 cm. The real-time ranging capability is obtained by performing the fast Fourier transform (FFT) to the received time-domain signal. The measurement is made simultaneously at eight channels (VV, HH, HV, and VH modes of polarization at 5.4 GHz and 9.8 GHz). The scatterometer measures the radar return spectrum for eight channels in 16.6 ms, which corresponds to an along-track distance of 0.33 m for the helicopter speed of 20 m/s. The radar system has been designed for remote sensing of forests, sea ice, and snow     

Preliminary studies: far-field microwave dosimetric measurements of a full-scale model of man.

Measurements of microwave heating were made in a full-size, upright human model. The 75-Kg model, composed of electrically simulated muscle, was placed in the far-zone of a standard-gain horn inside an absorber-lined chamber. Pulsed energy at 1.29 GHz was obtained from a military radar transmitter (AN/TPS-1G) and produced radiation at 6-14 mW/cm2 average power density at the location of the model. Microwave heating at the front surface was measured at nine locations on the phantom. Measurements at several depths within the phantom were also made at a central location to gain information on the depth-of-penetration of the microwave energy. Results of the frontal surface measurements and of the penetration study permitted a calculation of the approximate whole-body average specific absorption rate (SAR) when the model's long axis was parallel to the E-field vector. For a normalized power density of 1 mW/cm2 at a frequency of 1.29 GHz, the whole-body average SAR approximated 0.03 W/Kg. This result agrees well with theoretical predictions based on absorption in prolate spheroidal models of man.     

A high-performance W-band uniplanar subharmonic mixer

A uniplanar subharmonic mixer has been implemented in coplanar waveguide (CPW) technology. The circuit is designed to operate at RF frequencies of 92-96 GHz, IF frequencies of 2-4 GHz, and LO frequencies of 45-46 GHz. Total circuit size excluding probe pads and transitions is less than 0.8 mm ×1.5 mm. The measured minimum single-sideband (SSB) conversion loss is 7.0 dB at an RF of 94 GHz, and represents state-of-the-art performance for a planar W-band subharmonic mixer. The mixer is broad-band with a SSB conversion loss of less than 10 dB over the 83-97-GHz measurement band. The measured LO-RF isolation is better than -40 dB for LO frequencies of 45-46 GHz. The double-sideband (DSB) noise temperature measured using the Y-factor method is 725 K at an LO frequency of 45.5 GHz and an IF frequency of 1.4 GHz. The measured data agrees well with the predicted performance using harmonic-balance analysis (HBA). Potential applications are millimeter-wave receivers for smart munition seekers and automotive-collision-avoidance radars     

A simple four-port parasitic deembedding methodology for high-frequency scattering parameter and noise characterization of SiGe HBTs

A new four-port scattering parameter (S-parameter) and broad-band noise deembedding methodology is presented. This deembedding technique considers distributed on-wafer parasitics in the millimeter-wave band (f>30GHz). The procedure is based on simple analytical calculations and requires no equivalent circuit modeling or electromagnetic simulations. Detailed four-port system analysis and deembedding expressions are derived. Comparisons between this new method and the industry-standard "open-short" method were made using measured and simulated data on state-of-the-art SiGe HBTs with a maximum cutoff frequency of approximately 180 GHz. The comparison demonstrates that better accuracy is achieved using this new four-port method. Based on a combination of measurements and HP-ADS simulations, we also show that this new technique can be used to accurately extract the S-parameters and broad-band noise characteristics to frequencies above 100 GHz.     

140 GHz兆瓦级回旋管高斯模式输出窗设计

根据热核聚变用140 GHz回旋振荡管研制需要,对高斯模式输出窗进行研究。以化学气相沉积金刚石作为输出窗片的材料,通过理论分析,优化设计出低反射、低吸收高斯模式输出窗片的尺寸,获得窗片半径和厚度分别为46 mm和1.8 mm。通过理论分析各参数对高斯模式透射率的影响,并利用FEKO软件进行计算验证,获得高斯模式输出窗设计参数,从而为热核聚变用回旋振荡管的研究打下技术基础。     

