volume | PIER Journals

Abstract

A myriad of ultra-wideband (UWB) 180˚ hybrids have been reported that operate at frequencies below 20 GHz. However, parasitics from printed circuit board (PCB) transmission lines become significantly more problematic as the frequency is extended to mm-wave frequencies. Here, abroadside coupled transmission line hybrid is investigated for operation at 12-67 GHz. It is shown that a parasitic time delay for the odd mode exists at the junction between coupled and uncoupled transmission lines. A heterogeneous multi-layer PCB stack-up is leveraged to compensate for the junction parasitics over an ultra-wide bandwidth. Measurements have an insertion loss between 2 and 12 dB across the band, < 1.5 dB amplitude balance, < 10˚ phase balance, and > 19 dB isolation.

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Dr. Carl Pfeiffer

Dr. Thomas Steffen

Dr. Boris Tomasic