An Integrated Planar Oscillator using a Microstrip Leaky-Wave Resonator/Antenna

Recently there has been interest in planar components for quasi-optical systems [1-3]. In such systems the goal is to combine all circuit components with planar antennas. In this paper we describe the design and construction of planar GaAsFET oscillators which use a single leaky-wave periodic patch microstrip structure as both a resonant element and a transmitting antenna, supplying a frequency stable, directional beam of RF energy. The prototype circuits were designed to operate at X-band, but the same concepts may be extended to higher frequencies.