Abstract: A means of connecting a plurality of essentially identical active devices is presented for the purpose of multifunction and multiple function operation. These devices, mounted on a chip, are flip-mounted onto a circuit formed on a base substrate and having large passive elements. Push-pull amplifiers are presented as examples in which the multiple function operation is the combining of amplifiers whose active devices are on a single chip. Electromagnetic coupling, impedance matching and signal transmission are variously provided by the use of strip lines, slotlines, coplanar waveguides, and a slotline converted into a coplanar waveguide.

Abstract: An antenna support structure has a base for mounting on a pole clamp. The position of the pole clamp on a pole is adjusted by use of a removable installation tool. The installation tool comprises front and back tool clamp plates that are frictionally secured about the pole by fasteners. One or more adjustment tools may be mounted on the tool clamp plates and interact with the pole clamp and the antenna support structure so as to effect movement of the pole clamp and the antenna relative to the installation tool and the pole. Movement of the pole clamp and the antenna relative to the pole allows an operator to finely tune the azimuth and/or elevation angles of the antenna which is mounted on the pole clamp.

Abstract: A high frequency circuit structure including a base substrate having a planar face, a first base slotline mounted on the base substrate face and consisting of first and second, spaced-apart coplanar base conductors, and a circuit chip flip-mounted on the base substrate. The circuit chip include a chip substrate having a planar face facing the planar face of the base substrate. A slotline resident on the chip is flip mounted onto the base slotline. Input and output connections made according to the invention can be used to provide connections to an intermediate circuit resident on either the chip or the base substrate. A second chip slotline may be electrically in series or parallel with the first chip slotline.

Abstract: First and second spaced-apart planar circuit ground conductors are formed on a base substrate. Multiple stages of an amplifier each have a field effect transistor (FET) flip mounted onto the substrate. A signal-return line couples the sources of the FETs together and functions as a radio frequency (RF) grounds for the amplifier. Direct-current-blocking coplanar couplers couple the amplifier input and output to external circuits. A single voltage supply applies a bias voltage to the drains of the FETs. A source resistance device couples each source terminal to circuit ground. The source resistance devices may be formed of two series-connected resistors. The gate of each FET is coupled to one of the circuit ground conductors through one of the source resistors. The other source resistor thereby provides a gate-to-source voltage for biasing the FET.

Abstract: A trough waveguide antenna that has a septum and opposing bases and side walls. In one embodiment, the bases are undulated and asymmetrically disposed about the septum. The magnitude, periodicity and length, etc., of the undulations may be varied for performance. The configuration of the septum may be similarly varied. Other mechanisms for achieving energy radiation are also disclosed as are cost effective fabrication techniques.

Abstract: A coplanar band pass filter having a centerline formed of at least first and second serially arranged conducting segments which are separated by a gap. The centered segments are flanked by a resonator for coupling return current from the first and second segments. Conducting members that may include conductive strips or conductive planes are respectively provided on opposing sides of the resonator and centerline. Band pass elements may be provided in the conductive strips or planes to reduce or eliminate spurious pass band frequencies.

Abstract: A slot line band pass filter formed on a dielectric substrate. In one embodiment, the filter includes input and output positive and negative signal conductors and resonators for coupling a signal of a desired frequency between input and output conductors. Various resonator arrangements are disclosed. In another embodiment, a filter having a resonator connected to and disposed between positive and negative conductors is taught. In yet other embodiments, filters having loop resonators are disclosed.

Abstract: Two or three conductor coplanar transmission lines and lossy coplanar resistive films are formed on a surface of a substrate. The resistive film dimensions and resistivity are selected to suppress various spurious electromagnetic modes within and around the substrate. The resistive films may be positioned along the outer edges of the transmission lines or between the transmission line conductors. The resistive film may have regular spaced openings for producing an average resistivity different than that of a continuous resistive film. In one embodiment, a signal conductor has a serpentine shape and resistive film elements are positioned between adjacent sections of the signal conductor. In another embodiment, interdigitated resistive film elements extend between transmission line conductors.

