Air-dielectric stripline

An air-dielectric stripline multiple solid layer laminated structure comprising:

• top, intermediate, and bottom planar dielectric layers in parallel planes with said intermediate layer being located intermediate said top and bottom layers and each layer having upper and lower oppositely directed faces;
• first and second electrically conductive planar ground planes respectively attached to at least a portion of the lower surface of said top layer and at least a portion of the upper surface of said bottom layer;
• first and second dielectric spacers respectively located between said top and intermediate layers and said intermediate and bottom layers;
• each said spacer having an airtight channel formed therein with longitudinally extending solid sidewalls in said spacer defining upper and lower air chambers on opposing faces of said intermediate layer, said channel allowing for forced-air cooling by air flowing through said channel during operation;
• and
• a conductive inner trace attached to a least one face of said intermediate layer within a said chamber and spaced from an associated ground plane by the thickness of a said spacer.

A laminate-based air-dielectric stripline circuit board formed as a unitary article, comprising:

• a multiple layer laminated dielectric structure including a spacer dielectric layer positioned between a first dielectric layer having first inner and outer surfaces and a second dielectric layer having second inner and outer surfaces, the laminated dielectric structure having an interior and two side margins that define a width and two side margins that define a length;
• an electrically conductive trace attached to one of the first inner and outer surfaces of the first dielectric layer, the trace positioned medially of the two side margins that define the width of the laminated dielectric structure and extending along the length of the laminated dielectric structure;
• an electrically conductive reference plane attached to at least a portion of one of the second inner and outer surfaces of the second dielectric layer;
• and
• an air gap in the spacer dielectric layer and spatially aligned with the electrically conductive trace, the air gap forming in the interior and along the length of the laminated dielectric structure an airtight channel that longitudinally divides the spacer dielectric layer to provide across the air gap a dielectric constant discontinuity in the interior of the laminated dielectric structure, the channel being defined by longitudinally extending solid sidewalls in the spacer dielectric layer and the channel allowing for forced-air cooling by air flowing through said channel during operation.