Progress in integrated-circuit horn antennas for receiver applications. Part 1: Antenna design

The purpose of this work is to present a systematic method for the design of multimode quasi-integrated horn antennas. The design methodology is based on the Gaussian beam approach and the structures are optimized for achieving maximum fundamental Gaussian coupling efficiency. For this purpose, a hybrid technique is employed in which the integrated part of the antennas is treated using full-wave analysis, whereas the machined part is treated using an approximate method. This results in a simple and efficient design process. The developed design procedure has been applied for the design of a 20, a 23, and a 25 dB quasi-integrated horn antennas, all with a Gaussian coupling efficiency exceeding 97 percent. The designed antennas have been tested and characterized using both full-wave analysis and 90 GHz/370 GHz measurements

Progress in integrated-circuit horn antennas for receiver applications. Part 2: A 90 GHz quasi-integrated horn antenna receiver

A receiver belonging to the family of integrated planar receivers has been developed at 90 GHz. It consists of a planar Schottky-diode placed at the feed of a dipole-probe suspended inside an integrated horn antenna. The measured planar mixer single-sideband conversion loss at 91.2 GHz (LO) with a 200 MHz IF frequency is 8.3dB plus or minus 0.3dB. The low cost of fabrication and simplicity of this design makes it ideal for millimeter and submillimeter-wave receivers

Double-slot antennas on extended hemispherical dielectric lenses

An investigation of the coupling efficiencies to a gaussian-beam of a double-slot antenna on a hyperhemispherical lens is presented. It is shown that both lenses couple equally well to an appropriate gaussian beam (about 80 percent). The radiation patterns of both lenses with a double-slot antenna are computed using the ray-tracing method. The experimental radiation patterns are presented and show close agreement to the theoretically computed patterns

Self and mutual admittance of slot antennas on a dielectric half-space

In this paper, an efficient implementation of the spectral domain moment technique is presented for computing the self and mutual coupling between slot antennas on a dielectric half-space. It is demonstrated that by the proper selection of the weighting functions in the method of moments, the analytic evaluation or simplification of the transverse moment integrals is enabled. This results into a significant reduction of the required computational labor. The method is then utilized in order to provide design data for the self and mutual admittances between two slot antennas on a dielectric substrate lens in the case of fused quartz (∈ r =3.80), crystal quartz (∈ r =4.53), silicon (∈ r =11.9) and GaAs (∈ r =12.8). The presented technique and associated results are useful when designing twin slot quasi-optical receivers, imaging arrays, phased arrays or power-combining arrays of slot elements at millimeter-wave frequencies.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/44551/1/10762_2005_Article_BF02096364.pd

Double-slot antennas on extended hemispherical and elliptical quartz dielectric lenses

In this paper, the theoretical far-field patterns and Gaussianbeam coupling efficiencies are investigated for a double-slot antenna placed on quartz hemispherical lenses with varying extension lengths. The radiation patterns of the double-slot antenna are computed using ray-tracing inside the lens and electric and magnetic field integration on the spherical dielectric surface. The theoretical results are equally valid for double-dipole, log-periodic, and spiral antennas, and are presented in extension length/radius and radius/λ. Therefore, the results yield universal design curves for quartz lenses of different diameters and at different frequencies and using different antennas. The results indicate that for single units , there exists a wide range of extension lengths (ext. length/radius=0.61 to 0.76) which result in high Gaussian-coupling efficiencies to moderately high f /# systems. For imaging array applications with high packing densities, an extension length/radius=0.82 to 0.93 (depending on frequency) will result in peak directivity and highest packing density but lower Gaussian-coupling efficiencies.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/44550/1/10762_2005_Article_BF02096363.pd

Monolithic millimeter-wave two-dimensional horn imaging arrays

A monolithic two-dimensional horn imaging array has been fabricated for millimeter wavelengths. In this configuration, a dipole is suspended in an etched pyramidal cavity on a 1-μm silicon-oxynitride membrane. This approach leaves room for low-frequency connections and processing electronics. The theoretical pattern is calculated by approximating the horn structure by a cascade of rectangular-waveguide sections. The boundary conditions are matched at each of the waveguide sections and at the aperture of the horn. Patterns at 93 and 242 GHz agree well with theory. Horn aperture efficiencies of 44±4%, including mismatch and resistive losses, have been measured. A detailed breakdown of the losses is presented. The coupling efficiency to various f-number imaging systems is investigated, and a coupling efficiency of 24% for an f0.7 imaging system (including spillover, taper, mismatch and resistive losses) has been measured. Possible application areas include imaging arrays for remote sensing, plasma diagnostics, radiometry and superconducting tunnel-junction receivers for radio astronomy

Microwave and millimeter-wave high- Q micromachined resonators

Alternative techniques for integrating high-quality factor resonators using micromachining techniques have been investigated. Two methods are presented which include suspending microstrip lines on thin dielectric membranes, resulting in an effective dielectric constant of near unity, and integrating three-dimensional micromachined waveguide cavity resonators with planar feedlines. These resonators show large improvements in quality factor over conventional techniques, and more importantly, allow for planar integration in complex systems. Resonators were fabricated in suspended microstrip at 29, 37, and 62 GHz with quality factors of over 450 with very close agreement between simulated and measured results. An integrated micromachined cavity resonator was also fabricated with a TE 011 resonance quality factor of 1117 at 24 GHz and a TE 021 resonance quality factor of 1163 at 38 GHz. To the authors' knowledge, these are the highest quality factor planar resonators without the use of superconductive materials, and can be used in microwave and millimeter-wave low-loss filters and low-phase-noise oscillators. ©1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J RF and Microwave CAE 9: 326–337, 1999.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/35227/1/4_ftp.pd

Two-dimensional horn imaging arrays (abstract)

A two-dimensional horn imaging array has been demonstrated at 242 and 93 GHz. In this configuration, a dipole is suspended in a pyramidal horn, fabricated by an anisotropic chemical etch technique, on a 1-µm silicon-oxynitride membrane. This approach leaves room for low-frequency lines and processing electronics. Pattern measurements on a 1.45-λ imaging array agree well with theory, show no sidelobes, and a 3-dB beamwidth of 35° and 46° for the E and H planes, respectively. Application areas include a superconducting tunnel-junction receiver for radio astronomy and imaging arrays for real-time electron density mapping in fusion plasmas. Support for this project was provided by DOE contract DE-FG03-86-ER-53225 (subcontracted from U.C.L.A.)

Submillimeter-wave antennas on thin membranes

Submillimeter-wave antennas with bismuth microbolometer detectors have been fabricated on 1-μm thick silicon-oxynitride membranes. This approach results in better patterns than previous lens-coupled integrated circuit antennas, and eliminates the dielectric loss associated with the substrate lens. Measurements on a wideband log-periodic antenna at 700 GHz, 380 GHz and 167 GHz, and on a 700 GHz log-periodic imaging array, show no sidelobee and a 3-dB beamwidth between 40° and 50°. Also, the effective area can be increased by 5 dB by the use of a back-shorting mirror. Possible application areas are superconducting tunnel junction receivers for radio astronomy and imaging arrays for plasma diagnostics