Showing papers on "Insertion loss published in 2004"

Surface plasmon polariton based modulators and switches operating at telecom wavelengths

Abstract: We report design, fabrication, and characterization of thermo-optic Mach–Zender interferometric modulators and directional-coupler switches whose operation utilizes the long-range surface-plasmon-polariton waveguiding along 15-nm-thin and 8-μm-wide gold stripes embedded in polymer and heated by electrical signal currents. The devices are characterized at the light wavelength of 1.55 μm, featuring low driving powers ( 30dB), moderate response times (∼1ms), and the total (fiber-to-fiber) insertion loss of ∼13dB (for modulators) and ∼11dB (for switches) when using single-mode fibers.

Transmission line approach of left-handed (LH) materials and microstrip implementation of an artificial LH transmission line

Abstract: A transmission line (TL) approach of left-handed (LH) materials is proposed. The transmission characteristics of an ideal LH-TL are presented, the constitutive parameters of an equivalent LH material are derived and shown to be negative, and some LH-transmission paradoxes are explained. Next, a method to design an artificial LH-TL in the form of an ideal lumped-elements ladder network is described and illustrated with simulation results. It is shown that, in this line, left-handedness can be achieved without losses over an unlimited bandwidth, from the cutoff of the resulting high-pass filter to infinity, with excellent agreement with theory. Finally, a microstrip implementation of the LH line for microwaves, using interdigital capacitors and stub inductors, is demonstrated, with moderate insertion loss and a broad bandwidth of the order of 100%.

Control of bandstop response of Hi-Lo microstrip low-pass filter using slot in ground plane

Abstract: This paper examines the effect of the geometrical shapes of a defected ground-plane structure (DGS) slot on performance of the Hi-Lo microstrip low-pass filter (LPF). A three-pole LPF based on an arrowhead DGS slot has 67% less length as compared to a conventional three-pole LPF. It has insertion loss of 0.5 dB and 15-dB rejection in the stopband up to three times the cutoff frequency.

Transmission, group delay, and dispersion in single-ring optical resonators and add/drop filters-a tutorial overview

Abstract: This tutorial describes the transmission, group delay time and quadratic dispersion properties of the four basic building blocs of optical filters built using ring resonators. These building blocs are single-ring resonators in either two-port (all-pass) or four-port (add/drop filter) configuration. The effect of waveguide and coupler loss is included throughout. Explicit expressions to compute the complex amplitude of the circulating wave in the ring, the Q factor, the finesse and the insertion loss are also given. Attention is drawn to the similarities between the ring resonator the Fabry-Pe/spl acute/rot resonator and the Gires-Tournois interferometer. Material properties and fabrication technology are not reviewed.

Micromechanical mixer-filters ("mixlers")

Abstract: A device comprised of interlinked micromechanical resonators with capacitive mixer transducers has been demonstrated to perform both frequency translation (i.e., mixing) and highly selective low-loss filtering of applied electrical input signals. In particular, successful downconversion of a 200-MHz radio frequency (RF) signal down to a 37-MHz intermediate frequency (IF) and subsequent high-Q bandpass filtering at the IF are demonstrated using this single, passive, micromechanical device, all with less than 13 dB of combined mixing conversion and filter insertion loss. The mixer-filter (or "mixler") RF-to-IF voltage transfer function is shown to depend upon a ratio of local oscillator amplitude and applied bias voltages.

Acoustic impedance matching of piezoelectric transducers to the air

Abstract: The purpose of this work is threefold: to investigate material requirements to produce impedance matching layers for air-coupled piezoelectric transducers, to identify materials that meet these requirements, and to propose the best solution to produce air-coupled piezoelectric transducers for the low megahertz frequency range. Toward this end, design criteria for the matching layers and possible configurations are reviewed. Among the several factors that affect the efficiency of the matching layer, the importance of attenuation is pointed out. A standard characterization procedure is applied to a wide collection of candidate materials to produce matching layers. In particular, some types of filtration membranes are studied. From these results, the best materials are identified, and the better matching configuration is proposed. Four pairs of air-coupled piezoelectric transducers also are produced to illustrate the performance of the proposed solution. The lowest two-way insertion loss figure is -24 dB obtained at 0.45 MHz. This increases for higher frequency transducers up to -42 dB at 1.8 MHz and -50 at 2.25 MHz. Typical bandwidth is about 15-20%.

