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NASA NTRS1992

Silicon micromachined waveguides for millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths

The majority of radio receivers, transmitters, and components operating at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths utilize rectangular waveguides in some form. However, conventional machining techniques for waveguides operating above a few hundred GHz are complicated and costly. This paper reports on the development of silicon micromachining techniques to create silicon-based waveguide circuits which can operate at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths. As a first step, rectangular WR-10 waveguide structures have been fabricated from (110) silicon wafers using micromachining techniques. The waveguide is split along the broad wall. Each half is formed by first etching a channel completely through a wafer. Potassium hydroxide is used to etch smooth mirror-like vertical walls and LPCVD silicon nitride is used as a masking layer. This wafer is then bonded to another flat wafer using a polyimide bonding technique and diced into the U-shaped half wavelengths. Finally, a gold layer is applied to the waveguide walls. Insertion loss measurements show losses comparable to those of standard metal waveguides. It is suggested that active devices and planar circuits can be integrated with the waveguides, solving the traditional mounting problems. Potential applications in terahertz instrumentation technology are further discussed.

Yap, Markus↗

NASA NTRS1999

Finite Ground Coplanar (FGC) Waveguide: Characteristics and Advantages Evaluated for Radiofrequency and Wireless Communication Circuits

Researchers in NASA Lewis Research Center s Electron Device Technology Branch are developing transmission lines for radiofrequency and wireless circuits that are more efficient, smaller, and make lower cost circuits possible. Traditionally, radiofrequency and wireless circuits have employed a microstrip or coplanar waveguide to interconnect the various electrical elements that comprise a circuit. Although a coplanar waveguide (CPW) is widely viewed as better than a microstrip for most applications, it too has problems. To solve these problems, NASA Lewis and the University of Michigan developed a new version of a coplanar waveguide with electrically narrow ground planes. Through extensive numerical modeling and experimental measurements, we have characterized the propagation constant of the FGC waveguide, the lumped and distributed circuit elements integrated in the FGC waveguide, and the coupling between parallel transmission lines. Although the attenuation per unit length is higher for the FGC waveguide because of higher conductor loss, the attenuation is comparable when the ground plane width is twice the center conductor width as shown in the following graph. An upper limit to the line width is derived from observations that when the total line width is greater than ld/2, spurious resonances due to the parallel plate waveguide mode are established. Thus, the ground plane width must be less than ld/4 where ld is the wavelength in the dielectric. Since the center conductor width S is typically less than l/10 to maintain good transverse electromagnetic mode characteristics, it follows that a ground plane width of B = 2S would also be electrically narrow. Thus, we can now treat the ground strips of the FGC waveguide the same way that the center conductor is treated.

Ponchak, George E.↗

NASA NTRS2009

Waveguide Transition for Submillimeter-Wave MMICs

An integrated waveguide-to-MMIC (monolithic microwave integrated circuit) chip operating in the 300-GHz range is designed to operate well on high-permittivity semiconductor substrates typical for an MMIC amplifier, and allows a wider MMIC substrate to be used, enabling integration with larger MMICs (power amplifiers). The waveguide-to- CBCPW (conductor-backed coplanar waveguide) transition topology is based on an integrated dipole placed in the E-plane of the waveguide module. It demonstrates low loss and good impedance matching. Measurement and simulation demonstrate that the loss of the transition and waveguide loss is less than 1-dB over a 340-to-380-GHz bandwidth. A transition is inserted along the propagation direction of the waveguide. This transition uses a planar dipole aligned with the maximum E-field of the TE10 waveguide mode as an inter face between the waveguide and the MMIC. Mode conversion between the coplanar striplines (CPS) that feed the dipole and the CBCPW transmission line is accomplished using a simple air-bridge structure. The bottom side ground plane is truncated at the same reference as the top-side ground plane, leaving the end of the MMIC suspended in air.

Leong, Kevin M.↗

NASA NTRS1977

Optically activated switch/modulator using a photoconductor and two channel waveguides

An optically activated switch was fabricated on LiNbO3 substrate by deposition of photoconductor-metal electrode structure on two channel waveguides obtained by the outdiffusion process. One waveguide was overcoated with a CdS film, and served as a light detector which converted the optical signal in that waveguide into an electric signal. Utilizing the electrooptic effect, this electric signal modulated the light propagating in the second waveguide by changing the refractive index, and the cutoff condition, of the waveguiding channel between two metal electrodes. The waveguides in the optically controlled switch can be either single or multimode. The length of the device can be short in comparison with other switching schemes. When binary optical signals are applied to the two waveguides, the switch can perform logic AND, NEGATION, OR and pseudo-amplification operations.

