Piezoelectric transducer controlled multiple beam phased array using microstrip Rotman lens

A simple and low-cost multiple beam phased array is designed using a microstrip Rotman lens and multi-line phase shifter controlled by a piezoelectric transducer (PET) at Ka-band. A microstrip Rotman lens with five beam ports and nine array ports is used as a feed for a multiple beam antenna array to generate five beams centered at the angles of 0/spl deg/, /spl plusmn/15/spl deg/, and /spl plusmn/30/spl deg/. The lens fed nine-element patch array shows the antenna gain of 10 dBi and sidelobe suppression of 10 dB. Each beam is steered over /spl plusmn/8/spl deg/ using two PET-controlled phase shifters, and the five beams cover /spl plusmn/38/spl deg/ from the broadside.     

Polarization-agile microstrip antenna array using a single phase-shift circuit

A novel polarization-agile microstrip antenna array is proposed, in which the polarization agility from linear to circular polarization for the whole array is realized easily by controlling a single phase-shift circuit. Using the corner-fed square patch element, a new 16 element dual-polarized array with high isolation and low cross-polarization is designed and analyzed by the extended multiport network method. A special FET phase shifter circuit is created, where 0/spl deg/ or 90/spl deg/ phase shift between dual ports is electrically switched. Experimental results are presented to verify the theory, and measured circularly-polarized radiation patterns show a boresight axial ratio of 0.5 dB. Another experiment that connects a low noise amplifier together with the phase-shift circuit is also introduced, realizing both polarization agility and power amplification with one active circuit.     

Design and performance of a new digital phase shifter at X-band

A new digital phase shifter design at X-band is presented. The phase shifter operates based on converting a microstrip line to a rectangular waveguide and thus achieving the phase shift by changing the wave propagation constant through the medium. As a proof of principle, a 3-b phase shifter has been designed and constructed using PIN diode switches. An average insertion loss of 1.95 dB and phase shift error of less than 4/spl deg/ at 10.6 GHz are achieved.     

Design of 6–18 GHz Wideband Phase Shifters Using Radial Stubs

A 6-18 GHz wideband phase shifter is proposed. This phase shifter consists of one Lange coupler, four radial stubs, and four switching diodes and bias circuits. Wideband phase shifting was achieved using two different pairs of radial stubs as the reflective loads of the Lange coupler. Four phase shifters of 11.25, 22.5, 45, and 90deg were fabricated and tested. Over the frequency band of 6-18 GHz, the measured maximum phase errors were plusmn2.2, 2.2, 3.6, and 5.5deg for the 11.25, 22.5, 45, and 90deg phase shifters, respectively     

Electromagnetic bandgap phased array antenna controlled by piezoelectric transducer

The optimal performance of a phased array antenna controlled by a piezoelectric transducer, having an electromagnetic bandgap (EBG) structure in the ground plane of the feed microstrip lines, is illustrated. The EBG presence increases by about 10/spl deg/ the beam scanning angle achieved by the multiline phase shifter.     

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.     

A Double Rhombus Antenna Fed by 180$^{circ}$ Phase Shifter for Ultrawideband Phased Array Applications

A double rhombus antenna fed through a microstrip 180deg phase shifter is presented. The 180deg phase shifter is a novel design of microstrip-to-coplanar waveguide (CPW)-to-microstrip transition. The proposed phase shifter is obtained without changing the layer of the second microstrip line for an easy embedding into the feedline. Via holes are used to transfer the current from the top to the bottom substrate layer and vice versa. The antenna with the phase shifter is operating in a wide bandwidth from 5.7 and 18.6 GHz (106%), and provides stable endfire radiation patterns. This design is tested in a modified two-element array configuration and proved to have a wide usable bandwidth.     

Low-cost nonplanar microstrip-line ferrite phase shifter utilizing circular polarization

A low-cost microwave ferrite phase shifter is proposed in this paper. The phase shifter is comprised of three parallel nonplanar microstrip lines separated from a ground plane by a substrate containing a ferrite rod/slab. The amount of phase shift between the input and output ports is determined by the strength of the magnetic bias field applied to the ferrite. A three-way power divider was designed to feed the microstrip lines with different magnitudes and phases. By combining the effects of the nonplanar geometry and the phase offsets introduced by the feed network, circularly polarized waves can be produced in the ferrite. These waves strongly interact with the biased ferrite resulting in a large phase shift over a short distance-90/spl deg//cm based on current simulation results. This device will be best suited for use in high-gain phased-array radar systems.     

