<p>In this study, a novel and systematic methodology for the design and optimization of conductor-backed coplanar waveguide (CB-CPW) based low pass filter (LPF) is proposed. The width of the signal trace is continuously varied using a truncated Fourier series, and the adjacent gaps are designed in several types established on a specific optimization setup to obtain predefined electrical characteristics with maximum compactness taking into account physical constraints. Trust-region-reflective algorithm (TRRA), genetic algorithm (GA), and particle swarm optimization algorithm (PSO) are taken into account to minimize the developed bound-constrained non-linear objective function respectively.<br></p><p>All types are programmed and analytically verified in MATLAB. Solutions include design parameters such as the physical length and width of the structure, which will be drawn in AutoCAD later on. Also, the optimized layouts are exported to Ansys High Frequency Structure Simulation (HFSS) software for simulation and validation. Non-uniform CB-CPW LPFs are optimized and simulated over a frequency range of 0-6 GHz with a cutoff frequency of 2 GHz. Simulation results show a good agreement with the analytical ones.<br></p>

There are a significant number of microwave applications, including active antenna arrays, wireless communication systems, navigational applications, etc., where improvement of such qualities as manufacturing costs, size, weight, power consumption, etc. is still on the agenda of todays RF design. In order to meet these requirements, new technologies must be actively involved in fabrication of RF components with improved characteristics. One of such fabrication technologies is called LIGA, used before primarily in fluidics, photonics, bioengineering, and micromechanics, and only recently receiving growing attention in RF component fabrication. One of the RF components suffering limitations in performance due to limitations in fabrication capabilities is the compact single metal layer (SML) coupled-line 3-dB coupler, also called hybrid, required in some applications thanks to its ability to divide power equally and electrically isolate the output from the input. In todays practical edge-coupled SML coupler designs, the level of coupling is limited by the capabilities of the photolithographic process to print the coupled lines close enough for tight coupling and it is usually no tighter that 8 dB. A promising way to overcome this limitation is increasing the area of metallic interface of the coupled lines, thus increasing the mutual capacitance of the lines, and inherently the coupling between them. This should be preferably done with keeping the coupler compact with respect to the footprint area, which is attained by making taller conductors, i.e. employing the third dimension. In contrast with previously used RF component fabrication processes, LIGA is the technology that allows the designer to explore the third dimension and build tall conductors while being also able to use small features. When the two-dimensional edge-coupled SML couplers are extended into the three-dimensional structures, they rather become the side-coupled SML couplers. Tall-conductor coupled lines have been characterized in this work to reveal their dependence on their geometry and a 3-dB SML coupler with tall conductors has been developed and fabricated using LIGA at the Institute for Microstructure Technology (IMT), Karlsruhe, Germany. The simulation and measurement results demonstrate the potentially superior performance of LIGA couplers, and the promising capabilities of LIGA for fabrication of RF microstructures.

There are a significant number of microwave applications, including active antenna arrays, wireless communication systems, navigational applications, etc., where improvement of such qualities as manufacturing costs, size, weight, power consumption, etc. is still on the agenda of todays RF design. In order to meet these requirements, new technologies must be actively involved in fabrication of RF components with improved characteristics. One of such fabrication technologies is called LIGA, used before primarily in fluidics, photonics, bioengineering, and micromechanics, and only recently receiving growing attention in RF component fabrication. One of the RF components suffering limitations in performance due to limitations in fabrication capabilities is the compact single metal layer (SML) coupled-line 3-dB coupler, also called hybrid, required in some applications thanks to its ability to divide power equally and electrically isolate the output from the input. In todays practical edge-coupled SML coupler designs, the level of coupling is limited by the capabilities of the photolithographic process to print the coupled lines close enough for tight coupling and it is usually no tighter that 8 dB. A promising way to overcome this limitation is increasing the area of metallic interface of the coupled lines, thus increasing the mutual capacitance of the lines, and inherently the coupling between them. This should be preferably done with keeping the coupler compact with respect to the footprint area, which is attained by making taller conductors, i.e. employing the third dimension. In contrast with previously used RF component fabrication processes, LIGA is the technology that allows the designer to explore the third dimension and build tall conductors while being also able to use small features. When the two-dimensional edge-coupled SML couplers are extended into the three-dimensional structures, they rather become the side-coupled SML couplers. Tall-conductor coupled lines have been characterized in this work to reveal their dependence on their geometry and a 3-dB SML coupler with tall conductors has been developed and fabricated using LIGA at the Institute for Microstructure Technology (IMT), Karlsruhe, Germany. The simulation and measurement results demonstrate the potentially superior performance of LIGA couplers, and the promising capabilities of LIGA for fabrication of RF microstructures.

