Electromagnetic transmission line elements having a boundary between materials of high and low dielectric constants

• US 20020027481A1
• Filed: 12/27/2000
• Published: 03/07/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/1995
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Slawomir J. Fiedziuszko
• Original Assignee: Slawomir J. Fiedziuszko
• Inventors: Fiedziuszko, Slawomir J.
• Application Number:
  US09/749,153
• Publication Number:
  US 20020027481A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 333/116
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 1/203 Strip line filters
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 1/20381 Special shape resonators
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 3/16 Dielectric waveguides, i.e. without a longitudinal conductor
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 5/18 consisting of two coupled guides, e.g. directional couplers

Abstract

An electromagnetic wave propagation structure, suitable for the transmission of an electromagnetic wave and the formation of resonators within filters, is constructed of both high and low dielectric-constant materials wherein the high dielectric-constant is in excess of approximately 80 and the low dielectric-constant is less than approximately 2. A boundary between the high and the low dielectric-constant materials serves as an electric wall to waves propagating in the low dielectric-constant material and as a magnetic wall to waves propagating in the high dielectric-constant material. This permits substitution of the high dielectric-constant material for metal elements, such as resonators and feed structures in filters. Furthermore, the use of a cladding of dielectric material of one of the foregoing dielectric ranges about a core of material of the other of the foregoing dielectric ranges enables construction of waveguides having rectangular and circular cross-sections. Microstrip and stripline structures with substitution of the high dielectric-constant material for the harmonic elements may also be constructed.

Claims

1. An electromagnetic wave propagation structure comprising:

a first element of dielectric material and a second element of dielectric material, the material of one of said first and said second elements having a high dielectric constant in excess of approximately 80, the material of the other one of said first and said second elements having a dielectric constant of less than approximately 2;

wherein said first element is contiguous with said second element at an interface constituting a waveguide wall extending along a direction of electromagnetic propagation, said waveguide wall being part of a waveguide; and

said interface is configured as a closed path as viewed in a cross sectional view of said waveguide.

2. A structure according to claim 1 wherein said direction of propagation coincides with an axis of said waveguide, said first element serves as a core of said waveguide, said core being enclosed by said interface and extending in longitudinal direction along said axis, said core extending transversely of said axis to said interface;

and

said second element serves as a cladding of said waveguide, said cladding encircling said core and being contiguous said core at said interface.

3. A structure according to claim 2 wherein said core comprises the low dielectric-constant material and said cladding comprises the high dielectric-constant material.

4. A structure according to claim 2 wherein said core comprises the high dielectric-constant material. and said cladding comprises the low dielectric-constant material.

5. A structure according to claim 2 wherein said waveguide has a rectangular cross section.

6. A structure according to claim 2 wherein said waveguide has a circular cross section.

7. An electromagnetic wave propagating structure comprising:

a set of elements of dielectric material and a substrate of dielectric material, the dielectric material of said set of elements having a high dielectric constant in excess of approximately 80, the dielectric material of said substrate having a dielectric constant less than approximately 2;

wherein a first element of said set extends in a longitudinal direction along said substrate; and

a second element of said set of elements extends in said longitudinal direction along said substrate and is spaced apart from said first element to form a coplanar waveguide.

8. A structure according to claim 7 wherein a third element of said set is supported by said substrate, and is spaced apart from said first and said second elements, and said third element of said set extends in said longitudinal direction and transversely of said first and said second elements to serve as a ground plane.