Goldberg, L.↗

NASA NTRS1986

A high frequency analysis of electromagnetic plane wave scattering by perfectly-conducting semi-infinite parallel plate and rectangular waveguides with absorber coated inner walls

An approximate but sufficiently accurate high frequency solution which combines the uniform geometrical theory of diffraction (UTD) and the aperture integration (AI) method is developed for analyzing the problem of electromagnetic (EM) plane wave scattering by an open-ended, perfectly-conducting, semi-infinite hollow rectangular waveguide (or duct) with a thin, uniform layer of lossy or absorbing material on its inner wall, and with a planar termination inside. In addition, a high frequency solution for the EM scattering by a two dimensional (2-D), semi-infinite parallel plate waveguide with a absorber coating on the inner walls is also developed as a first step before analyzing the open-ended semi-infinite three dimensional (3-D) rectangular waveguide geometry. The total field scattered by the semi-infinite waveguide consists firstly of the fields scattered from the edges of the aperture at the open-end, and secondly of the fields which are coupled into the waveguide from the open-end and then reflected back from the interior termination to radiate out of the open-end. The first contribution to the scattered field can be found directly via the UTD ray method. The second contribution is found via the AI method which employs rays to describe the fields in the aperture that arrive there after reflecting from the interior termination. It is assumed that the direction of the incident plane wave and the direction of observation lie well inside the forward half space tht exists outside the half space containing the semi-infinite waveguide geometry. Also, the medium exterior to the waveguide is assumed to be free space.

Noh, H. M.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Method for non-destructive estimation of waveguide directional coupler dimensions

A method for estimating the size and location of couplings within a waveguide directional coupler is provided. The method is applied to a waveguide directional coupler having a main transmission waveguide connected to an auxiliary transmission waveguide by a number of bore hold couplings. The bore hold couplings are in the interior of the waveguide directional coupler and, therefore, are not easily measurable. The method generally includes the steps of applying a two-sided tape to a member, inserting and securing the member within the main transmission waveguide, pouring a fine particulate substance such as talc into the auxiliary transmission waveguide such that a portion of the talc enters the bore hole couplings and adheres to the two-sided tape, and withdrawing the member such that the size and location of the bore hole couplings can be determined by measuring the size and location of marks on the two-sided tape caused by the fine particular substance adhering to the two-sided tape.

Perez, Raul M.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Silicon micromachined waveguides for millimeter-wave and submillimeter-wave frequencies

Rectangular waveguide is commonly used up to high millimeter-wave frequencies. However, conventional machining techniques for waveguides operating above a few hundred GHz are complicated and costly. The development of silicon micro-machining techniques to create silicon-based waveguide circuits, which can operate up to high submillimeter-wave frequencies, is reported. As a first step, WR-10 waveguide has been fabricated from (110) silicon wafers. Insertion loss measurements of gold plated silicon waveguide show performance comparable to standard metal waveguides. It is suggested that active devices and planar circuits can be integrated with the waveguides, solving the traditional mounting problems.

Mcgrath, William R.↗

NASA NTRS2009

Submillimeter-Wave Amplifier Module with Integrated Waveguide Transitions

To increase the usefulness of monolithic millimeter-wave integrated circuit (MMIC) components at submillimeter-wave frequencies, a chip has been designed that incorporates two integrated, radial E-plane probes with an MMIC amplifier in between, thus creating a fully integrated waveguide module. The integrated amplifier chip has been fabricated in 35-nm gate length InP high-electron-mobility-transistor (HEMT) technology. The radial probes were mated to grounded coplanar waveguide input and output lines in the internal amplifier. The total length of the internal HEMT amplifier is 550 m, while the total integrated chip length is 1,085 m. The chip thickness is 50 m with the chip width being 320 m. The internal MMIC amplifier is biased through wire-bond connections to the gates and drains of the chip. The chip has 3 stages, employing 35-nm gate length transistors in each stage. Wire bonds from the DC drain and gate pads are connected to off-chip shunt 51-pF capacitors, and additional off-chip capacitors and resistors are added to the gate and drain bias lines for low-frequency stability of the amplifier. Additionally, bond wires to the grounded coplanar waveguide pads at the RF input and output of the internal amplifier are added to ensure good ground connections to the waveguide package. The S-parameters of the module, not corrected for input or output waveguide loss, are measured at the waveguide flange edges. The amplifier module has over 10 dB of gain from 290 to 330 GHz, with a peak gain of over 14 dB at 307 GHz. The WR2.2 waveguide cutoff is again observed at 268 GHz. The module is biased at a drain current of 27 mA, a drain voltage of 1.24 V, and a gate voltage of +0.21 V. Return loss of the module is very good between 5 to 25 dB. This result illustrates the usefulness of the integrated radial probe transition, and the wide (over 10-percent) bandwidth that one can expect for amplifier modules with integrated radial probes in the submillimeter-regime (>300 GHz).