Broadband 180/spl deg/ bit phase shifter using a /spl lambda//2 coupled line and parallel /spl lambda//8 stubs

In this paper, a broadband 180/spl deg/ bit phase shifter using a new switched-network was presented. The new network is composed of a /spl lambda//2 coupled line and parallel /spl lambda//8 open and short stubs, which are shunted at the edge points of a coupled line, respectively. According to a desired phase shift, it provides a controllable phase dispersive characteristic by the proper determination of Z/sub m/,Z/sub s/, and R values. The 180/spl deg/ bit phase shifter operated at 3 GHz was fabricated and experimented using design graphs which provide the required Z/sub m/,Z/sub s/ values, and I/O match and phase bandwidths. The experimental performances showed broadband characteristics.     

Phase-agile branch-line couplers using metamaterial lines

Two branch-line couplers are introduced that utilize a combination of regular microstrip (MS) and negative-refractive-index (NRI) lines. Interesting phase compensation (0/spl deg/ phase shift) at the output port and a choice of /spl plusmn/90/spl deg/ phase shift at the through port, with respect to the input, are possible. On the other hand, one of the dimensions of the coupler is significantly reduced, compared to a corresponding conventional branch-line coupler, but without any bandwidth degradation.     

A 2-bit miniature X-band MEMS phase shifter

The design and performance of a compact low-loss X-band true-time-delay (TTD) MEMS phase shifter fabricated on 8-mil GaAs substrate is described. A semi-lumped approach using microstrip transmission lines and metal-insulator-metal (MIM) capacitors is employed for the delay lines in order to both reduce circuit size as well as avoid the high insertion loss found in typical miniaturized designs. The 2-bit phase shifter achieved an average insertion loss of -0.70 dB at 9.45 GHz, and an associated phase accuracy of /spl plusmn/1.3/spl deg/. It occupies an area of only 5 mm/sup 2/, which is 44% the area of the smallest known X-band MEMS phase shifter . The phase shifter operates over 6-14 GHz with a return loss of better than -14 dB.     

Circular polarised microstrip patch antennas for broadband and dual-band operation

A novel design of microstrip patch antennas for circular polarisation (CP) is proposed. As an example, two CP patch antennas are investigated: a broadband CP patch antenna and a dual-band CP patch antenna. The proposed structure can be achieved by embedding circular holes in the microstrip circular resonator. By changing the size and position of loaded holes, two orthogonal modes are simultaneously excited with equal amplitude and /spl plusmn/90/spl deg/ out of phase. Without any 90/spl deg/ phase-shifter, the proposed CP patch antennas are excited by single feed.     

A design of wideband 3-dB coupler with N-section microstrip tandem structure

New design equations and a 3-dB microstrip coupler example for N-section tandem connected structure with wide bandwidth are presented. The proposed four-port S-parameters and equations are obtained from a port reduction method. The designed microstrip 3-dB coupler not only does not need high impedance lines, but also uses tight coupling gaps differently from conventional couplers such as Lange couplers, parallel coupled line couplers, etc. The measured data agrees well with the expected data, which show a wide bandwidth of 42%, an amplitude imbalance of /spl plusmn/0.5 dB, a phase unbalance of 1.0/spl deg/, and isolation characteristics of 15 dB at the band of 3.6 to 5.5 GHz.     

Hybrid ring coupler for W-band MMIC applications using MEMS technology

The hybrid ring coupler was designed and fabricated on a GaAs substrate using surface micromachining techniques, which adopted dielectric-supported air-gapped microstrip line (DAML) structure. The fabrication process of DAML is compatible with the standard monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) techniques, and the hybrid ring coupler can be simply integrated into a plane-structural MMIC. The fabricated hybrid ring coupler shows wideband characteristics of the coupling loss of 3.57 /spl plusmn/ 0.22dB and the transmission loss of 3.80 /spl plusmn/ 0.08dB across the measured frequency range of 85 to 105GHz. The isolation characteristics and output phase differences are -34dB and 180/spl plusmn/1/spl deg/, at 94GHz, respectively.     

