Hybrid electronic tuner
OwnerChristos Tsironisinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A hybrid RF electronic impedance tuner is made using multiple PIN diodes or MOSFETs mounted in a low loss slabline, between the bottom surface of the center conductor and ground. The diodes and FETs are DC controlled individually and spaced appropriately along the slabline for maximum Gamma and bandwidth. The electronic tuner is combined with a feed forward active loop using an adjustable wave-probe coupler and a fixed coupler or circulator to enhance the reflected signal towards the DUT. As a result, reflection factor up to 1 at DUT reference plane is reached, combined with the high tuning speed of the electronic tuner.
Claims14
A hybrid (active/passive) impedance tuner comprising
- (a) electronic impedance tuner, and
- (b) active injection module;
- whereby
- the electronic impedance tuner comprises a slotted airline (slabline) having an input (test) port and an output (idle) port, a center conductor between the ports and grounded conductive side-walls;
- and a multitude of remotely controlled electronic switches mounted along the center conductor of the slabline between the test and idle ports;
- whereby the electronic switches are strategically spaced along the center conductor and connected between the bottom of the center conductor and ground and are controlled by a tuner controller comprising an electronic control board, a switch control matrix and appropriate firmware;
- and whereby
- the active injection module comprises an adjustable directional coupler (wave-probe), an amplifier having input and output port and a feedback coupling device having input and output port;
- whereby the wave-probe is coupled into the slabline before the electronic impedance tuner and extracts signal power, which is amplified and re-injected into the slabline after the electronic impedance tuner via the feedback coupling device.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.