Thesis (M.App.Sc.) - Carleton University, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 87-94). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Electrical and Computer Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2006. / John Papapolymerou, Committee Chair ; Joy Laskar, Committee Member ; John Cressler, Committee Member ; Alan Doolittle, Committee Member ; Clifford Henderson, Committee Member.

[pt] Diversos fatores têm atraído esforços para o desenvolvimento de novas estruturas para circuitos planares de microondas. Várias propostas são encontradas na literatura técnica, explorando diferentes formas de miniaturização dos circuitos, melhoria de eficiência de acoplamento, aumento de banda ou redução de perdas. Entre elas, encontra-se a utilização de materiais ferroelétricos, cujas propriedades dielétricas podem ser alteradas com a aplicação de uma tensão elétrica, permitindo a fabricação de uma nova classe de dispositivos ativos compactos; contudo, esses materiais têm desvantagens como altas perdas e dificuldades de fabricação. Em paralelo, a disseminação das telecomunicações ópticas gera uma demanda de novos componentes ópticos para os sistemas: mais eficientes, com maior capacidade e menor custo. A utilização de fibras ópticas de sílica em telecomunicações torna desejável que esses novos componentes sejam realizados em materiais compatíveis com a sílica, como por exemplo alguns tipos de vidro. A polarização eletro térmica surgiu como uma forma de produzir dispositivos eletro-ópticos ativos a partir de vidros utilizados como substratos de guias de onda ópticos passivos. Neste trabalho, os processos de tratamento eletro-térmicos utilizados nos substratos ópticos são aplicados a substratos dielétricos para uso em microondas. São verificados os efeitos resultantes nas alterações das propriedades dielétricas na faixa de microondas e a aplicação potencial em componentes e circuitos. Os tratamentos se constituem fundamentalmente na aplicação de alta tensão ao substrato na presença de temperatura elevada, visando à migração controlada de íons no material. Os substratos estudados são a alumina, substrato tradicional de microondas com elevada constante dielétrica, e os vidros, boro-silicato e sodo-cálcico, que estão atualmente sendo utilizados como substratos para guias ópticos e para construção de dispositivos ópticos ativos. É caracterizada a perda dielétrica dos vidros tratados para utilização como substrato para circuitos planares de microondas. O desenvolvimento de dispositivos ópticos ativos em substratos vítreos também implica na fabricação de circuitos elétricos de microondas sobre o mesmo substrato, para alimentar esses dispositivos com dados em altas taxas. Os vidros possuem altas perdas dielétricas nessa faixa devido à presença de íons alcalinos. A criação, pelo tratamento eletro-térmico, de uma camada de depleção de íons, próxima à superfície abaixo do circuito, permite a redução dessas perdas efetivas em circuitos planares. Outro efeito investigado é a possibilidade de se produzir um comportamento similar ao efeito ferroelétrico em um substrato de microondas. A camada de depleção criada pelo tratamento eletro-térmico provoca alterações na estrutura e permite a gravação de um campo elétrico estático devido ao deslocamento de íons. É estudada a influência desse campo dentro do material na variação de suas propriedades dielétricas, e a resposta à aplicação de uma tensão de controle externa. Estuda-se então a possibilidade de substituição por substratos tratados dos materiais ferroelétricos no desenvolvimento de componentes como chaves, acopladores e atenuadores variáveis e filtros de microondas. / [en] Several factors have been attracting research efforts to the development of new planar structures for microwave planar circuits. Various proposals can be found in the technical literature, exploring different ways of miniaturization of circuits, improvement of coupling efficiency, increase of bandwidth or reduction of losses. Among these is the use of ferroelectric materials, whose dielectric properties can be altered with the application of an electrical voltage, enabling the fabrication of a new class of compact active devices; however, such materials present some disadvantages, like very high losses and difficulties in manufacturing. Parallel to that, the dissemination of optical telecommunications generates a demand for new optical components for the systems, with greater efficiency and capacity but lower cost. Due to the use of silica optical fibers in telecommunications, it is desirable that these new components are fabricated in materials compatible to silica, as for example some types of glass. The electro-thermal polarization emerged as a way of producing active electro-optical devices from glass substrates used for passive optical waveguides. In this work, the processes of electro-thermal treatment used in optical substrates are applied to dielectric substrates for microwave use. The resulting effects on the changes in dielectric properties in the microwave frequency range and potential application in components and circuits are assessed. Such treatments are constituted fundamentally by the application of high voltage to the substrate in the presence of high temperature, aiming at the controlled migration of ions in the material. The substrates considered are alumina, conventional microwave substrate with high dielectric constant, and glasses, borosilicate and soda-lime, which are currently being used as substrates for optical waveguides and for the construction of active optical devices. The dielectric loss of treated glasses as substrates for planar microwave circuits is characterized. The development of active optical devices in vitreous substrates also implies the manufacture of microwave electrical circuits on the same substrate, in order to feed these devices with data at high rates. Glasses have high dielectric losses in this frequency range due to the presence of alkali ions. The creation by the electro-thermal treatment of an ion- depleted layer, near the surface below the planar circuit, enables the reduction of the effective losses in planar circuits. Another investigated effect is the possibility of creating a behavior similar to the ferroelectric effect in the microwave substrate. The depletion layer created by the electro-thermal treatment causes alterations in the structure and allows the recording of a static electric field by the displacement of ions. The influence of this field within the material on the variation of its dielectric properties, and the response to the application of an external control voltage are assessed. Then, the substitution for treated substrates of ferroelectric materials in the development of components such as switches, variable couplers and attenuators and microwave filters is considered.