Investigation of the Double-Y Balun for Feeding Pulsed Antennas Jaikrishna Venkatesan 232 Pages Directed by Dr. Waymond Scott, Jr. In this research, a double-y balun implemented with coplanar waveguide (CPW) and coplanar strip (CPS) was investigated for use with pulsed antennas. The balun was modeled using two commercial electromagnetic simulators: Momentum and HFSS. Using these numerical solvers, design information such as the design of CPW bridges, aspect ratio of the double-y balun, and stub lengths of the CPW and CPS open and short stubs were studied. A dipole, along with the outer conductor of a coaxial line was modeled in NEC. The model was used to study the currents along the arms and feedline of balanced and unbalanced dipoles. Normalized amplitude patterns were generated along the azimuth and elevation planes for balanced and unbalanced dipoles. These patterns were used later for comparison with measured patterns. Experimental work was conducted to measure the performance of a double-y balun designed to feed a resistively loaded V-dipole. The performance of the balun was investigated via VSWR, insertion loss, and antenna pattern measurements. Antenna pattern measurements along the azimuth plane were conducted for a 5 cm dipole fed without a balun, a 5 cm dipole fed with the double-y balun, a 5 cm dipole fed with the sleeve balun, a 12 cm dipole fed without a balun, and a 12 cm dipole fed with the double-y balun. The dipoles fed without a balun were fed directly with a 50 W coaxial line. An optical link, consisting of a laser modulator (LM) unit and a laser receiver (LR) unit, was constructed to measure the patterns along the elevation plane of the above dipoles. Resulting patterns agreed closely with patterns generated with NEC models. In addition, the patterns of a resistively loaded V-dipole were measured along the E-plane using the optical link. The measured patterns for the V-dipole were compared with numerical results obtained from literature. The experimental work conducted in this research illustrates the improvement obtained in the patterns of a dipole and a resistively loaded V-dipole with the use of the double-y balun.

This thesis presents a novel monolithic phased array implemented using the RF MEMS technology. The structure, which is designed at 15 GHz, consists of four linearly placed microstrip patch antennas, 3-bit distributed RF MEMS low-loss phase shifters, and a corporate feed network. The RF MEMS phase shifter employed in the system consists of three sections with a total of 28 unit cells, and it occupies an area of 22.4 mm &amp / #61620 / 2.1 mm. The performance of the phase shifters is improved using high-Q metal-air-metal capacitors in addition to MEMS switches as loading elements on a high-impedance coplanar waveguide transmission line. The phased array is fabricated monolithically using an in-house surface micromachining process, where a 1.2-&amp / #61549 / m thick gold structural layer is placed on a 500-&micro / m thick glass substrate with a capacitive gap of 2 &amp / #61549 / m. The fabrication process is simple, requires only 6 masks, and allows the implementation of various RF MEMS components on the same substrate, such as RF MEMS switches and phase shifters. The fabricated monolithic phased array occupies an area of only 6 cm &amp / #61620 / 5 cm. The measurement results show that the phase shifter can provide nearly 20&amp / #61616 / /50&amp / #61616 / /95&amp / #61616 / phase shifts and their eight combinations at the expense of 1.5 dB average insertion loss at 15 GHz. The phase shifters can be actuated with 16 V, while dissipating negligible power due to its capacitive operation. It is also shown by measurements that the main beam can be steered to 4&amp / #61616 / and 14&amp / #61616 / by suitable settings of the RF MEMS phase shifters.