Abstract: A transition is provided for interfacing a coplanar waveguide with a three dimensional microwave waveguide. The transition includes three coplanar conductors that are formed integrally with and extend from the coplanar waveguide. The transition extends into the microwave waveguide through a slot, with the plane of the transition being perpendicular to the direction of propagation of the electric field in the waveguide. The center conductor of the transition is a patch whose width increases. The other two conductors are attached to the side conductors of the coplanar waveguide and to the exterior of the waveguide. They flank the patch and have curved edges complementary to those of the patch. The gaps are initially narrow, and become wider gradually. Further, as each guide steers the electric field while changing direction by 90.degree., it rotates the orientation of the electric field vector by the same amount.

Abstract: First and second slotlines are mounted on an electrically insulating substrate having a planar face with a connection region. Each slotline has first and second, spaced-apart coplanar conductors that extend into the connection region. A fifth, ground conductor, also mounted on the substrate face, is spaced from and coplanar with the first and second slotlines and has a proximal portion in the connection region. A chip circuit includes first and second field-effect transistors (FETs) flip mounted in the connection region to all five conductors. The gates of the FETs are connected to the first slotline for receiving an input signal. The drains are connected to the second slotline for outputting the signal amplified by the transistors. The sources of the FETs are connected to the fifth conductor. This general configuration can be modified for use as an amplifier, oscillator, frequency multiplier or mixer.

Abstract: First and second slotlines are mounted on an electrically insulating substrate having a planar face with a connection region. Each slotline has first and second, spaced-apart coplanar conductors that extend into the connection region. A fifth, ground conductor, also mounted on the substrate face, is spaced from and coplanar with the first and second slotlines and has a proximal portion in the connection region. A chip circuit includes first and second field-effect transistors (FETs) flip mounted in the connection region to all five conductors. The gates of the FETs are connected to the first slotline for receiving an input signal. The drains are connected to the second slotline for outputting the signal amplified by the transistors. The sources of the FETs are connected to the fifth conductor. This general configuration can be modified for use as an amplifier, oscillator, frequency multiplier or mixer.

Abstract: An improved reflector antenna with far improved return loss than prior art subreflector antennas is disclosed herein. The invention uses a circular waveguide antenna feed employing a non-planar, subreflector having a radial cavity which reflects the energy from the waveguide onto a rotationally symmetrical main reflector. The dimensions of the feed tube, the subflector, and the connection between them are chosen to make the total reflection back into the feed tube very close to zero. The dimensions of the antenna feed are also chosen such that its radiation pattern has an amplitude null along the antenna feed axis. This further improves return loss by minimizing the amount of energy from the main reflector that gets directed back into the feed tube. An alternate embodiment features a feed radiation pattern with an asymmetric amplitude taper for improvement of the sidelobe envelope in a preferred plane.

Abstract: An improved subreflector antenna with lower sidelobes than prior art subreflector antennas is disclosed herein. A tapered, anisotropic, corrugated subreflector is attached to a waveguide and located at the focus of a near-parabolic deep dish main reflector. The subreflector has corrugations of varying depth. The varying depths of the corrugations result in varying reactance, or reactance taper, of the subreflector. This taper is designed in such a manner to guide or steer the energy from the antenna feed to the main reflector in such a manner as to help assure sharply reduced sidelobes. Further, the subreflector is physically shaped so as to further steer or guide the energy in the desired direction. The deep geometry of the main reflector allows the reduced sized subreflector to be positioned within the rim of the main reflector such that the combination can be covered by a flat radome.

Abstract: A radio-frequency power amplifier includes a multiple-FET chip that is flip-mounted on a connection region of a substrate. An input impedance-matching network is also mounted on the substrate. The network includes a coplanar waveguide having an elongate waveguide signal conductor for each gate terminal on the FET chip with a distal end spaced from the connection region and a proximal end in the connection region. The distal ends are connected to a single base input conductor. The proximal ends are flip-mounted to respective ones of gate terminals of the FET chip. A capacitor couples each of the input signal conductor distal ends to an adjacent ground conductor. The signal conductors and capacitors provide a selected impedance at a selected frequency. The capacitors may be on a separate chip flip-mounted to the coplanar transmission line conductors, and may be formed as coplanar waveguides with open-ended signal conductors or as overlay capacitors.