No description available.

Thesis (PhD) -- Stellenbosch University, 2001. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: A robust and efficient adaptive sampling algorithm for multivariate, multiple output rational interpolation models, based on convergents of Thiele-type branched continued fractions, is presented. A variation of the standard branched continued fraction method is proposed that uses approximation to establish a non-rectangular grid of support points. Starting with a low order interpolant, the technique systematically increases the order by optimally choosing new support points in the areas of highest error, until the desired accuracy is achieved. In this way, accurate surrogate models are established by a small number of support points, without assuming any a priori knowledge of the microwave structure under study. The technique is illustrated and evaluated on several passive microwave structures, however it is general enough to be applied to many modelling problems. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: 'n Robuuste en effektiewe aanpasbare monsternemingsalgoritme vir multi-veranderlike, multi-uittree rasionale interpolasiemodelle, gegrond op konvergente van Thiele vertakte volgehoue breukuitbreidings, word beskryf. 'n Variasie op die konvensionele breukuitbreidingsmetode word voorgestel, wat 'n nie-reghoekige rooster van ondersteuningspunte gebruik in die funksiebenadering. Met 'n lae orde interpolant as beginpunt, verhoog die algoritme stelselmatig die orde van die interpolant deur optimaal verbeterde ondersteuningspunte te kies waar die grootste fout voorkom, totdat die gewensde akuraatheid bereik word. Hierdeur word akkurate surrogaat modelle opgebou ten spyte van min inisiele ondersteuningspunte, asook sonder voorkennis van die mikrogolfstruktuur ter sprake. Die algoritme word gedemonstreer en geevalueer op verskeie passiewe mikrogolfstrukture, maar is veelsydig genoeg om toepassing te vind in meer algemene modelleringsprobleme.

Dans ce travail de thèse, nous souhaitons exploiter les interactions non-linéaires entre le signal micro-onde de forte puissance à émettre et des micro-décharges plasmas intégrés dans les circuits ou antennes micro-ondes de l’émetteur (e.g., émetteur de télécommunications, RADAR, ...) pour obtenir sa reconfigurabilité. Une telle problématique adresse un ensemble de compétences à l’interface entre la physique des plasmas et les micro-ondes. Elle concerne aussi bien des problématiques amont que des considérations d’ingénierie. Le travail à réaliser au cours de ce projet doit permettre de progresser en deux tâches de recherche qui structureront les activités de la thèse. En premier lieu, la caractérisation des micro-décharges plasmas sera effectuée puis il sera possible d'identifier et de développer des dispositifs micro-ondes reconfigurables. / In this project, the non-linear interactions between the high-power microwave signal and micro-discharges plasmas integrated in the microwave circuits or antennas of the transmitter (for example,Telecommunication transmitter, RADAR, ...) will be exploited to obtain its reconfigurability. Such a problem addresses a set of competences at the interface between plasma physics and microwaves. It concerns both upstream and engineering considerations. The work to be carried out during this project should make it possible to progress in two research tasks that will structure the activities of the thesis. First, the characterization of microdischarge plasmas will be perform then it will possible to identify and develop reconfigurable microwave devices.

