Compact millimeter-wave tuner
OwnerChristos Tsironisinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A compact millimeter-wave slide screw impedance tuner allows reducing to a minimum the insertion loss between the tuner and the wafer-probe. The structure of the tuner uses a 1 mm slabline and adapters, an eccentrically rotating remotely controlled wideband tuning probe and a sliding rack on which the tuning-probe is attached; the position of the rack is controlled by a permanently anchored motorized pinion. The construction method allows for maximum compactness, needed in order to be able to attach the tuner directly on the wafer-probe and minimize the insertion loss, while maintaining key advantages of electro-mechanical tuners, such as robustness, linearity, simplicity, tuning resolution and calibration and compatibility with existing load pull software and technology.
Claims8
A compact millimeter-wave slide screw impedance tuner comprising
- a) a slabline comprising
- two metallic sidewalls having a first sidewall and a second sidewall,
- one test and one idle port with associated coaxial connectors, and
- a center conductor between the ports;
- b) a mobile rack, sliding freely on the top surface of the first sidewall;
- c) a first pinion attached to the axis of a first motor, said motor being anchored on the first sidewall, and
- wherein the pinion controls the sliding position of the rack;
- d) a metallic disc-shaped tuning probe with concave rim, which rotates eccentrically, inserted between the walls of the slabline and is attached to and controlled by the axis of a second motor;
- wherein
- the axis of the second motor traverses perpendicular the rack through a hole in the rack and holds the disc probe,
- and wherein
- the second motor is mounted on a bracket which slides, together with the sliding rack, parallel to the slabline.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.