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Miniaturized Microwave, Millimeter-wave, and sub-Terahertz Tunable Guided Wave Structures for Wireless Communication Beamforming Applications
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- Author / Creator
- Der, Eric T.
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In order to meet the growing demands for faster and more reliable wireless communication networks, as well as to connect the billions of new devices that will require on demand access to the internet, the telecommunication industry seeks to expand the current wireless communication infrastructure into millimeter-wave and terahertz band where spectrum is abundant and relatively under-utilized. Transceiver antenna arrays at these frequencies require beamformer networks in order to be able to transmit over long distances with reasonable signal-to-noise ratios, while still being able to maintain coverage in all directions.
Many devices at these frequencies use waveguide components and interconnects due to their high-power handling and low-loss propagation characteristics. However, these devices are often difficult to integrate with planar circuit platforms. Furthermore, it is known that the size and complexity of phased array feed networks scales with the number of antenna elements. In a world with growing demand for more compact devices, it is therefore prudent to investigate miniaturization techniques of waveguide interconnects and devices. This thesis presents the theoretical background, simulation, engineering trade-off studies, practical implementation, and experimental results of novel waveguide components critical to 5G and 6G beamforming frontends such as Butler matrices, phase shifters, and single pole double throw switches, all implemented using miniaturized waveguide interconnects such as ridged half-mode substrate integrated waveguides (RHMSIW) and evanescent-mode waveguides. Implementations of RHMSIW Butler matrices presented in this thesis at 3.5 GHz and 28 GHz 5G bands achieved some of the smallest form factors at the time of publication, achieving up to 73% miniaturization over their half-mode topology counterpart while still maintaining lower insertion loss over commercially available tunable phase shifters. The silicon evanescent-mode waveguide switches presented in this thesis also achieve over 70% reduction in device volume over commercially available waveguide switches in the W-Band. Furthermore, the switches have three orders of magnitude higher measured speeds over state-of-the-art electromechanical switches in the band while still being able to theoretically handle 5 W of RF power. Using the equipment available at the time of publication, the switch technology was experimentally demonstrated to successfully handle 1.6 W of power. De-embedding the transitions, the switch technology achieves insertion losses as low as 0.5 dB. -
- Subjects / Keywords
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- Graduation date
- Spring 2024
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- Type of Item
- Thesis
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- Degree
- Doctor of Philosophy
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- License
- This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.