Samoska, Lorene↗

NASA NTRS2009

Metal Standards for Waveguide Characterization of Materials

Rectangular-waveguide inserts that are made of non-ferromagnetic metals and are sized and shaped to function as notch filters have been conceived as reference standards for use in the rectangular- waveguide method of characterizing materials with respect to such constitutive electromagnetic properties as permittivity and permeability. Such standards are needed for determining the accuracy of measurements used in the method, as described below. In this method, a specimen of a material to be characterized is cut to a prescribed size and shape and inserted in a rectangular- waveguide test fixture, wherein the specimen is irradiated with a known source signal and detectors are used to measure the signals reflected by, and transmitted through, the specimen. Scattering parameters [also known as "S" parameters (S11, S12, S21, and S22)] are computed from ratios between the transmitted and reflected signals and the source signal. Then the permeability and permittivity of the specimen material are derived from the scattering parameters. Theoretically, the technique for calculating the permeability and permittivity from the scattering parameters is exact, but the accuracy of the results depends on the accuracy of the measurements from which the scattering parameters are obtained. To determine whether the measurements are accurate, it is necessary to perform comparable measurements on reference standards, which are essentially specimens that have known scattering parameters. To be most useful, reference standards should provide the full range of scattering-parameter values that can be obtained from material specimens. Specifically, measurements of the backscattering parameter (S11) from no reflection to total reflection and of the forward-transmission parameter (S21) from no transmission to total transmission are needed. A reference standard that functions as a notch (band-stop) filter can satisfy this need because as the signal frequency is varied across the frequency range for which the filter is designed, the scattering parameters vary over the ranges of values between the extremes of total reflection and total transmission. A notch-filter reference standard in the form of a rectangular-waveguide insert that has a size and shape similar to that of a material specimen is advantageous because the measurement configuration used for the reference standard can be the same as that for a material specimen. Typically a specimen is a block of material that fills a waveguide cross-section but occupies only a small fraction of the length of the waveguide. A reference standard of the present type (see figure) is a metal block that fills part of a waveguide cross section and contains a slot, the long dimension of which can be chosen to tailor the notch frequency to a desired value. The scattering parameters and notch frequency can be estimated with high accuracy by use of commercially available electromagnetic-field-simulating software. The block can be fabricated to the requisite precision by wire electrical-discharge machining. In use, the accuracy of measurements is determined by comparison of (1) the scattering parameters calculated from the measurements with (2) the scattering parameters calculated by the aforementioned software.

Lambert, Kevin M.↗

NASA NTRS2005

Alumina or Semiconductor Ribbon Waveguides at 30 to 1,000 GHz

Ribbon waveguides made of alumina or of semiconductors (Si, InP, or GaAs) have been proposed as low-loss transmission lines for coupling electronic components and circuits that operate at frequencies from 30 to 1,000 GHz. In addition to low losses (and a concomitant ability to withstand power levels higher than would otherwise be possible), the proposed ribbon waveguides would offer the advantage of compatibility with the materials and structures now commonly incorporated into integrated circuits. Heretofore, low-loss transmission lines for this frequency range have been unknown, making it necessary to resort to designs that, variously, place circuits and components to be coupled in proximity of each other and/or provide for coupling via free space through bulky and often lossy optical elements. Even chip-to-chip interconnections have been problematic in this frequency range. Metal wave-guiding structures (e.g., microstriplines and traditional waveguides) are not suitable for this frequency range because the skin depths of electromagnetic waves in this frequency range are so small as to give rise to high losses. Conventional rod-type dielectric waveguide structures are also not suitable for this frequency range because dielectric materials, including ones that exhibit ultralow losses at lower frequencies, exhibit significant losses in this frequency range. Unlike microstripline structures or metallic waveguides, the proposed ribbon waveguides would be free of metal and would therefore not be subject to skin-depth losses. Moreover, although they would be made of materials that are moderately lossy in the frequency range of interest, the proposed ribbon waveguides would cause the propagating electromagnetic waves to configure themselves in a manner that minimizes losses.

