Low cost wideband I-Q vector modulator

One of the applications of QPSK modulators is to control the amplitude and phase of an RF signal, working as a vector modulator. Recently there are several monolithic commercial circuits that can be easily used to frequencies of >4 GHz. First, the input signal must be decomposed into two quadrature components, which is usually done in a 3 dB 90° hybrid coupler. Using microstrip techniques, this I-Q vector modulator exhibits narrowband characteristics, due to the degradation of the hybrid performances with frequency. The authors show how the working bandwidth can be extended up to an octave by means of a versatile control system as described here, as an alternative to a new design of the RF stage