Alpha Industries

Other

Ian Crossley

Daniel Donoghue

John Miley

Frank Spooner

Seth Nash

Steven Mittleman

Robert Goldswasser

Robert Goldwasser

A voltage controlled oscillator includes a VCO chip that is a monolithic circuit with a Gunn diode and varactor diode intercoupled by a resonant circuit. A detector/discriminator/power divider chip is coupled to the VCO chip through a directional coupler and is a monolithic circuit having a pair of discriminator diodes and amplitude detector diode on a semi-insulating substrate with associated circuit components. Connected-together electrodes of the discriminator diodes are connected to one output of the power divider. An electrode of the amplitude detector diode is connected to the other output of the power divider. Stagger-tuned resonant circuits are coupled to the other electrodes of the discriminator diodes. Conducting portions forming low pass filters couple the amplitude detector diode and the discriminator detector diodes to respective outputs. The outputs of the discriminator and amplitude detector are coupled to respective inputs of an analog divider that provides a ratio signal that is coupled to the - input of a differential amplifier. The + input of the differential amplifier receives a frequency designating potential. The output of the differential amplifier is coupled to the varactor diode.

Controlling oscillator

A hybrid ring mixer includes an annular conducting ring on a gallium arsenide substrate coated on the bottom with a conducting layer to comprise a strip transmission line. Three conductors spaced by 120.degree. extend radially outward from the annular ring to define local oscillator, signal input and i-f ports, respectively. A pair of conductors spaced by substantially 120.degree. extend radially inward to comprise diode ports. A conducting surface inside the annular ring is grounded and has circular sectors of different radius bounded by radii extending from the center of the ring and bisecting the signal and local oscillator ports, respectively. The sector of larger radius is located in the 120.degree. sector between the signal and local oscillator ports. Mesa diodes are connected between each of the diode ports and the sector of smaller radius. A via opening surrounded by a conducting layer extends between the bottom and top of the substrate to establish conducting contact between the bottom conducting layer and the grounded conducting surface. The circuit is formed by diffusing n+ and n epitaxial layers into the substrate, etching through the end layer and depositing a cathode ohmic contact on the n+ layer, establishing an anode contact on the n layer, metalizing the substrate upper surface to form the circuit, etching through the bottom of the substrate to form the via opening and plating the back side of the substrate and the region around the via opening.

Ring hybrid mixing

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Andover, MA, United States of America

Ian Crossley