High Q couplings of dielectric resonators to microstrip line

A dielectric resonator-to-microstrip transmission line coupling configuration, comprising:

• a ground plane;
• a dielectric substrate disposed on the ground plane;
• a dielectric resonator mounted on a surface of the dielectric substrate and configured to resonate in an intrinsic non-radiating hybrid electromagnetic mode;
• a wall mounted substantially perpendicular to the dielectric substrate surface and configured as a mirror for conceptually forming an image of the resonating dielectric resonator;
• and
• a microstrip conductor mounted on the dielectric substrate surface to form a microstrip transmission line, the microstrip transmission line being configured to generate a magnetic filed when transmitting an electromagnetic wave,
• wherein the wall is mounted a predetermined distance from the dielectric resonator to excite the intrinsic non-radiating hybrid electromagnetic mode, and
• wherein the dielectric resonator is mounted on the dielectric substrate surface near the microstrip transmission line to allow electromagnetic field coupling between the dielectric resonator and the microstrip transmission line while maintaining a high Q value of the dielectric resonator wherein an unloaded Q value of the dielectric resonator ranges from about 20,000 to 300,000.

A method of coupling a dielectric resonator to a microstrip transmission line, comprising the steps of:

• providing a dielectric substrate disposed on a ground plane;
• mounting the dielectric resonator, a vertical wall, and a microstrip conductor on a surface of the dielectric substrate such that (1) the dielectric resonator is near the microstrip conductor, (2) a combination of the microstrip conductor, the dielectric substrate, and the ground plane forms the microstrip transmission line, and the wall is predetermined distance from the dielectric resonator to excite an intrinsic non-radiating hybrid electromagnetic mode in the dielectric resonator;
• generating a first electromagnetic field by the microstrip transmission line transmitting an electromagnetic wave;
• and
• generating a second electromagnetic field by the dielectric resonator resonating in the intrinsic non-radiating hybrid electromagnetic mode, the first electromagnetic field being coupled to the second electromagnetic field while maintaining a high Q value of the dielectric resonator and maintaining an unloaded Q value of the dielectric resonator in a range from about 20,000 to 300,000.

A method of coupling a dielectric resonator to a microstrip transmission line, comprising the steps of:

• providing a dielectric substrate disposed on a ground plane;
• mounting the dielectric resonator, a vertical wall, and a microstrip conductor on a surface of the dielectric substrate such that (1) the dielectric resonator is near the microstrip conductor, (2) a combination of the microstrip conductor, the dielectric substrate, and the ground plane forms the microstrip transmission line, and the wall is predetermined distance from the dielectric resonator to excite an intrinsic non-radiating hybrid electromagnetic mode in the dielectric resonator;
• generating a first electromagnetic field by the microstrip transmission line transmitting an electromagnetic wave;
• and
• generating a second electromagnetic field by the dielectric resonator resonating in the intrinsic non-radiating hybrid electromagnetic mode to generate at least one transverse magnetic multipole inside the dielectric resonator, the first electromagnetic field being coupled to the second electromagnetic field while maintaining a high Q value of the dielectric resonator.