In this paper, we describe the design, layout, and performance of a 6-bit TTD (true time delay) chip operating over the entire band of 2–18 GHz. The 1.15 mm2 chip is implemented using TSMC foundry 65 nm technology. The least significant bit is 1 ps. The design is based on the concept of all-pass network with some modifications intended to reduce the number of unit cells. Thus, the first three bits are implemented in a single delay cell. A peaking buffer amplifier between bit 4 and bit 5 is used for impedance matching and partial compensation of the insertion loss slope. The rms delay error of the TTD is <1 ps over most of the frequency band and insertion loss is between 2.5 and 6.3 dB for all 64 states.

This paper investigates the frequency response of load modulation networks for asymmetric Doherty power amplifiers (ADPA) with an output back-off power level larger than 6 dB and a power ratio of peak to main amplifier (N − 1) larger than 1. The influence of the main path impedance transformer (IT) on the Doherty impedances at main and peak path as well as on the ADPA's efficiency is analyzed. Scaling of the main IT's characteristic impedance via ξ indicates a maximum broadband matching for an input voltage Vin of ξ · Vin,max. By weighting the frequency- and ξ-dependent efficiency curves using a probability density function (PDF), an optimum is obtained for ξ = 1/N. To verify the theory, three ADPAs with different ξ-scaled ITs are designed, measured, and compared. For the design at 3.6 GHz, a gallium nitride (GaN) transistor is used. By means of the intrinsic node matching technique, matching at the current source plane is obtained. In laboratory measurements, the ADPA with ξ = 1/N achieves a power-added efficiency (PAE) of 63% at 42 dBm output power and a PDF-weighted average PAE of 38.8% within 400 MHz bandwidth for 8 dB peak-to-average power ratio. Comparison with similar state-of-the-art ADPAs in GaN technology shows highest PAE and operation power gain GP for center frequencies larger than 3.0 GHz.

In this paper, a leaky-wave antenna (LWA) with wide scanning angle and low cross-polarization is proposed based on a T-type folded substrate-integrated waveguide (FSIW). Transverse slots with a sinusoidal distribution pattern are etched on the surface of the FSIW so that transmission lines with slow-wave characteristics can excite and radiate −1 order harmonics. The length of the transverse slot affects the dispersion characteristics of the transmission line, and the sinusoidal modulation period controls the operating range of the LWA. In the frequency range of 8.3–15 GHz, the proposed LWA achieves a wide scanning ranging from backward −42° to forward +68° continuously. The cross-polarization of the beam is also kept at less than −30 dB during this scanning. A prototype is fabricated and measured to confirm the design, and the measured results show an agreement with the simulated one.

Based on a substrate integrated lens (SIL), a compact line source generator (LSG) for feeding continuous transverse stub (CTS) arrays with linear-polarized (LP) beam scanning and dual-polarized (DP) operations is presented in this paper. The SIL consists of metamaterial cells with different sizes being arranged as concentric annulus and is printed on the center surface of two substrate layers. The SIL can convert the cylindrical wave generated by the feed probe of SIW-horn to the planar wave for feeding the CTS array. This rotationally symmetric SIL can be used conveniently to design LSG for feeding CTS arrays with the continuous beam scanning and DP operations, which has been verified by the fabrications and measurements. By simply rotating the SIW-horn along the edge of SIL, the 10-element LP-CTS array obtains a measured beam scanning range of ±35° with the highest gain of 20.6 dBi. By setting two orthogonal SIW-horns at the edge of the proposed SIL, the nine-element DP-CTS array with orthogonal radiation stubs is excited. The DP array obtains the gain of 20.3 dBi at the center frequency with the isolation of 28 dB and the cross-polarization level <−25 dB.

In this work, a new structure for the implementation of inline pseudoelliptic waveguide filters using non-resonating modes, based on asymmetric iris coupled transverse rectangular ridge resonators has been proposed. The basic structure is comprised of a ridge that is always centered and transverse to the waveguide center axis and has the ability to create a transmission zero (TZ) above or below the passband without involving any rotation of the ridge, thus enabling quicker design of the resulting filters by allowing the use of more efficient analysis tools like FEST3D, in addition to the more general purpose methods like HFSS. A centered ridge enables the ease of manufacturing through machining. The proposed structure makes use of rectangular waveguide's dominant TE10 mode as a non-resonating mode to create an alternate energy path from source to load, thus realizing a TZ, while the asymmetric irises excite the ridge resonator, enabling the overall structure to act as a singlet capable of producing both a pole and a TZ. A third-order filter with one TZ and a fifth-order filter with two TZs have been designed and manufactured. Measured results show good consistency with the simulated data, validating the viability of the proposed structure.