Size reduction and harmonic suppression of rat-race hybrid coupler using defected ground structure

Abstract: In this letter, a defected ground structure (DGS) is applied to design a compact microstrip rat-race hybrid coupler. The proposed structure can achieve both a significant reduction of size and harmonic signal. By embedding the DGS section, it is observed that the resonant frequency of the hybrid coupler is significantly lowered, which can lead to a large amount of size reduction for a fixed frequency operation. Besides, the third harmonic signal is suppressed to -30 dB with respect to a conventional rat-race hybrid coupler. In this case, the measured insertion loss is comparable to that of a conventional hybrid coupler.

Planar waveguide echelle gratings in silica-on-silicon

Abstract: Silica planar waveguide echelle grating demultiplexers with 48 channels and 256 channels are described and demonstrated. Polarization effects due to stress birefringence and polarization-dependent grating efficiency have been eliminated using a modified polarization compensator and grating design. The devices have a polarization-dependent wavelength shift of less than 10 pm, and a polarization-dependent loss below 0.2 dB. The 48-channel device has a measured crosstalk of -35 dB, an insertion loss better than 4 dB, and a uniformity of 1 dB across the C-band.

Integrated CMOS transmit-receive switch using LC-tuned substrate bias for 2.4-GHz and 5.2-GHz applications

Abstract: CMOS transmit-receive (T/R) switches have been integrated in a 0.18-/spl mu/m standard CMOS technology for wireless applications at 2.4 and 5.2 GHz. This switch design achieves low loss and high linearity by increasing the substrate impedance of a MOSFET at the frequency of operation using a properly tuned LC tank. The switch design is asymmetric to accommodate the different linearity and isolation requirements in the transmit and receive modes. In the transmit mode, the switch exhibits 1.5-dB insertion loss, 28-dBm power, 1-dB compression point (P/sub 1dB/), and 30-dB isolation, at 2.4 and 5.2 GHz. In the receive mode, the switch achieves 1.6-dB insertion loss, 11.5-dBm P/sub 1dB/, and 15-dB isolation, at 2.4 and 5.2 GHz. The linearity obtained in the transmit mode is the highest reported to date in a standard CMOS process. The switch passes the 4-kV Human Body Model electrostatic discharge test. These results show that the switch design is suitable for narrow-band applications requiring a moderate-high transmitter power level (<1 W).

Low loss intersection of Si photonic wire waveguides

Abstract: We fabricated a low loss elliptical intersection of Si photonic wire waveguides on a silicon-on-insulator substrate. An insertion loss of less than 0.1 dB was achieved at a wavelength of 1.55 µm. The experimental loss characteristic closely agreed with the theoretical one. We also used this intersection as a suspension of an air-bridge-type waveguide and evaluated a low loss characteristic similar to that mentioned above.

Distributed 2- and 3-bit W-band MEMS phase shifters on glass substrates

Abstract: This paper presents state-of-the-art RF microelectromechanical (MEMS) phase shifters at 75-110 GHz based on the distributed microelectromechanical transmission-line (DMTL) concept. A 3-bit DMTL phase shifter, fabricated on a glass substrate using MEMS switches and coplanar-waveguide lines, results in an average loss of 2.7 dB at 78 GHz (0.9 dB/bit). The measured figure-of-merit performance is 93/spl deg//dB-100/spl deg//dB (equivalent to 0.9 dB/bit) of loss at 75-110 GHz. The associated phase error is /spl plusmn/3/spl deg/ (rms phase error is 1.56/spl deg/) and the reflection loss is below -10 dB over all eight states. A 2-bit phase shifter is also demonstrated with comparable performance to the 3-bit design. It is seen that the phase shifter can be accurately modeled using a combination of full-wave electromagnetic and microwave circuit analysis, thereby making the design quite easy up to 110 GHz. These results represent the best phase-shifter performance to date using any technology at W-band frequencies. Careful analysis indicates that the 75-110-GHz figure-of-merit performance becomes 150/spl deg//dB-200/spl deg//dB, and the 3-bit average insertion loss improves to 1.8-2.1 dB if the phase shifter is fabricated on quartz substrates.

