Planar active component microwave switch matrix and air bridge for use therewith

A microwave planar switch matrix for connecting various ones of M inputs to various ones of N outputs, comprising in combination:

• a semi-insulative substrate;
• a ground plane disposed on one side of said substrate;
• a plurality of conductors arranged as rows and columns positioned on the other side of said substrate, respective ones of the row conductors being coupled to respective ones of the M inputs, respective ones of the column conductors being coupled to respective ones of the N outputs, the intersections of the rows and columns forming the coordinates of the matrix, said row and column conductors not being electrically connected at said intersections;
• a plurality M.multidot.N of two-way in phase power dividers, each located on said other side of said substrate, each having an input terminal and first and second output terminals, the dividers being positioned with their respective input terminals and respective first output terminals as part of the row conductors in proximity to respective ones of the M.multidot.N intersections;
• a plurality M.multidot.N of two way in phase power combiners each located on said other side of said substrate, each having an output terminal and first and second input terminals, the combiners being positioned with their respective first input terminals and respective output terminals as part of the column conductors in proximity to respective ones of the M.multidot.N intersections;
• a plurality M.multidot.N of swithes connected between respective second outputs of the power dividers and respective second inputs of the power combiners positioned in proximity to the M.multidot.N intersections;
• an air bridge conductive assembly suitable for passing row and column signals along the row and column conductors at the row and column intersections, said air bridge comprising:
• each of said row conductors being generally of width W but including at each of said M.multidot.N intersections a portion of uniform. reduced width less than W being of length at least W, each of said row conductors further including, at respective ends of each said uniform reduced width portion, a tapered conductor portion tapering from width W to the width of said uniform reduced width portion;
• each of said column conductors having a gap at the intersection with each said row conductor, said gap being laterally centered about the reduced width portion of said first conductor and at least W in length centered about the center line of said row conductor;
• and
• for each column conductor gap, a conductive ribbon bonded to the ends of the column conductor forming said gap, said ribbon passing over and being raised above the reduced width portion of said row conductor.