Waveguide oscillator tunable through integrated varactor diode and coupling probe
First Claim
1. A tunable waveguide oscillator comprising a negative-resistance oscillator device in a waveguide, and variable reactance means comprising a varactor diode coupled to the oscillator device to permit electronic tuning of the operating frequency of the oscillator, the oscillator device having a resonant cap for coupling to the waveguide, and the reactance means having an electric probe which is orientated so as to couple to the electromagnetic field in the vicinity of the cap, characterised in that the reactance means comprising both the varactor diode and the probe is integrated in a circuit body mounted in the waveguide, and in that the probe is formed by an electrically conductive track on the circuit body, which track is separated from the resonant cap by a gap inside the waveguide, at which gap the track is coupled to the electromagnetic field in the waveguide.
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Abstract
In a waveguide oscillator, a Gunn diode or other negative-resistance oscillator device (2) has a resonant cap (3) for coupling to the waveguide (1), and a tuning varactor diode (11) is coupled by a probe (13) to the electromagnetic filed in the vicinity of the cap (3). In accordance with the invention, a mechanically simple, compact and cheap oscillator arrangement is obtained by integrating both the varactor diode (11) and the probe (13) in a circuit body (10) mounted in the waveguide (1), preferably in an area below the plane of the cap (3) so as to reduce perturbation of the filed. The probe is formed as a conductive track (13) on the circuit body (10), for example as a transmission line coupling to the electric field and preferably located at the front surface (18) of the body (10) or as a current loop extending on a side wall of the body (10) and coupling to the magnetic field.
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Citations
12 Claims
- 1. A tunable waveguide oscillator comprising a negative-resistance oscillator device in a waveguide, and variable reactance means comprising a varactor diode coupled to the oscillator device to permit electronic tuning of the operating frequency of the oscillator, the oscillator device having a resonant cap for coupling to the waveguide, and the reactance means having an electric probe which is orientated so as to couple to the electromagnetic field in the vicinity of the cap, characterised in that the reactance means comprising both the varactor diode and the probe is integrated in a circuit body mounted in the waveguide, and in that the probe is formed by an electrically conductive track on the circuit body, which track is separated from the resonant cap by a gap inside the waveguide, at which gap the track is coupled to the electromagnetic field in the waveguide.
Specification