Switchable low-loss RF MEMS Ka-band frequency-selective surface

Abstract: A switchable frequency-selective surface (FSS) was developed at 30 GHz using RF microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) switches on a 500-/spl mu/m-thick glass substrate. The 3-in-diameter FSS is composed of 909 unit cells and 3636 MEMS bridges with a yield of 99.5%. The single-pole FSS shows a transmission loss of 2.0 dB and a -3-dB bandwidth of 3.2 GHz at a resonant frequency of 30.2 GHz with the MEMS bridges in the up-state position. The -1-dB bandwidth is 1.6 GHz. When the MEMS bridges are actuated to the down-state position, an insertion loss of 27.5 dB is measured. Theory and experiment agree quite well. The power handling is limited to approximately 25 W with passive air cooling and >150 W with active air cooling due to the increased temperature of the overall circuit resulting from the transmission loss (for continuous-wave operation with the assumed maximum allowable temperature of 80/spl deg/C), or 370 W-3.5 kW due to self-actuation of the RF MEMS bridges (for pulsed incident power). Experimental results validate that 20 W of continuous-wave power can be transferred by the RF MEMS FSS with no change in the frequency response. This is the first demonstration of a switched low-loss FSS at Ka-band frequencies.

Switchable low-loss RF MEMS Ka-band frequency-selective surface

Abstract: A switchable frequency-selective surface (FSS) was developed at 30 GHz using RF microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) switches on a 500-μm-thick glass substrate. The 3-indiameter FSS is composed of 909 unit cells and 3636 MEMS bridges with a yield of 99.5%. The single-pole FSS shows a transmission loss of 2.0 dB and a -3-dB bandwidth of 3.2 GHz at a resonant frequency of 30.2 GHz with the MEMS bridges in the up-state position. The -1-dB bandwidth is 1.6 GHz. When the MEMS bridges are actuated to the down-state position, an insertion loss of 27.5 dB is measured. Theory and experiment agree quite well. The power handling is limited to approximately 25 W with passive air cooling and >150 W with active air cooling due to the increased temperature of the overall circuit resulting from the transmission loss (for continuous-wave operation with the assumed maximum allowable temperature of 80 °C), or 370 W-3.5 kW due to self-actuation of the RF MEMS bridges (for pulsed incident power). Experimental results validate that 20 W of continuous-wave power can be transferred by the RF MEMS FSS with no change in the frequency response. This is the first demonstration of a switched low-loss FSS at Ka-band frequencies.

Component functioning with bulk acoustic waves having coupled resonators

Abstract: A component that functions with bulk acoustic waves, particularly a bandpass filter, has an increased number of degrees of design freedom in order to improve the transmission characteristics of the component. The component has BAW resonators coupled acoustically in the vertical and/or lateral direction through common electrodes, coupling layer systems and through the excitation of lateral acoustic modes. Through the acoustic coupling of the resonators, it is possible to create additional pole points in the transfer function so that in this manner, the rejection band characteristics of a bandpass filter can be improved. Through acoustic paths which are added in addition to the electrical connection, the insertion loss can be reduced. Through an acoustic coupling instead of an electrical connection, decoupling between input and output loops of a circuit can be achieved.

Design and fabrication of annular arrays for high-frequency ultrasound

Abstract: The design, fabrication, and performance of miniature high-frequency annular arrays are described. A 50-MHz, 2-mm-diameter, 7-element, equal-area annular array was fabricated and tested. The array elements were defined using photolithography and the electrical contacts were made using ultrasonic wire bonding. The resulting transducer produced pulses with a -6 dB bandwidth of 52% and an insertion loss of -16 dB. A radiation pattern was collected by scanning the transducer array above the tip of a glass fiber. A -6 dB two-way beam width of 75 microns was found at f/2. The radiation pattern decreased smoothly to less than -60 dB at a distance of 550 microns.