Yeh, Cavour↗

NASA NTRS2013

High-Reliability Waveguide Vacuum/Pressure Window

The NASA Deep Space Network (DSN) uses commercial waveguide windows on the output waveguide of Ka-band (32 GHz) low-noise amplifiers. Mechanical failure of these windows resulted in an unacceptable loss in tracking time. To address this issue, a new Ka-band WR-28 waveguide window has been designed, fabricated, and tested. The window uses a slab of low-loss, low-dielectric constant foam that is bonded into a 1/2-wave-thick waveguide/flange. The foam is a commercially available, rigid, closed-cell polymethacrylimide. It has excellent electrical properties with a dielectric constant of 1.04, and a loss tangent of 0.01. It is relatively strong with a tensile strength of 1 MPa. The material is virtually impermeable to helium. The finished window exhibits a leak rate of less than 3x10(exp -3)cu cm/s with helium. The material is also chemically resistant and can be cleaned with acetone. The window is constructed by fabricating a window body by brazing a short length of WR-28 copper waveguide into a standard rectangular flange, and machining the resulting part to a thickness of 4.6 mm. The foam is machined to a rectangular shape with a dimension of 7.06x3.53 mm. The foam is bonded into the body with a two-part epoxy. After curing, the excess glue and foam are knife-trimmed by hand. The finished window has a loss of less than 0.08 dB (2%) and a return loss of greater than 25 dB at 32 GHz. This meets the requirements for the DSN application. The window is usable for most applications over the entire 26-to-40-GHz waveguide band. The window return loss can be tuned to a required frequency by var y in g the thickness of the window slightly. Most standard waveguide windows use a thin membrane of material bonded into a recess in a waveguide flange, or sandwiched between two flanges with a polymer seal. Designs using the recessed window are prone to mechanical failure over time due to constraints on the dimensions of the recess that allow the bond to fail. Designs using the sandwich method are often permeable to helium, which prohibits the use of helium leak detection. At the time of this reporting, 40 windows have been produced. Twelve are in operation with a combined operating time of over 30,000 hours without a failure.

Britcliffe, Michael J.↗

NASA NTRS1976

The waveguide laser - A review

The present article reviews the fundamental physical principles essential to an understanding of waveguide gas and liquid lasers, and the current technological state of these devices. At the present time, waveguide laser transitions span the visible through submillimeter regions of the wavelength spectrum. The introduction discusses the many applications of waveguide lasers and the wide variety of laser configurations that are possible. Section 1 summarizes the properties of modes in hollow dielectric waveguides of circular, rectangular, and planar cross section. Section 2 considers various approaches to optical feedback including internal and external mirror Fabry-Perot type resonators, hollow waveguide distributed feedback structures, and ring-resonant configurations. Section 3 discusses those aspects of molecular kinetic and laser theory pertinent to the design and optimization of waveguide gas lasers.

Degnan, J. J.↗

NASA NTRS1981

Investigation of semiconductor clad optical waveguides

The properties of semiconductor-clad optical waveguides based on glass substrates were investigated. Computer modeling studies on four-layer silicon-clad planar dielectric waveguides indicated that the attenuation and mode index should behave as exponentially damped sinusoids as the silicon thickness is decreased below one micrometer. This effect can be explained as a periodic coupling between the guided modes of the lossless structure and the lossy modes supported by the high refractive index silicon. The computer studies also show that both the attenuation and mode index of the propagating mode are significantly altered by conductivity charges in the silicon. Silicon claddings were RF sputtered onto AgNO3-NaNO3 ion exchanged waveguides and preliminary measurements of attenuation were made. An expression was developed which predicts the attenuation of the silicon clad waveguide from the attenuation and phase characteristics of a silicon waveguide. Several applications of these clad waveguides are suggested and methods for increasing the photo response of the RF sputtered silicon films are described.