In this paper, a wideband quadrature hybrid coupler is presented. The proposed structure has a multi-layer microstrip topology. In this topology, there are three substrate layers including prepreg material and four conductive layers. In order to achieve equal power division between through and coupled arms of the directional coupler while maintaining a 90° phase shift, aperture coupling between the resonators located at both top and bottom layers is utilized. So as to avoid any unwanted effects of prepreg material in such multilayer topology, via shielding around resonators are inserted. In this study, coupling from input ports to output ports is accomplished by the shielded butterfly shaped slot etched to the ground layer of top and bottom layers. The proposed design operates within 3–12 GHz. The acquired phase imbalance between the coupled ports is <±2.5°. The results of the manufactured quadrature hybrid coupler agree well with the simulated results.

An Nth-order tunable bandpass filter (BPF) structure with extended passband bandwidth has been proposed in this paper based on the novel tunable resonator and coupling structure. The designed tunable resonator is composed of two coupled lines and one varactor diode, while the presented tunable coupling structure is constructed by two cascaded transmission lines and one short-circuited varactor diode. Moreover, the even-(odd-) method and lumped-element equivalent circuit are employed to analyze the operating mechanisms of the designed Nth-order tunable BPF. Specifically, the frequency tuning range is determined by the characteristic impedance and electrical length of coupled line when the varactor diode is within the fixed tuning range. Then, the design procedure for the Nth-order tunable BPFs is proposed. To demonstrate the presented idea, the second- and third-order fully tunable BPFs have been designed and simulated. Finally, a second-order tunable BPF with the compact size of 0.03λg × 0.13λg has been fabricated and measured, and the measured center frequencies are ranging from 0.91 to 1.46 GHz with the passband bandwidths wider than 11.2%.

Realizing packaged state-of-the-art performance of monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs) operating at millimeter wavelengths presents significant challenges in terms of electrical interface circuitry and physical construction. For instance, even with the aid of modern electromagnetic simulation tools, modeling the interaction between the MMIC and its package embedding circuit can lack the necessary precision to achieve optimum device performance. Physical implementation also introduces inaccuracies and requires iterative interface component substitution that can produce variable results, is invasive and risks damaging the MMIC. This paper describes a novel method for in situ optimization of packaged millimeter-wave devices using a pulsed ultraviolet laser to remove pre-selected areas of interface circuit metallization. The method was successfully demonstrated through the optimization of a 183 GHz low noise amplifier destined for use on the MetOp-SG meteorological satellite series. An improvement in amplifier output return loss from an average of 12.9 dB to 22.7 dB was achieved across an operational frequency range of 175–191 GHz and the improved circuit reproduced. We believe that our in situ tuning technique can be applied more widely to planar millimeter-wave interface circuits that are critical in achieving optimum device performance.

Modern space communication systems often need high-power low-frequency (UHF, L-, S-, and C-band) low-pass filters (LPFs) with wide stopbands extending to Ka-band and beyond. Current design approaches frequently fail to meet these requirements completely. This paper proposes a new coaxial LPF concept and design methodology. The LPF consists of an array of cavity elements, which operate with transverse electromagnetic mode (TEM) and transverse magnetic (TM)-coupled resonances, and thus achieve a frequency response with a reflection zero at DC and transmission zeroes at targeted stopband locations. The design method is based on positioning the cavities in a quasi-periodic order, which efficiently spreads the transmission zeroes over the stopband, while keeping the characteristic impedance matched to the input/output interfaces over the passband. This design concept yields an ultra-wide, continuous and modal spurious-free stopband, while maintaining a low insertion loss, high peak power capacity, and low sensitivity to production tolerances.

