Wiltron Company

Anritsu Company

Other

William W Oldfield

Martin I Grace

Vincent W C Wong

Kenneth C Harvey

Karam Noujeim

Todd Daniel Antes

Kyle Brian Stickle

Thomas H Roberts

Chris Turl

Thomas R Brinkoetter

Maurice W Moberg

Edward Daw

Michael Osborne

Russell Brown

Larry J Bier

Systems in accordance with embodiments of the present invention can include an adapter having a sliding portion (a slider) slidable to expose an interface, thereby allowing mating&#x2014;for example, between a test port and a DUT&#x2014;to be observed and adjusted as required. The slider is removable, allowing an adapter sex change. In one embodiment, an insertion tool is provided which can hold a dual male pin and allow installation and removal of the dual male pin while assisting mating alignment. After calibration, the slider can be locked in place and the adapter can function as a standard coaxial connector.

Sex changeable adapter for coaxial connectors

Methods and devices in accordance with the present invention can comprise forming an electrical feed-through assembly to provide a hermetic seal in a coaxial connector. In one embodiment, the electrical feed-through assembly comprises a conductive insert having a bore, a dielectric insert positioned within the bore having a first diameter sized such that an impedance of the dielectric insert is a target impedance, the dielectric insert having a center conductive pin extending there-through, and an air dielectric positioned within the bore, the air dielectric having a second diameter sized such that an impedance of the air dielectric is the target impedance, a portion of the air dielectric extending into the dielectric insert, wherein the portion of the air dielectric extending into the dielectric insert is a compensation gap.

Hermetic glass bead assembly having high frequency compensation

A method of manufacturing a microstrip termination is provided, the microstrip termination containing a transmission line, a tapered edge ground and a thin film resistor connecting a transmission line to the tapered edge ground. Circuits are manufactured by first cutting holes in a substrate forming alignment holes for dicing the substrate into separate circuits. A saw is then used to cut tapered grooves along the alignment holes for forming tapered edges. The substrate is then plated and etched to form the transmission lines, thin film resistors, and ground planes. Finally, the substrate is diced into the separate termination circuits.

Method of manufacturing a microstrip edge ground termination

A microwave circuit connection method allows many coaxial cable connections between the outside world and microwave circuit components mounted on a carrier in a housing. A coaxial cable extends through a sleeve , which is contained within the housing . A bore is provided through the carrier for the coaxial cable and is counterbored to form first and second bores and with different diameters. The dielectric provided within the coaxial cable extends through the first bore . The dielectric is removed so that a center conductor of the coaxial cable extends through the second bore to a point adjacent the MMIC mounted to the carrier. An air dielectric section is thus formed in the second bore . The center conductor of the coaxial cable is attached, using a ribbon bonding cable , to an MMIC mounted on the carrier

Right angle coaxial cable connections to microwave components on a carrier

The present invention incorporates a hermetic glass bead and a grounding lip into an outer conductor insert to form a microwave coax connector . The glass bead forms both the hermetic seal and the support for the coax center conductor pin . The outer conductor insert of the coax connector includes the ground lip to provide a short ground path for the connection to a microstrip substrate provided on a carrier in a housing . The coax connector is soldered into a cavity in the housing to assure a short ground path between the coax connector and the carrier . There is no need for soldering a separate glass bead into the housing , which at these high frequencies, is very difficult due to the small size of the glass bead.

High frequency hermetic connector with ground lip

A dot termination comprising a disk of thin film resistive material connects a transmission line on a substrate to a DC ground plane in a manner to provide broadband high frequency performance. The dot termination connects to DC ground connections spaced about the perimeter of the disk. Each DC connector includes a ground via passing through the substrate to the ground plane. A metal trace is used for each DC connection, the trace connecting a respective via with the perimeter of the disk. Each metal trace can include a resistive portion connected to the dot region and a metal trace portion connecting the trace to the via. A resistive extension tongue of the disk connects the disk to a transmission line trace.

Microstrip dot termination usable with optical modulators

A power meter includes components to measure RMS power over an 84 dB range or greater using the I-V square-law relation of a diode for measurements. The power meter includes multiple diodes along with a power distribution manifold which includes power dividers to distribute an input signal to the diodes. In one embodiment, a first power divider ( ) distributes power to a first one of the diodes ( ), and to the second power divider ( ) which distributes power to the second ( ) and third ( ) diodes. The first power divider ( ) is connected without attenuation to the first diode ( ). The second power divider ( ) is connected to the second diode ( ) through a 11 dB attenuator ( ), and to the third diode ( ) through a 28 dB attenuator ( ). With such attenuation, the first diode can operate in its square law range for measurements of signals with power from &minus;64 dBm to &minus;14 dBm, while the second diode can operate in its square law range for signals with power from &minus;14 dBm to &plus;3 dBm, and the third diode can operate within its square law range for signals with power from &plus;3 dBm to &plus;20 dBm. By measuring the current from the appropriate diode depending on the power level of the input signal, RMS power can be determined accurately over an 84 dB operating range. In an alternative embodiment, unequal power dividers ( ) and ( ) are used to distribute power and eliminate the need for attenuators ( ) and ( ) and to provide greater operating range sensitivity.

RMS power sensor with 84 dB dynamic range

A microstrip termination is provided with a thin film resistor connecting a transmission line to a tapered edge ground, enabling high frequency performance, such as for optical modulators. The tapered edge ground is formed with metal deposited on a substrate edge between a top surface of a substrate containing the transmission line with thin film resistor, and a bottom surface with a metal coating forming a ground plane. The tapered edge is cut at an angle in the range of 30 degrees with respect to the top surface. The microstrip termination provides a wider bandwidth of impedance matching than a standard microstrip termination.