Batchman, T. E.↗

NASA NTRS1988

An efficient high-frequency analysis of modal reflection and transmission coefficients for a class of waveguide discontinuities

A high-frequency analysis of electromagnetic modal reflection and transmission coefficients is presented for waveguide discontinuities formed by joining different waveguide sections. The analysis uses an extended version of the concept of geometrical theory of diffraction based equivalent edge currents in conjunction with the reciprocity theorem to describe interior scattering effects. If the waveguide modes and their associated modal rays can be found explicitly, general two- and three-dimensional waveguide geometries can be analyzed. Expressions are developed for two-dimensional reflection and transmission coefficients. Numerical results are given for a flanged, semi-infinite parallel plate waveguide and for the junction between two linearly tapered waveguides.

Pathak, P. H.↗

NASA NTRS1995

Feasibility of Coupling Between a Single-Mode Elliptical-Core Fiber and a Single Mode Rib Waveguide Over Temperature

To determine the feasibility of coupling the output of an optical fiber to a rib waveguide in a temperature environment ranging from 20 C to 300 C, a theoretical calculation of the coupling efficiency between the two was investigated. This is a significant problem which needs to be addressed to determine whether an integrated optic device can function in a harsh temperature environment. Because the behavior of the integrated-optic device is polarization sensitive, a polarization-preserving optic fiber, via its elliptical core, was used to couple light with a known polarization into the device. To couple light energy efficiently from an optical fiber into a channel waveguide, the design of both components should provide for well-matched electric field profiles. The rib waveguide analyzed was the light input channel of an integrated-optic pressure sensor. Due to the complex geometry of the rib waveguide, there is no analytical solution to the wave equation for the guided modes. Approximation or numerical techniques must be utilized to determine the propagation constants and field patterns of the guide. In this study, three solution methods were used to determine the field profiles of both the fiber and guide: the effective-index method (EIM), Marcatili's approximation, and a Fourier method. These methods were utilized independently to calculate the electric field profile of a rib channel waveguide and elliptical fiber at two temperatures, 20 C and 300 C. These temperatures were chosen to represent a nominal and a high temperature that the device would experience. Using the electric field profile calculated from each method, the theoretical coupling efficiency between the single-mode optical fiber and rib waveguide was calculated using the overlap integral and results of the techniques compared. Initially, perfect alignment was assumed and the coupling efficiency calculated. Then, the coupling efficiency calculation was repeated for a range of transverse offsets at both temperatures. Results of the calculation indicate a high coupling efficiency can be achieved when the two components were properly aligned. The coupling efficiency was more sensitive to alignment offsets in the y direction than the x, due to the elliptical modal profile of both components. Changes in the coupling efficiency over temperature were found to be minimal.

Tuma, Margaret L.↗

NASA NTRS2016

Photonic Waveguide Choke Joint with Absorptive Loading

A photonic waveguide choke includes a first waveguide flange member having periodic metal tiling pillars, a dissipative dielectric material positioned within an area between the periodic metal tiling pillars and a second waveguide flange member disposed to be coupled with the first waveguide flange member and in spaced-apart relationship separated by a gap. The first waveguide flange member has a substantially smooth surface, and the second waveguide flange member has an array of two-dimensional pillar structures formed therein.

Wollack, Edward J.↗

NASA NTRS1995

Micromachined Silicon Waveguide Circuits

Rectangular waveguides are commonly used as circuit elements in remote-sensing heterodyne receivers at millimeter wavelengths. The advantages of waveguides are low loss and mechanical tunability. However, conventional machining techniques for waveguide components operating above a few hundred GHz are complicated and costly. Waveguides micromachined from silicon however would have several important advantages including low-cost; small size for very high frequency (submillimeter wave) operation; high dimensional accuracy (important for high-Q circuits); atomically smooth walls, thereby reducing rf losses; and the ability to integrate active and passive devices directly in the waveguide on thin membranes, thereby solving the traditional problem of mounting thin substrates.

Silicon Waveguide↗

NASA NTRS1973

Waveguide laser mode patterns in the near and far field.

The difference in notations used by researchers in the dielectric waveguide field and those primarily interested in waveguide lasers is discussed, and the equations for the field components of the various modes in large radius hollow dielectric waveguides are rederived in terms of the more widely used notation. Certain linear combinations of these modes that give linearly polarized field distributions are then considered to be launched into free-space at a waveguide termination. The resultant Fresnel and Fraunhofer field distributions are useful in identifying the modes of oscillation and in choosing mirror apertures that will restrict oscillation on the fundamental waveguide mode.

Degnan, J. J.↗