The development of a millimeter-wave transparent antenna integrated inside a headlamp for automotive radar application is presented. The antenna consists of two radiating elements: the primary and secondary ones. The primary antenna is the one that is fabricated on RF PCB material (e.g., patch, slot, sectoral horn) and connected directly to the transceiver chip, while the secondary antenna is made of optically transparent materials such as glass, but with a optical transparent electrically conductive coating, well known as transparent conductive oxide (TCO). This antenna is realized as a planar offset reflector to collimate and shape the incoming wave from the primary antenna. This reflector is designed based on the Fresnel theory and the reflectarray concept. The division of the primary and secondary antenna enables the placement of the radar module (that contains the primary antenna) at the base of the headlamp, and therefore it is concealed from the surroundings and hidden from the optical path of the light. The secondary antenna is inserted in the space between the headlamp cover and the light unit. The main challenge here is to provide a maximum on transparency in the visible range of the spectrum with a specially designed and laser-based generated microstructure for the resonant reflection of the radar wavelength. An antenna demonstrator has been fabricated, and together with the headlamp cover, the radiation pattern and realized gain are measured. We reported here the measurement results for several reflector designs and concluded that the headlamp cover gives minimal influence on the antenna performance.

A 16-element coplanar waveguide series fed hexagonal array antenna is proposed at millimeter-wave frequency range. In this paper, the analysis is initiated from a single-element hexagonal patch then extended to 1×2 array, 1×4 array, and 4×4 series fed hexagonal patch array antennas. The idea behind this design is to improve fractional bandwidth stage-wise with improved gain maintaining constant efficiency with all the structures. The 16-element array antenna is fabricated on Rogers RT Duriod 5880™ substrate with ɛr = 2.2 and 0.508 mm thickness. This array antenna exhibits low return loss at 28 GHz with a reflection coefficient value of −31.02 dB including almost 102% radiation efficiency and attained a maximum gain value of 8.98 dBi. The results are quite comparable with simulated 4×4 array antenna using the HFSS tool. The size of the proposed antenna is quite small which will be best suited for 5 G Femtobase stations to provide indoor communications at millimeter-wave frequencies.

In this paper, an antenna with 8 GHz (7–15 GHz) bandwidth is designed, simulated, fabricated, and measured. Commonly, for the effective use of electromagnetic sources, mode converters are used to transform donut-shaped patterns to directive patterns. This paper introduces a novel antenna called the pattern director antenna (PDA) that solves most problems associated with the azimuthally symmetric output modes of high-power microwave sources. The PDA accepts directly (without the need for mode conversion) an azimuthally symmetric generated mode of an electromagnetic source and converts it to radiate a directive pattern. For the proof of concept and validation of the design by simulations, the 3D printing technology [using polylactic acid (PLA)] is used to fabricate the PDA and measure its radiation patterns and return loss. The selected material is cheap and also environmentally friendly. The antenna was coated with aluminum to become a conductor. The gain is from 16.8 to 21.8 dB in the frequency range. The S11, main lobe deviation (MLD), and sidelobe level (SLL) are less than −15 dB, 2°, and −7 dB, in all frequency range, respectively. The simulation results are in good agreement with the measurement.

In this paper, we present a linear to circular polarization converter integrated in a concrete structure to eliminate signal transmission problem originated from the concrete buildings in microwave regime. Two polarization converter samples and a control specimen made by traditional concrete are designed and their signal transmission responses are compared experimentally. Axial ratio values which can be calculated by the ratio between the co-polar transmission and cross-polar transmission results of the proposed samples are below 3 dB and highly sufficient for linear to circular polarization conversion activity. The operating frequency for the proposed sample 1 is between 6 and 6.5 GHz with 500 MHz of bandwidth. The proposed sample 2 exhibits dual-band operation covering frequency bands, 4.58–5.13 and 6.0–6.4 GHz with bandwidths of 550 and 400 MHz, respectively. Operating frequencies of the samples are in the WIMAX frequency bands. In addition, the liner to circular polarization converter design integrated to concrete has a huge potential to improve reflection and directivity parameters of many antennas if it is considered as a radome.