Thesis(M.S.)--Auburn University, 2007. / Abstract. Vita. Includes bibliographic references (p.40-41).

Electrical engineers have responded to the increasing demand for circuit speed and functionality by reducing transistor feature size and increasing on-chip transistor density. Consequently, interconnect density, both on-chip and the system level is also increasing. Increasing circuit speed translates into shorter clock cycles and signals with faster edge rates, which have multi-GHz bandwidth. Densely packed parallel interconnects will cause signal integrity problems not only due to the increase in crosstalk noise but also due to the intrinsic low pass filter characteristics of the interconnects. The lossy nature of the interconnects is also going to increase due to metal surface roughness at higher frequencies, which will further degrade the signal quality at the receiver input. Embedded Patterned Layer (EPL), which is a patterned floating metal layer between a signal trace and its return path shows promise in reducing far-end crosstalk (FEXT). EPL also allows designers to modify the characteristic impedance of interconnects by varying the different physical parameters of the EPL. This dissertation analyzes the effect of EPL on conductor backed coplanar waveguides (CB-CPW). CB-CPWs excite higher order modes at high frequencies, so work was done to understand the effect of different ground via fence parameters in suppressing the higher modes which helps increase the interconnect bandwidth. A CB-CPW with ground via fence is called a grounded coplanar waveguide (GCPW). A very basic lumped element model transmission line model was developed to account for the effect of floating metals near a transmission line. This model was then used to explain the effect of EPL on a GCPW with large bandwidth. EPL reduces the characteristic impedance of the transmission line. Engineers can then design narrow high impedance transmission lines and use EPL to reduce the impedance to a desired value. This also allows reduction in crosstalk by increasing the spacing between the transmission lines. The EPL also reduced the differential impedance of a grounded conductor backed edge coupled coplanar waveguide, when it was used for differential signaling. Care must be taken to make sure that the EPL is symmetric to both the legs of the differential pair to avoid differential to common mode energy conversion, which can cause electromagnetic interference (EMI) problems. EPL reduced FEXT while increasing near-end crosstalk (NEXT), when the coupled transmission line system was used for single ended signaling. Finally, a statistical method for modeling transmission line metal surface roughness in three dimensional (3D) full wave electromagnetic solvers was developed to account for increased attenuation in transmission lines, at high frequencies, due to metal surface roughness.

This thesis deals with coplanar directional and hybrid couplers. Firstly, the thesis describes the theory of hybrid microwave integrated circuits with their advantages and disadvantages in comparison with other types of microwave circuits. Next, the thesis deals with basic microstrips and individual types of coplanar strips and waveguides are also more closely analyzed. The thesis also explains a theory of directional and hybrid couplers and analyses particular kinds of directionality and attributes of the real directional couplers. The following chapter shows a method of design of a few coplanar directional coupler types. Attributes of the types are then verified in CST Microwave Studio. The last chapter includes measured parameters of the couplers and their comparison with the theoretical values from the previous part. The next aim of the thesis is to create laboratory tasks which deals with coplanar directional couplers. The laboratory task is found in the appendix.

This diploma thesis solves possibilities of transitions between waveguides and hybrid types of integrated microwave circuits. It describes the basic ways of solutions this transitions in both longitudinal and transverse as well. In thesis is also mentioned the principle of SIW technology, which is in this transitions widely used. The practical part is focused on the modeling and analysis of selected structures in CST MW Studio. Modeled structures are optimized for the lowest possible value insertion loss transition and are adapted to the characteristic impedance on 50. Selected structures are recalculated to a lower frequency band, realized and results of their simulation verified by measurements.

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