Abstract: A flared trough waveguide antenna capable of being used at high microwave and millimeter wave frequencies is disclosed herein. The antenna includes a conductive trough having first and second ends, a bottom surface, and first and second opposing side surfaces electrically coupled to the bottom surface. A conductive fin is electrically coupled to the bottom surface between the first and second opposing side surfaces. The bottom surface includes a first planar portion between the conductive fin and the first side surface, and a second planar portion between the conductive fin and the second side surface. The conductive trough may be induced to radiate electromagnetic energy by introducing an offset between the first and second planar portions with respect to the plane of the conductive fin. The antenna further includes first and second flared surfaces, respectively coupled to the first and second side surfaces, for directing electromagnetic energy radiated by the flared trough waveguide antenna.

Abstract: A means of connecting a plurality of essentially identical active devices is presented for the purpose of multifunction and multiple function operation. These devices, mounted on a chip, are flip-mounted to a circuit motherboard having large passive elements. A push-pull amplifier is presented as an example in which the multiple function operation is the combining of amplifiers whose active devices are on a single chip. The electromagnetic coupling, impedance matching and signal transmission are variously provided by the use of striplines, slotlines, coplanar waveguides, and a slotline converted into a coplanar waveguide.

Abstract: An antenna base has a holding structure for installing an antenna directly thereon. The base also has a base plate with an axis perpendicular to the axis of an installed antenna. An antenna mounting plate is suitable for having the base plate affixed to it. The antenna mounting plate is supported relative to a pole clamp by a spherical shell. The mounting plate, exposed through an opening in the shell, is supported for rotating about a horizontal axis passing through the plate to provide for elevation angle adjustment. Locking screws are used to secure the adjusted elevation angle. The pole clamp has a pair of axially spaced tracks that define an arcuate path that extends circumferentially around at least a portion of the clamp. The shell is held in position adjacent to the clamp by two pairs of guide elements in a way that allows the shell to move along the arcuate path.

Abstract: Mixers assemblies including mixer cells, baluns, quadrature mixers and image reject mixers, etc. The mixer cell may contain CPW strip RF input and slot line strip LO input. LO signal return is provided through a flip-chip mounted to a mixer contact area and the CPW RF input is preferably coupled to the contact area through a distributed or flip-chip mounted capacitor. The use of two mixer cells in novel embodiments of quadrature and image reject mixers is disclosed. CPW to slot line power dividing baluns for use within and without such mixers are also disclosed.

Abstract: An oscillator circuit having a flip chip metalization pattern and base substrate metalization pattern is defined such that a common-drain oscillator is configured with the common drain interposed between the source and gate terminals, providing an effective RF common reference with reduced parasitic inductance elements which otherwise degrade oscillator power and phase noise at high frequencies. Multiple sets of such patterns on the substrate and such three-terminal devices on the flip chip are arranged such that conductor patterns on the substrate connecting separately from the gates and the sources of the multiple devices to the common-drain reference are easily configured into separable tuning (or resonator) and feedback circuits. A common-drain oscillator having an interdigitated capacitor coplanar cavity resonator circuit as the gate input circuit having reduced distributed inductance is realized utilizing the interposed common-drain connections provided thereby.

Abstract: An active device, such as a field effect transistor ("FET"), converts microwave signals between a slot transmission line ("slotline") and a coplanar waveguide ("CPW") In slotline-to-CPW conversion using one or more FETs, a gate connection is made to one or both of the slotline conductors. A drain connection is made to the center conductor on the CPW. Two FET source terminals are connected respectively to each CPW ground strip and may be coupled to a slotline conductor. The active device can be reconnected so as to reverse the input and output, providing for conversion of signals from CPW to slotline. Conversion between balanced-signal slotline and CPW further includes passive or active phase shift of one signal path.