Distributed broad-band frequency translator and its use in a 1-3-GHz coherent reflectometer

Author

Akkaraekthalin, Prayoot ; Kee, Scott ; Van der Weide, Daniel W.

Author_Institution

Dept. of Electr. & Comput. Eng., Delaware Univ., Newark, DE, USA

Volume

46

Issue

12

fYear

1998

fDate

12/1/1998 12:00:00 AM

Firstpage

2244

Lastpage

2250

Abstract

We present the first frequency translator based on a nonlinear transmission line (NLTL) phase shifter and demonstrate its application in a coherent reflectometer, giving a performance comparable to a commercial network analyzer. Rather than forming shock waves on the NLTL with large signal excitation, we use its voltage-variable delay together with both amplitude and phase linearization to modulate the phase of a small 0.5-3.0-GHz microwave signal. The resultant single sideband modulator exhibits >45 dBc carrier and spurious suppression. This new approach has significant applications in both instrumentation and sensing, particularly because it offers a clear path toward complete integration of a coherent measurement system

Keywords

delays; microwave frequency convertors; microwave phase shifters; microwave reflectometry; 0.5 to 3.0 GHz; amplitude linearization; coherent measurement system; coherent reflectometer; distributed broad-band frequency translator; nonlinear transmission line phase shifter; phase linearization; single sideband modulator; spurious suppression; voltage-variable delay; Amplitude modulation; Frequency; Instruments; Performance analysis; Phase modulation; Phase shifters; Propagation delay; Shock waves; Transmission lines; Voltage;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Microwave Theory and Techniques, IEEE Transactions on

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

0018-9480

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/22.739205

Filename

739205