9. An electromagnetic wave propagating structure comprising:

a set of elements of dielectric material and a substrate of dielectric material, the dielectric material of said set of elements having a high dielectric-constant in excess of approximately 80, the dielectric material of said substrate having a dielectric-constant less than approximately 2;

wherein a first element of said set extends in a longitudinal direction along said substrate;

a second element of said set of elements extends in said longitudinal direction along said substrate and is spaced apart from said first element;

a third element of said set is supported by said substrate, and is spaced apart from said first and said second elements, said third element of said set extends in said longitudinal direction and transversely of said first and said second elements to serve as a ground plane;

said first element in conjunction with said ground plane constitute a first transmission line, said second element in conjunction with said ground plane constitute a second transmission line, each of said transmission lines has an input portion and an output portion and a central portion located between said input portion and said output portion;

the input portions of said first and said second transmission lines are spaced apart with an input spacing;

the output portions of said first and said second transmission lines are spaced apart with an output spacing;

the central portions of said first and said second transmission lines are parallel to each other and are spaced apart with a central spacing; and

said central spacing is less than said input spacing and less than said output spacing to form a microwave coupler.

10. An electromagnetic wave propagating structure comprising:

a set of elements of dielectric material and a substrate of dielectric material, the dielectric material of said set of elements having a high dielectric-constant in excess of approximately 80, the dielectric material of said substrate having a dielectric-constant less than approximately 2;

wherein a first element of said set extends in a longitudinal direction along said substrate;

a second element of said set of elements extends in said longitudinal direction along said substrate and is spaced apart from said first element;

a third element of said set is supported by said substrate, and is spaced apart from said first and said second elements, said third element of said set extends in said longitudinal direction and transversely of said first and said second elements to serve as a ground plane; and

a fourth element of said set of elements is supported by said substrate and is capacitively coupled between said first element and said second element, said fourth element serving as a resonator and having a perturbation for coupling between two modes of electromagnetic vibration to form a plural order filter.

11. An electromagnetic wave propagating structure comprising:

a set of elements of dielectric material and a substrate of dielectric material, the dielectric material of said set of elements having a high dielectric-constant in excess of approximately 80, the dielectric material of said substrate having a dielectric-constant less than approximately 2;

wherein a first element of said set extends in a longitudinal direction along said substrate;

a second element of said set of elements extends in said longitudinal direction along said substrate and is spaced apart from said first element;

a third element of said set is supported by said substrate, and is spaced apart from said first and said second elements, said third element of said set extends in said longitudinal direction and transversely of said first and said second elements to serve as a ground plane;

said structure further comprises a fourth element and a fifth element of said set of elements, each of said fourth and said fifth elements having a planar shape and being supported by said substrate, said fourth and said fifth elements being adjacent respectively to said first and said second elements and serving as resonators, wherein each of said resonators has a perturbation for coupling between two modes of electromagnetic vibration; and

a sixth element of said set of elements is supported by said substrate and is capacitively coupled to said fourth element and said fifth element, said fourth element and said fifth element being capacitively coupled respectively to said first and said second elements to form a multiple order filter.

13. A structure according to claim 12 wherein said resonator is a first resonator, and said first set of elements comprises a second element which serves as a second resonator, said second resonator being operable in orthogonal modes of electromagnetic vibration, said second resonator being configured for coupling the electromagnetic signal between the orthogonal modes;

and

wherein said second resonator is embedded within the dielectric material of said insulator, said insulator positioning said second resonator in series with said first resonator along a wave propagation path between said input and said output coupling means.

12. An electromagnetic wave propagating structure comprising:

a first set of elements of dielectric material having a high dielectric constant greater than approximately 80, and a second set of elements of dielectric material having a low dielectric constant less than approximately 2;

an electrically conductive housing having an input coupling means and an output coupling means extending through the housing for communicating electromagnetic signals into and out of said housing;

wherein said housing contains a first element of said second set of elements to serve as an insulator;

a first element of said first set is a resonator operable in orthogonal modes of electromagnetic vibration, said resonator being configured for coupling the electromagnetic signal between said orthogonal modes;

said resonator is embedded within the dielectric material of said insulator, said insulator positioning said resonator within said housing and in communication with said input and said output coupling means; and

the dielectric material of said insulator allows for propagation of an electromagnetic wave within the material of said insulator for providing a function of a plural order filter for the wave propagation structure.