Tunable passive phase shifter for microwave applications using highly anisotropic liquid crystals

Abstract: A tunable broadband inverted microstrip line phase shifter filled with Liquid Crystals (LCs) is investigated between 1.125 GHz and 35 GHz at room temperature. The effective dielectric anisotropy is tuned by a DC-voltage of up to 30 V. In addition to standard LCs like K15 (5CB), a novel highly anisotropic LC mixture is characterized by a resonator method at 8.5 GHz, showing a very high dielectric anisotropy /spl Delta/n of 0.32 for the novel mixture compared to 0.13 for K15. These LCs are filled into two inverted microstrip line phase shifter devices with different polyimide films and heights. With a physical length of 50 mm, the insertion losses are about 4 dB for the novel mixture compared to 6 dB for K15 at 24 GHz. A differential phase shift of 360/spl deg/ can be achieved at 30 GHz with the novel mixture. The figure-of-merit of the phase shifter exceeds 110/spl deg//dB for the novel mixture compared to 21/spl deg//dB for K15 at 24 GHz. To our knowledge, this is the best value above 20 GHz at room temperature demonstrated for a tunable phase shifter based on nonlinear dielectrics up to now. This substantial progress opens up totally new low-cost LC applications beyond optics.

Millimeter-wave MMIC passive HEMT switches using traveling-wave concept

Abstract: This paper describes the design of millimeter-wave wide-band monolithic GaAs passive high electron-mobility transistor (HEMT) switches using the traveling-wave concept. This type of switch combined the off-state shunt transistors and series microstrip lines to form an artificial transmission line with 50-/spl Omega/ characteristic impedance. A 15-80-GHz single-pole double-throw (SPDT) switch in conjunction with quarter-wavelength impedance transformers demonstrates an insertion loss of less than 3.6 dB and an isolation of better than 25 dB. Another type of wide-band switch was designed by using a series HEMT switch to replace the quarter-wavelength transformer, and the operating band can be extended to dc. With this scheme, dc-80-GHz single-pole single-throw (SPST) and dc-60-GHz SPDT switches are also developed with compact chip size. From dc to 80 GHz, the insertion loss and isolation of the SPST switch are better than 3 and 24 dB, respectively. The SPDT switch has an insertion loss of better than 3 dB and an isolation of better than 25 dB from dc to 60 GHz. The analysis of circuit characteristics and design procedures are also included. It is concluded that the device periphery can be selected for the desired bandwidth, while the number of transistors is decided to achieve the isolation.

Compact stub type microstrip bandpass filter using defected ground plane

Abstract: Usually a defected ground plane structure (DGS) provides only a band-reject response. However, in this work we introduce a simple band-accept circuit element in the DGS and developed a microstrip stub type compact 3-pole bandpass filter (BPF) at 4.2 GHz. The BPF has bandwidth and insertion loss 38% and 0.6 dB respectively. It has better than 25 dB rejection in the stopband up to 12 GHz.

Ultralow loss, high Q, four port resonant couplers for quantum optics and photonics.

Abstract: We demonstrate a low-loss, optical four port resonant coupler (add-drop geometry), using ultrahigh Q (>10(8)) toroidal microcavities. Different regimes of operation are investigated by variation of coupling between resonator and fiber taper waveguides. As a result, waveguide-to-waveguide power transfer efficiency of 93% (0.3 dB loss) and nonresonant insertion loss of 0.02% (<0.001 dB) for narrow bandwidth (57 MHz) four port couplers are achieved in this work. The combination of low-loss, fiber compatibility, and wafer-scale design would be suitable for a variety of applications ranging from quantum optics to photonic networks.

Fabrication and accelerated hermeticity testing of an on-wafer package for RF MEMS

Abstract: A hermetic silicon micromachined on-wafer dc-to-40-GHz packaging scheme for RF microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) switches is presented. The designed on-wafer package has a deembedded insertion loss of 0.03 dB per transition up to 40 GHz (a total measured loss of 0.3 dB including a 2.7-mm-long through line) and a return loss below -18dB up to 40 GHz. The hermeticity of the packaged is tested using an autoclave chamber with accelerated conditions of 130/spl deg/C, 2.7 atm of pressure, and 100% relative humidity. The fabrication process is designed so as to be completely compatible with the MEMS switch process, hence, allowing the parallel fabrication of all the components on a single wafer. The on-wafer proposed packaging approach requires no external wiring to achieve signal propagation and, thus, it has the potential for lower loss and better performance at higher frequencies.

