Microstrip/slotline frequency halver
AssigneeHer Majesty the Queen in right of Canada, as represented by the Minister of National Defence
InventorsRobert G. Harrison, Grigorios A. Kalivas
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Abstract
A microwave microstrip/slotline frequency-halving circuit configuration is disclosed in which the frequency division is based on the principle of parametric subharmonic generation. The circuit comprises a subharmonic resonator formed partially by the overlap of an open-circuited microstrip line on one side of a dielectric substrate and a short-circuited slotline in the ground-plane on the other side of the substrate. The resonator is completed by a pair of varactor diodes symmetrically placed in holes in the dielectric substrate so as to form connections between the end of the microstrip line and the two sides of the slotline below. An input signal at frequency 2f entering via the microstrip line results in the propagation of a signal at frequency f in the output slotline.
Claims14
A broadband microstrip/slotline microwave frequency divider comprising:
- (a) a dielectric substrate, bearing upon its first surface a microstrip line open-circulated at one end and upon its second surface a ground plane in which is formed a slotline short-circuited at one end;
- (b) a region of said substrate wherein said microstrip line and said slotline overlap each other thereby defining an overlap region;
- (c) an even number of matched microwave varactor diodes, each of said diodes having a first terminal and a second terminal, said diodes being symmetrically and operatively disposed in such a way that the first terminal of each of said diodes is connected to said microstrip line and the second terminal of each of said diodes is connected to said ground plane near an edge of said slotline, the combination of the nonlinear reactances of said varactor diodes and said overlap region forming a parametric subharmonic resonator wherein the nonlinear charge-voltage characteristics of the varactor diodes mediates the transfer of energy from an input signal at frequency 2f entering via said microstrip line to an output signal at frequency f exiting via said slotline.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.