A new Millimeter-wave printed dipole phased array antenna using microstrip-fed coplanar stripline tee junctions

A new millimeter-wave printed twin dipole phased array antenna is developed at Ka band using a new microstrip-fed CPS tee junction, which does not require any bonding wires, air bridges, or via holes. The phased array used a piezoelectric transducer (PET) controlled tunable multitransmission line phase shifter to accomplish a progressive phase shift. A progressive phase shift of 88.8/spl deg/ is achieved with the 5 mm of perturber length when the PET has full deflection. Measured return loss of the twin dipole antenna is better than 10 dB from 29.5 to 30.35 GHz. Measured return loss of better than 15 dB is achieved from 30 to 31.5 GHz for a 1/spl times/8 phased array. The phased array antenna has a measured antenna gain of 14.4 dBi with 42/spl deg/ beam scanning and has more than 11 dB side lobe suppression across the scan.     

A Novel Miniature 1–22 GHz 90° MMIC Phase Shifter with Microstrip Radial Stubs

A novel miniature ultra wide bandwidth 90 monolithic microwave integrated circuit phase shifter with microstrip radial stubs operated from 1 to 22 GHz is presented. The phase shifter exhibits a high performance. Within the whole bandwidth from 1 to 22 GHz, the phase error of the phase shifter is less than 3deg, the return losses of the different phase shift states are more than 14 dB, the insertion loss of all phase shift states are within 3.3plusmn0.5 dB. The chip size of this phase shifter is 1.4 mm times 1.8 mm times 0.1 mm. The proposed phase shifter can be compatible with different polarity control signals without the need of drivers and can also be compatible with either analogue or digital control signals.     

Improved broadband dumb-bell-shaped phase shifter using multi-section stubs

A broadband dumb-bell-shaped 45deg phase shifter is presented using a new design comprised of open-circuit and short-circuit multi-section stubs. A wideband phase shifter operating over the frequency range 2-6 GHz was designed and fabricated for verification purposes. It was measured to have a bandwidth of about 100% for a maximum phase deviation of plusmn3.2deg, and maximum insertion loss of 2.1 dB.     

Photodiode-integrated microstrip antenna array for subterahertz radiation

The radiation characteristics of subterahertz (sub-THz) electromagnetic waves emitted from an antenna array integrated with photodiodes are investigated. The element of the fabricated array antenna was a 300-GHz microstrip antenna integrating a uni-traveling carrier photodiode. It was observed that the beamwidth of a 3 /spl times/ 1 antenna array is about half that of the single microstrip antenna. We also confirmed that the radiation direction changed by 20/spl deg/ when 2/spl pi//5 of phase difference was added to the input optical signal for each antenna element. These results demonstrated that sub-THz waves emitted by each element of the array were coherently superimposed and the power combining of the sub-THz radiation occurred in the microstrip antenna array. The measured output power of each radiation element is about 120 /spl mu/W, and a total output power of 1 mW can be estimated for a fabricated 3 /spl times/ 3 array in an ideal radiation condition.     

An affordable millimeter-wave beam-steerable antenna using interleaved planar subarrays

Design and fabrication aspects of an affordable planar beam steerable antenna array with a simple architecture are considered in this paper. Grouping the elements of a phased array into a number of partially overlapped subarrays and using a single phase shifter for each subarray, generally results in a considerable reduction in array size and manufacturing costs. However, overlapped subarrays require complicated corporate feed networks and array architectures that cannot be easily implemented using planar technologies. In this paper a novel feed network and array architecture for implementing a planar phased array of microstrip antennas is presented that enables the fabrication of low-sidelobe, compact, beam-steerable millimeter-wave arrays and facilitates integration of the RF front-end electronics with the antenna structure. This design uses a combination of series and parallel feeding schemes to achieve the desired array coefficients. The proposed approach is used to design a three-state switched-beam phased array with a scanning width of /spl plusmn/10/spl deg/. This phased array which is composed of 80 microstrip elements, achieves a gain of >20 dB, a sidelobe level of <-19 dB and a 10-dB bandwidth of >6.3% for all states of the beam. The antenna efficiency is measured at 33-36% in X band. It is shown that the proposed feeding scheme is insensitive to the mutual coupling among the elements.     

High Average Power S-Band Digital Phase Shifter

A 100-kW-peak Z-kW-average-power liquid-cooled ferrite digital phase shifter has been constructed using beryllia cooling of the ferrite toroid to meet single axis scanned array requirements. The phase-shift cross section external to the ferrite toroids is completely filled with the beryllia. Experiments indicate that the maximum temperature rise in the ferrite is no greater than 45/spl deg/ C. In tests using flux drive to 2 kW, the phase shifter exhibits a maximum phase drift of /spl plusmn/ 6/spl deg/ for 90/spl deg/ differential phase shift. The differential phase shift versus frequency varies less than /spl plusmn/ 0.5/spl deg/ for a 3-percent bandwidth.