Dielectric properties of snow in the 3 to 37 GHz range

Microwave dielectric measurements of dry and wet snow were made at nine frequencies betweeo 3 and 18 GHz, and at 37 GHz, using two free-space transmission systems. The measurements were conducted during the winters of 1982 and 1983. The following parametric ranges were covered: 1) liquid water content, 0 to 12.3 percent by volume; 2) snow density, 0.09 to 0.42 g cm^-3; 3) temperature, 0 to-5 degC and-15degC (scattering-loss measurements); and 4) crystal size, 0.5 to 1.5 mm. The experimental data indicate that the dielectric behavior of wet snow closely follows the dispersion behavior of water. For dry snow, volume scattering is the dominant loss mechanism at 37 GHz. The applicability of several empirical and theoretical mixing models was evaluated using the experimental data. Both the Debye-like semi-empirical model and the theoretical Polder-Van Santen mixing model were found to describe adequately the dielectric behavior of wet snow. However, the Polder-Van Santen model provided a good fit to the measured values of the real and imaginary parts of wet snow only when the shapes of the water inclusions in snow were assumed to be both nonsymmetrical and dependent upon snow water content. The shape variation predicted by the model is consistent with the variation suggested by the physical mechanisms governing the distribution of liquid water in wet snow.     

X-band performance of GaAs power f.e.t.s

The results of X-band measurements on GaAs power f.e.t.s are reported. These devices are fabricated with a simple planar process. Devices with output powers of 1 W or more at 9 GHz with 4 dB gain have been fabricated from more than a dozen slices. The highest output powers observed with 4 dB gain are 1.78 W at 9 GHz and 2.5 W at 8 GHz. Devices have been operated with 46% power-added efficiency at 8 GHz.     

Measured bounds on rain-scatter coupling between space-earth radio paths

Attempts were made to measure rain-scatter coupling for two satellite paths displaced in angle by0.85deg. For rain attenuation up to 15 dB, upper bounds on coupling were -40 dB at 19 GHz and -45 dB at 28 GHz. These experimental bounds are limited by antenna sidelobe levels which are on the order of 20 dB greater than theoretical rain-scatter predictions.     

Monolithic MESFET distributed baluns based on the distributedamplifier gate-line termination technique

The principles of the distributed amplifier are applied to realize wide-band monolithic distributed baluns. The technique reported here is based on using the gate-line “termination” of a distributed amplifier topology as the noninverting output and the inherent phase inversion property of the metal-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MESFET) to provide the antiphase output from the drain-line. Closed-form expressions are derived for the two output voltage signals and their respective power gains. The theoretical performance of the balun is then examined as a function of the important MESFET parameters and other circuit parameters. Some practical design considerations are given followed by the measured results of two monolithic prototypes. The first is a basic two-section balun, while the second employs a four-section balun with a three-stage positive gain slope preamplifier to compensate for the increase in gate-line loss with frequency. Balun operation over 0.5-20 GHz and 0.5-12 GHz has been demonstrated for the two-section and four-section balun, respectively     

Measurement of constitutive parameters using the Mie solution of a scattering sphere

A method of determining the relative constitutive parameters (µr, εr) is given. This method is based on the Mie solution of a scattering sphere. Field components scattered in two orthogonal planes are measured at 6.17 GHz and 7.03 GHz to calculate the desired parameters of four representative specimen spheres each 1.27 cm in diameter. A consistency process has been developed to reduce random errors caused by theoretical approximations and experimental inaccuracies. Only those data which are considered to have given consistent solutions are then used to produce the material parameters. A target support which can be rotated 360° is used to determine whether a specimen sphere can be assumed homogeneous and isotropic. The present method has in practice no difficult problem of specimen fitting and positioning. Semiquantitative assessments on the final results of (µr, εr) are made for the specimens measured. Usefulness of this method for measuring lossy materials is demonstrated by the use of three lossy specimens. Recommendations for evaluating a unique set of parameters and improving their accuracies are made in both theoretical and experimental aspects.     

Whispering gallery modes in a dielectric resonator:characterization at millimeter wavelength

Applications of whispering-gallery-mode (WGM) dielectric resonators in the millimeter and submillimeter frequency range are discussed. A summary of the main peculiarities of these resonators is given, and a method to obtain approximate analytical expressions of electromagnetic field components is developed. Problems connected with the excitation by far infrared (FIR) laser radiation are examined. The analysis of electromagnetic propagation in different structures drives the best choice for the transmission line (metallic and dielectric waveguides), and the same theoretical analysis allows to face the basic problem of optimizing the matching between transmission-line and WG resonators; the role in this application of dielectric waveguides with variable diameter is discussed. All of the predictions are obtained in a unified theoretical picture. The experimental characterization of a WG resonator at 240 GHz involved the measurement of the effectiveness of the coupling between the transmission line and the resonator, the determination of the merit factor and free spectral range for the different resonance families in different resonators. Accurate measurements were carried out to acquire knowledge of the field distribution in both axial and radial directions; to this purpose, dielectric antennas with high directivity were used to sense the field intensities for different resonance modes. The good agreement between the experimental results and the theoretical predictions is carefully discussed     

Characterization of Multiwalled Carbon Nanotube (MWCNT) Composites in a Waveguide of Square Cross Section

Multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) composites are characterized within 8-10 GHz using a waveguide of square cross section. The complex permittivity is extracted and empirical expressions are obtained as a function of frequency by minimizing the difference between the measured and theoretical values of the scattering parameters. Composites with CNT concentrations ranging from 0%-20% are investigated. The square cross section of the waveguide allows for different orientations of samples to test the anisotropy of MWCNT composites.     