University of Macau / Faculty of Science and Technology / Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering

In this thesis, a new approach combining neural networks and genetic algorithms is presented for microwave design. In this method, an accurate neural network model is developed from the experimental data. This neural network model is used to perform sensitivity analysis and derive response surfaces. An innovative technique is then applied in which genetic algorithms are coupled with the neural network model to assist in synthesis and optimization. The proposed method is used for modeling and analysis of circuit parameters for flip chip interconnects up to 35 GHz, as well as for design of multilayer inductors and capacitors at 1.9 GHz and 2.4 GHz. The method was also used to synthesize mm wave low pass filters in the range of 40-60 GHz. The devices obtained from layout parameters predicted by the neuro-genetic design method yielded electrical response close to the desired value (95% accuracy). The proposed method also implements a weighted priority scheme to account for tradeoffs in microwave design. This scheme was implemented to synthesize bandpass filters for 802.11a and HIPERLAN wireless LAN applications in the range of 5-6 GHz. This research also develops a novel neuro-genetic design centering methodology for yield enhancement and design for manufacturability of microwave devices and circuits. A neural network model is used to calculate yield using Monte Carlo methods. A genetic algorithm is then used for yield optimization. The proposed method has been used for yield enhancement of SiGe heterojunction bipolar transistor and mm wave voltage-controlled oscillator. It results in significant yield enhancement of the SiGe HBTs (from 25 % to 75 %) and VCOs (from 8 % to 85 %). The proposed method is can be extended for device, circuit, package, and system level integrated co-design since it can handle a large number of design variables without any assumptions about the component behavior. The proposed algorithm could be used by microwave community for design and optimization of microwave circuits and systems with greater accuracy while consuming less computational time.

This dissertation presents the research on several different projects. The first project is a via-less CPW RF probe pad to microstrip transition; The second, the third, and the fourth one are reconfigurable microwave circuits using RF MEMS switches: an X-band reconfigurable bandstop filter for wireless RF frontends, an X-band reconfigurable impedance tuner for a class-E high efficiency power amplifier using RF MEMS switches, and a reconfigurable self-similar antenna using RF MEMS switches. The first project was developed in order to facilitate the on-wafer measurement for the second and the third project, since both of them are microstrip transmission line based microwave circuits. A thorough study of the via-less CPW RF probe pad to microstrip transition on silicon substrates was performed and general design rules are derived to provide design guidelines. This research work is then expanded to W-band via-less transition up to 110 GHz. The second project is to develop a low power reconfigurable monolithic bandstop filter operating at 8, 10, 13, and 15 GHz with cantilever beam capacitive MEMS switches. The filter contains microstrip lines and radial stubs that provide different reactances at different frequencies. By electrically actuating different MEMS switches, the different reactances from different radial stubs connecting to these switches will be selected, thus, the filter will resonate at different frequencies. The third project is to develop a monolithic reconfigurable impedance tuner at 10 GHz with the cantilever DC contact MEMS switch. The impedance tuner is a two port network based on a 3bit-3bit digital design, and uses 6 radial shunt stubs that can be selected via integrated DC contact MEMS switches. By selecting different states of the switches, there will be a total of 2^6 = 64 states, which means 64 different impedances will be generated at the output port of the tuner. This will provide a sufficient tuning range for the output port of the power amplifier to maximize the power efficiency. The last project is to integrate the DC contact RF MEMS switches with self-similar planar antennas, to provide a reconfigurable antenna system that radiates with similar patterns over a wide range of frequencies.

This dissertation contains two significant investigations. One is the development of the broadband microwave bandpass filters with high out-of-band performance. The other is the development of low-loss hybrids. These researches are parts of the National Aeronautic and Space Administrator (NASA)s mission to explore the universe. The former is focused on the techniques used in microstrip line bandpass filter design that help achieving both low in-band insertion loss and high out-of-band attenuation level. Moreover, these filters achieve very broadband out-of-band attenuation bandwidth. These techniques are related to the improvement of stepped impedance resonators, coupling between resonators and effective methods to allocate transmission zeros to suppress filters out-of-band spurious responses. The later is focused on the techniques used in planar magic-T designs such that the developed magic-T obtains high isolation between port E (difference port) and port H (sum port). Moreover, it obtains low-loss and broadband characteristics. These techniques are related to the development of the low-loss broadband microstrip-toslotline (MS-to-SL transition and the magic-T with a highly symmetric structure. The theoretical analysis and experimental measurements have been performed. The experimental results of both the filter and magic-T researches show significant improvement over their prior state-of-the-art designs by number of magnitude. The designs also reduce fabrication complexity.