Microwave oscillator having microstrip antenna for test purposes

• US 5,248,947 A
• Filed: 04/21/1992
• Issued: 09/28/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sumitomo Electric Industries Limited (Sumitomo Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sumitomo Electric Industries Limited (Sumitomo Corporation)
• Inventors: Shiga, Nobuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Grimm, Siegfried H.
• Application Number:
  US07/871,704
• Time in Patent Office: 525 Days
• Field of Search: 331/96, 331/99, 331/64, 331/74, 331/44, 331/107 SL, 331/117 D, 324/501, 343/700 MS, 455/67.5, 455/115, 455/129
• US Class Current: 331/44
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/304 of printed or hybrid circuits G01R31/305 - G01R31/315 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/267 Phased-array testing or checking devices
• CPC Class Codes: H03B 5/1841 the frequency-determining element being a strip line resonator H03B5/1805, H03B5/1817, H03B5/1864 and H03B5/1882 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03B 5/1852 the semiconductor device being a field-effect device

Abstract

An oscillating apparatus comprising: an oscillator unit for oscillating in the microwave band; an output unit electromagnetically coupled to the outputting unit of the oscillator unit for taking an oscillation output outside; and an antenna element electromagnetically coupled to a part of the outputting unit, or a part of the output unit for radiating part of the oscillation output in an electromagnetic wave.

Claims

1. An oscillating apparatus comprising:

on oscillator unit having an output terminal for outputting an oscillation signal in the microwave band;

a microstrip line physically and electrically connected to said output terminal, the microstrip line being adapted for providing physical and electrical connection to an external circuit; and

an antenna means including an antenna element for radiating a part of the oscillation signal by way of an electromagnetic wave, and a coupling part which electrically connects the antenna element to the microstrip line, the coupling part being physically separated from the microstrip line by a gap.

2. An oscillating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the oscillator unit is a microwave monolithic integrated circuit having devices including a MESFET integrated on a semi-insulating GaAs substrate.

3. An oscillating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the oscillator unit is a microwave hybrid integrated circuit having a plurality of chips including a GaAs MESFET chip arranged and wired with one another on an insulating substrate.

4. An oscillating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the coupling part has a length substantially one-fourth of a wavelength of said oscillation signal at an intended operating frequency of said apparatus.

5. An oscillating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the antenna element is a microstrip antenna.

6. An oscillating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the antenna element is a microstrip antenna electromagnetically coupled to the microstrip line.

7. An oscillating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the antenna element is a second microstrip line and a microstrip antenna which are of a thin conducting film formed on a single dielectric substrate.

8. An oscillating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a GaAs chip constituting the oscillator unit is mounted on the top surface of a dielectric substrate having a conducting layer formed on the underside, and the microstrip line is formed on the dielectric substrate.

9. An oscillating apparatus according to claim 8, wherein a microstrip antenna constituting the antenna element is formed on the top surface of the dielectric substrate.

10. An oscillating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a GaAs chip constituting the oscillator unit is mounted on the top surface of an insulating substrate;

a dielectric substrate having a conducting layer formed on the underside is mounted on the top surface of the insulating substrate; and

the microstrip line is formed on the dielectric substrate.

11. An oscillating apparatus according to claim 10, wherein a microstrip antenna constituting the antenna element is formed on the top surface of the dielectric substrate.