Abstract: An apparatus for introducing electromagnetic perturbation into a target device includes a piezoelectric transducer configured to deflect in response to an applied voltage and a perturber configured to deflect in response to deflection of the piezoelectric transducer. The deflection of the perturber causes electromagnetic perturbation, and in some cases a phase shift, in the target device. The electromagnetic perturbation may also be used to tune microwave devices such as filters, resonators, and oscillators.

Abstract: An antenna pointing detection system for use with circularly polarized electromagnetic radiation has a horn, a waveguide and at least one mode switching arm. The horn receives radiation in a primary mode from the radiation source. The waveguide receives radiation from the horn and supports only radiation in a primary mode, e.g. the TE.sub.11 mode and the next higher order TE mode, e.g. the TE.sub.21 mode at one or more rectangular mode switching arms extending from the circular waveguide for stimulating radiation of the-next order TE.sub.21 mode in the waveguide. The arm has a series of switchable pin diodes for changing the effective length of the mode switching arm to cause a phase alteration in the TE.sub.21 mode thereby causing a deflection of the effective pointing direction of the horn. The magnitude of the received signal is detected and compared with different deflections of the horn to operate conventional antenna pointing hardware.

Abstract: A microwave mixer is formed of three orthogonally oriented waveguides, each having a rectangular cross-section defined by a pair of opposed broad walls and a pair of opposed sidewalls wherein the ratio of cross-sectional dimensions typically is 2 :1. The mixer includes an input coupling probe, a mixing region, and an output filter disposed serially along a first of the waveguides. A second of the waveguides applies a reference LO signal via the probe to the mixing region, the mixing region including at least one diode with two diodes being employed in the preferred embodiment of the invention. A section of dielectric board serves to support the diodes of the mixing region, components of the filter, and the probe in the first waveguide.

Abstract: A radio-frequency mixer and a local oscillator integrated into a single housing, and including a Gunn-type oscillator coupled to the mixer by a section of microstrip transmission line and a section of suspended stripline. A broadside coupler in the suspended stripline provides dc and intermediate-frequency isolation for the mixer, and a block of dielectric material on the microstrip provides improved temperature compensation for the diode oscillator. The entire compact assembly has good conversion loss performance over a relatively wide frequency band, and is relatively insensitive to temperature changes.

Abstract: Improved output power performance is obtained in a millimeter-wave integrated-circuit (MIC) voltage-controlled oscillator by forming an output circuit and a bias input circuit in a suspended stripline configuration, which is subject to relatively low losses compared with microstrip designs. A Gunn diode and a varactor diode are mounted in alignment and in close proximity to each other. The suspended microstrip configuration includes a suspended substrate with a Gunn diode output circuit and a bias input circuit on one side, and a varactor diode grounding pad on the other face of the substrate. A sliding short-circuit device aligned with the Gunn diode output circuit provides tuning of the oscillator over a relatively wide range, and avoids having to trim the Gunn diode circuit components for final adjustment of the frequency.