This paper presents a miniaturized tri- and quad-band power divider (PD)based on substrate integrated waveguide (SIW). By adopting different types of modified circular complementary split-ring resonators on the top surface of SIW, multiple passbands are generated propagating below the SIW cut-off frequency. The working principle is based on evanescent mode propagation that decreases the operating frequency of the PD and helps in the miniaturization of the proposed structure. The operating frequency of the proposed PD can be individually controlled by changing the dimensions of the resonator. To verify the proposed concept, a tri-band and a quad-band PD exhibiting 3 dB equal power division at 2.41/3.46/4.65 GHz and 2.42/3.78/4.74/5.8 GHz are designed using the full-wave simulator, validated through circuit model, fabricated and experimentally verified. The measured results agree well with the simulations. The proposed PDs have good performance in terms of reasonable insertion loss, isolation, minimum amplitude and phase imbalance, smaller footprint, easy fabrication and integration. The size of the fabricated prototype is 18.3 mm × 8.4 mm, which corresponds to 0.205λg × 0.094λg, λg being the guided wavelength at the first operating frequency.

Large-signal modeling of Gallium Nitride (GaN) based high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) demands a proper description of trapping effects. In this paper, a new, simplified yet accurate drain-lag description is proposed, enhancing the simulation accuracy and the extraction flow of the physics-based compact model ASM-HEMT. The present study investigates the impact of drain lag on specific physical phenomena, focusing on the relation between trap states, surface-potential calculations, and electron transport properties. It is supplemented with a revised extraction procedure, minimizing the required measurements, thereby the undesired consequences of several passes on the same device, using pulsed I-V and pulsed S-parameters only, and approaches for efficient and accurate simulation results. We show that the proposed trap model is a determinative tool for simulating both small and large-signal behavior predicting precisely S-parameters and load-pull performance.

In this paper, we present a miniaturized ultra-wideband (UWB) bandpass filter (BPF) with multiple transmission zeros (TZs), which is based on transition technology of microstrip with short-circuited coplanar waveguide (CPW). The ground plane of the BPF contains a multiple mode resonator (MMR)-based CPW which is capacitively linked through the dielectric to two open-circuited microstrip lines on the top. The MMR is initially designed to allocate its lowest three resonant modes quasi-equally inside the designated UWB spectrum (3.1–10.6 GHz). This is followed by optimization of microstrip lines to provide a good broadband response possessing minimum insertion loss, two TZs at the lower and upper passband edges that improve selectivity and a wide stopband with appreciable attenuation. Later, multiple-folded split ring resonators are coupled to the BPF to inject dual passband TZs. The predicted theory in simulation is verified against measured result and is found to be in good agreement. The prototype covers a substrate area of only 14.6 × 9.2 mm2.

Despite the great progress in data transmission systems using dielectric waveguides (DWGs) in the millimeter-wave (mm-wave) frequency band (30–300 GHz), the signal distortions caused by DWGs have not yet been fully understood. However, such investigations would help to optimize DWGs as a transmission channel in order to further increase data rate and transmission distance of such systems without the need for more complex transceivers. Therefore, this paper presents a detailed study of the expected signal distortions caused by frequency-dependent attenuation and frequency-dependent group delay of circular DWGs at mm-wave frequencies. Based on a low-complexity digital transmission system, the effects of DWGs on the signal-to-noise ratio and the intersymbol interference at the receiver are evaluated. The figures and equations given in this paper allow the reader to easily calculate the channel properties and signal distortions for a wide range of circular DWGs without the need of finite element method solver or other time-consuming numerical simulations. Finally, design recommendations are given to minimize signal distortions for transmitting signals along DWGs.

Semiconductor deposition on magnetron's cathode surface using different materials such as gallium nitride (GaN) and silicon carbide (SiC) semiconductors is conducted to grow approximately 80, 100 and 120 nm plasma layers. The cathode is then used to generate high frequency and low-power microwave for further comparison and analysis with the conventional magnetron operation. Parameter of analysis to identify the efficiency includes electron drift velocity, harmonic order, total harmonic distortion, low harmonic distortion, and spectrum observation. The sputtered cathode of the magnetron is used to generate a low-power microwave observing a generator efficiency up to 93 and 88% for GaN and SiC materials, respectively, compared to the conventional material, which observes 37% of efficiency at 2450 MHz, 5 W. Also reported is the quality of semiconductor sputtering on the magnetron cathode, which was manipulated by the deposition period, temperature, and plasma layer growth thickness.