Quansi-optical mode converter for Ka-band application on a gyrotron

A series of electron cyclotron masers (ECMs) has been designed and successfully operated in the frequency range of 6 to 200 GHz over the past 10 years at Strathclyde University. The current Mk. VI ECM operated between 35–200 GHz, the TE _{0 1} ⁰ mode (35.2 GHz) being the lowest order cavity mode excited. Investigation of this ECM and quasi-optical converter combination was made to establish to what extent a Gaussian beam could be produced from the TE _{0 1} ⁰ gyrotron cavity mode. An antenna of the Vlasov (step-cut radiator) configuration was chosen and successfully developed in a series of low-power experiments up to the W-band frequency regime. The low-power experiments demonstrated that such an antenna system could be constructed and operated in the K_a-band frequency region without resorting to high precision quasi-optical components. The final version of the quasi-optical antenna was externally coupled to the output window of the maser and a plane polarized pencil beam was successfully obtained from the combined maser/Vlasov antenna mode converter. A theoretical model involving a single TE _0n ⁰ input mode was chosen to analyse the output beam characteristics from the Vlasov antenna system. Comparison was made between the single mode theoretical model and the experimental results obtained from the maser.     

Multi-band microwave photonic satellite repeater scheme employing intensity Mach-Zehnder modulators

To solve the satellite repeater's flexible and wideband frequency conversion problem, we propose a novel microwave photonic repeater system, which can convert the upload signal's carrier to six different frequencies. The scheme employs one 20 GHz bandwidth dual-drive Mach-Zehnder modulator (MZM) and two 10 GHz bandwidth MZMs. The basic principle of this scheme is filtering out two optical sidebands after the optical carrier suppression (OCS) modulation and combining two sidebands modulated by the input radio frequency (RF) signal. This structure can realize simultaneous multi-band frequency conversion with only one frequency-fixed microwave source and prevent generating harmful interference sidebands by using two corresponding optical filters after optical modulation. In the simulation, one C-band signal of 6 GHz carrier can be successfully converted to 12 GHz (Ku-band), 28 GHz, 34 GHz, 40 GHz, 46 GHz (Ka-band) and 52 GHz (V-band), which can be an attractive method to realize multi-band microwave photonic satellite repeater. Alternatively, the scheme can be configured to generate multi-band local oscillators (LOs) for widely satellite onboard clock distribution when the input RF signal is replaced by the internal clock source.     

Embedded microstrip interconnection lines for gigahertz digitalcircuits

Transmission line structures are needed for the high-performance interconnection lines of GHz integrated circuits (ICs) and multichip modules (MCMs), to minimize undesired electromagnetic wave phenomena and, therefore, to maximize the transmission bandwidth of the interconnection lines. In addition, correct and simple models of the interconnection lines are required for the efficient design and analysis of the circuits containing the interconnection lines. In this paper, we present electrical comparisons of three transmission line structures: conventional metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) and the embedded microstrip structures-embedded microstrip (EM) and inverted embedded microstrip (IEM). In addition, we propose closed-form expressions for the embedded microstrip structures EM and IEM and validate the expressions by comparing with empirical results based on S-parameter measurements and subsequent microwave network analysis. Test devices were fabricated using a 1-poly and 3-metal 0.6 μm Si process. The test devices contained the conventional MIS and the two embedded microstrip structures of different sizes. The embedded microstrip structures were shown to carry GHz digital signals with less loss and less dispersion than the conventional MIS line structures. S-parameter measurements of the test devices showed that the embedded microstrip structures could support the quasi-TEM mode propagation at frequencies above 2 GHz. On the other hand, the conventional MIS structure showed slow-wave mode propagation up to 20 GHz. More than 3-dB/mm difference of signal attenuation was observed between the embedded microstrip structures and the conventional MIS structure at 20 GHz. Finally, analytical RLCG transmission line models were developed and shown to agree well with the empirical models deduced from S-parameter measurements