Single-pole double-throw CMOS switches for 900-MHz and 2.4-GHz applications on p/sup -/silicon substrates

Abstract: A 900-MHz single-pole double-throw (SPDT) switch with an insertion loss of 0.5 dB and a 2.4-GHz SPDT switch with an insertion loss of 0.8 dB were implemented using 3.3-V 0.35-/spl mu/m NMOS transistors in a 0.18-/spl mu/m bulk CMOS process utilizing 20-/spl Omega//spl middot/cm p/sup -/ substrates. Impedance transformation was used to reduce the source and load impedances seen by the switch to increase the power handling capability. SPDT switches with 30-/spl Omega/ impedance transformation networks exhibit 0.97-dB insertion loss and 24.3-dBm output P/sub 1dB/ when tuned for 900-MHz operation, and 1.10-dB insertion loss and 20.6-dBm output P/sub 1dB/ when tuned for 2.4-GHz operation. The 2.4-GHz switch is the first bulk CMOS switch which can be used for 802.11b wireless local area network applications.

A Comparison between RF MEMS Switches and Semiconductor Switches

Abstract: This paper addresses the fundamentals of RF switches providing a comparison between semiconductor and RF MEMS switches The basis of comparison is introduced by defining a figure of merit that is a function of the off-state capacitance and the on-state resistance A simple transmission line model is presented to illustrate the impact of the switch off-state capacitance on the switch isolation and frequency range of operation The figure of merit analysis given in this paper demonstrates that RF MEMS switches have superior insertion loss and isolation performance in comparison to MESFET and p-i-n diode switches The paper also addresses several other design considerations beside insertion loss and isolation for selecting the right RF switch A discussion is given on the potential use of RF MEMS switches in satellite and wireless applications

A microfluidic 2×2 optical switch

Abstract: A 2×2 microfluidic-based optical switch is proposed and demonstrated. The switch is made of an optically clear silicon elastomer, Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), using soft lithography. It has insertion loss smaller than 1 dB and extinction ratio on the order of 20 dB. The device is switching between transmission (bypass) and reflection (exchange) modes within less than 20 ms

Electric component for communication device and semiconductor device for switching transmission and reception

Abstract: There are provided a transmission/reception switching circuit which is small in insertion loss and harmonic distortion and allows an increase in the output power of a power amplifier and an electronic component for communication on which the transmission/reception switching circuit is mounted. As an element composing a transmission/reception switching circuit in a wireless communication system, series-connected FETs or a multi-gate FET are used in place of a diode. Gate resistors connected between the individual gate terminals and a control terminal are designed to have resistance values which become progressively smaller from the gate to which a highest voltage is applied toward the gate to which a lowest voltage is applied.

Microwave solid-state left-handed material with a broad bandwidth and an ultralow loss

Abstract: We present in this paper a solid-state sample of microwave metamaterial produced by a standard hot-press technique for the manufacture of printed circuit boards. We performed three experiments to demonstrate that this sample is a left-handed material with negative refractive index. The three experiments are power transmission, prism refraction, and beam shifting. We used differently shaped samples for the experiments and observed clear left-handed behaviors in a $1\text{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{GHz}$-wide passband with an insertion loss of less than $0.5\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{dB}$ per unit cell, which is no greater than the insertion loss of many microwave devices. The sample has very stable characteristics and all results are consistent with one another.

Transmittance of a tunable filter at terahertz frequencies

Abstract: A metallic photonic crystal filter has been demonstrated at terahertz frequencies, with the passband tunable over the range of 365–386 GHz. Tuning is achieved by a relative lateral shift of two metallic photonic crystal plates. Each plate is comprised of two orthogonal layers of gratings and integral mounting lugs. The plates are micromachined from silicon wafers then coated in gold to provide metallic electromagnetic behavior. An insertion loss of 3–7 dB and Q in the range of 20–30 was achieved. A shift of 140μm gave a tuning range of 21 GHz, tuning sensitivity of 150 GHz/mm, and a fractional tuning range of 6%.

21.5-dBm power-handling 5-GHz transmit/receive CMOS switch realized by voltage division effect of stacked transistor configuration with depletion-layer-extended transistors (DETs)

Abstract: This paper reports a 21.5-dBm power-handling 5-GHz transmit/receive CMOS switch utilizing the depletion-layer-extended transistor (DET), which possesses high effective substrate resistance and enables the voltage division effect of the stacked transistor configuration to work in the CMOS switch. Furthermore, low insertion losses of 0.95 and 1.44 dB are accomplished at 5 GHz in the transmit and receive modes, respectively, with the benefit of the insertion-loss improvement effects in the DET. At the same time, high isolations of more than 22 dB were obtained at 5 GHz in the transmit and receive modes with the adoption of the shunt/series type circuit.