Adjustable Ground Conductor Layout for Stable Sub-Harmonic Mixers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Manufacturing high-performance sub-harmonic mixers in the terahertz band is hindered by random errors during assembly, leading to performance degradation.
Innovation Solution
A sub-harmonic mixer module with a position-adjustable ground conductor and dielectric circuit unit, allowing precise alignment and adjustment of the ground conductor to ensure stable electrical characteristics and reduce random errors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional assembly processes are used for sub-harmonic mixer manufacturing, then production efficiency is maintained, but random errors occur during attaching process leading to performance degradation
Solution Approach 1:
The ground conductor is pre-positioned and fixed to the dielectric substrate before assembling other mixer components. This preliminary positioning ensures that the ground reference is established with precise electrical characteristics before subsequent attachments, preventing random errors in the attaching process and ensuring consistent performance across multiple units.
2Reliability
If fixed ground conductor design is used, then manufacturing process is simplified, but electrical characteristics cannot be tuned for optimization
Solution Approach 1:
The ground conductor is designed with an adjustable position mechanism that allows it to be moved to different locations on the dielectric substrate. This dynamic positioning capability enables optimization of electrical characteristics such as ground impedance and signal integrity, while the fixed mounting structure maintains simplicity in the manufacturing process and ensures consistency across production units.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The module achieves stable and optimized performance by providing adjustable ground voltage and impedance, ensuring consistent electrical characteristics across multiple units.
Implementation Method 1
The first conversion probe converts a radio frequency (RF) electromagnetic wave into a first electrical signal
Implementation Method 2
The second conversion probe converts a local oscillator (LO) electromagnetic wave into a second electrical signal
Implementation Method 3
The ground conductor is connected with the RF/DC ground circuit and provides the ground voltage
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a sub-harmonic mixer module including a dielectric circuit unit and a ground conductor. The dielectric circuit unit includes a dielectric substrate, a first conversion probe, a second conversion probe, a nonlinear element, and an RF/DC ground circuit. The first conversion probe converts an RF electromagnetic wave into a first electrical signal. The second conversion probe converts an LO electromagnetic wave into a second electrical signal. The nonlinear element switches depending on the second electrical signal and generates a third electrical signal. The ground conductor is connected with the RF/DC ground circuit and provides ground voltage. The first conversion probe, the second conversion probe, the nonlinear element, and the RF/DC ground circuit are formed on one surface of the dielectric substrate. The ground conductor is disposed to make contact with the one surface of the dielectric substrate and is position-adjustable.