Microwave oscillator for microwave integrated circuit applications
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
InventorsLawrence E. Dickens, Douglas W. Maki
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Disclosed is a means for obtaining a high Q oscillator which is compact and s adapted to be readily incorporated into known forms of microwave integrated circuits, e.g. a parametric amplifier. The oscillator which for example may comprise a pump oscillator for a parametric amplifier includes efficient means for coupling to microstrip without destroying the high Q of the oscillator circuit. The negative resistance elements which may be, for example, a Gunn diode, IMPATT diode or the like is located in a resonator cavity which is a combination of radial transmission line cavity and a rectangular waveguide cavity.
Claims15
A microwave oscillator utilizing a semiconductor negative resistive device and being particularly adapted for microwave integrated circuit applications such as the pump oscillator for a parametric amplifier comprising, in combination:
- a metal body in the form of a planar substrate configuration having resonator cavity means formed therein and having a surface over which is formed a microstrip ground plane, said metal body additionally having a bore therein extending to said resonator cavity means;
- a mounting base including a semiconductor assembly, including a semiconductor device adapted to operate as a negative resistive element mounted on one end of said base and being inserted in said bore with said semiconductor assembly extending into said cavity means while said base is fastened to said metal body;
- wherein said cavity means includes a radial resonator cavity section formed by a metallic disc resonator element electrically coupled to and being secured to the top portion of said semiconductor assembly within said resonator cavity means;
- means included in said metal body and coupled to said semiconductor assembly for applying electrical power to said semiconductor device for operating said device as a negative resistance element;
- a non-metallic substrate formed on said metal body over said ground plane;
- a length of microstrip conductor formed on the outer surface of said non-metallic substrate extending from a region remote from the locality of said cavity means to a region proximate thereto;
- and
- means coupling microwave energy from said cavity means to said length of microstrip conductor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.