System and method for improved microstrip termination

A microwave inductor including a coil with windings tapered from a first end of the coil to a second end of the coil to reduce resonant loss glitches found in conventional inductors which have uniform diameter windings. The coil further includes a core composed of a dielectric material containing a colloidal suspension of magnetic particles, the magnetic material preferably being iron powder and the dielectric preferably being epoxy, making the core a poly-iron material. The magnetic particles being colloidally suspended in dielectric increase the impedance of the coil at high frequencies to reduce resonant glitches without lowering the low frequency Q of the inductor. As such, a single coil can be utilized both in a filter which requires a low impedance at low frequencies to create a high Q, and as a bias line which operates at frequencies well beyond the resonant frequency of the inductor since a high impedance is provided by the core at higher resonant frequencies. The percentage of magnetic particles relative to the dielectric material in the core can be controlled to set the inductance value for the microwave inductor.

Lumped element microwave inductor with windings around tapered poly-iron core

A power meter includes components to measure RMS power over an 84 dB range or greater using the I-V square-law relation of a diode for measurements. The power meter includes multiple diodes along with a power distribution manifold which includes power dividers to distribute an input signal to the diodes. In one embodiment, a first power divider (,) distributes power to a first one of the diodes (,), and to the second power divider (,) which distributes power to the second (,) and third (,) diodes. The first power divider (,) is connected without attenuation to the first diode (,). The second power divider (,) is connected to the second diode (,) through a 11 dB attenuator (,), and to the third diode (,) through a 28 dB attenuator (,). With such attenuation, the first diode can operate in its square law range for measurements of signals with power from &minus;64 dBm to &minus;14 dBm, while the second diode can operate in its square law range for signals with power from &minus;14 dBm to &plus;3 dBm, and the third diode can operate within its square law range for signals with power from &plus;3 dBm to &plus;20 dBm. By measuring the current from the appropriate diode depending on the power level of the input signal, RMS power can be determined accurately over an 84 dB operating range. In an alternative embodiment, unequal power dividers (,) and (,) are used to distribute power and eliminate the need for attenuators (,) and (,) and to provide greater operating range sensitivity.

A dual mode power meter provides a first operation mode in the square law operating range of the diode, and a second mode in the square law region as well as the transition and linear operating ranges of the diode. The power meter includes multiple diodes. A manifold made up of power dividers distributes a signal input to the power meter to the diodes. A different attenuation is provided to each diode so that the square law operating range for each diode covers a different power range. By selecting the appropriate diode output for power measurements in the first mode, the overall square law operating range for the power meter will be greater than a power meter using a single diode. The power meter further includes a memory map of voltage vs. power in the square law, transition and linear regions of a diode measured for an unmodulated CW input for the second operation mode. The map of voltage vs. power enables power to be measured faster in the second mode for unmodulated CW signals provided to the power meter which are beyond the square law operating region for the diodes of the power meter.

Dual mode diode power sensor with square law and linear operating regions

A wafer probe with built in components to perform frequency multiplication, upconversion, downconversion, and mixing typically performed by an RF module of a vector network analyzer (VNA). The wafer probe is designed for testing integrated circuits used in collision avoidance radar systems and operates over the 76-77 GHz frequency range allocated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for collision avoidance radars. To minimize costs, the wafer probe preferably utilizes integrated circuits for frequency multiplication, upconversion, downconversion, and mixing manufactured for collision avoidance radar systems.

Wafer probe with built in RF frequency conversion module

A microwave coaxial connector having both inner and outer axial resilient conductors is provided. The connector may be used for connecting a microwave device to a coaxial cable without causing damage to the microwave device housing or degrading a transmitted microwave signal. The inner axial resilient conductor includes an inner cylindrical conducting member having an inner bore formed by a plurality of fingers. A cylindrical contact member includes a first end for inserting into the inner bore. The outer axially resilient conductor includes an outer cylindrical conducting member circumjacent about the inner conductor forming a ring-shaped opening. An outer contact member having a plurality of fingers is inserted in the ring-shaped opening to provide an outer resilient conductor. A connector for connecting adjacent devices is also provided. This connector includes a pair of inner and outer resilient conductors positioned at opposite ends of the connector. The connector eliminates the need of selecting and cutting coaxial cable as well as using soldering, ribbon bonding or screws in connecting adjacent microwave devices.

Connector having an axial resilient inner and outer conductors

An SWR bridge with an accompanying set of connector saving adapters for connecting between the test port of the SWR bridge and a test device. The SWR bridge includes a branch opposite the test port which has an impedance set to substantially compensate for the impedance of the connector saving adapters. The connector saving adapters are configured to mate with connectors from two groups of test device connectors in both male and female versions, a first group including 3.5 mm, SMA and 2.92 mm connectors, and a second group including 2.5 mm and 1.85 mm connectors. To compensate for any capacitive mismatch between an adapter configured for a particular group of connectors and a given connector type, either a center conductor pin setback, an inductive counter bore in the outer conductor of the adapter, or a combination of the center pin setback and inductive counter bore may be utilized.

Connector saving adapters and SWR bridge configuration allowing multiple

A device for measuring and/or injecting a high frequency signal, such as a 20 GHz signal from and/or into a system, is provided. The device includes a connector coupled to a coaxial cable at one end. A relatively small, low inductive rectangular member is coupled to the connector at the other end. A conductive element is coupled to the rectangular member and is used for measuring and infecting the high frequency signal from and/or into a microwave transmission line positioned on a substrate. First and second rigid prongs are coupled to the rectangular member and are inserted into respective ground openings on the substrate. A network analyzer may be coupled to the cable for analyzing and generating the high frequency signal.

Growing community of inventors

Redwood City, CA, United States of America

William W Oldfield