Development of a millimeter-wave ferrite-filled antisymmetrically biased rectangular waveguide phase shifter embedded in low-temperature cofired ceramic

The theory of a new ferrite-filled rectangular waveguide phase shifter is presented, showing that the device offers more than twice the maximum phase shift of a classical dual-slab ferrite-loaded waveguide phase shifter. The complete analytical field derivation of the new phase shifter is presented. The prototype 36-GHz phase shifter has been completely embedded in an uncharacterized experimental low-temperature cofired ferrite ceramic material, essentially becoming an integral part of a chip package. The fabricated prototype is only 3.5-cm long, 5-mm wide, and 1-mm high. Preliminary measurements of the nonoptimized prototype reveal a controllable, nonreciprocal phase shift of 52.8/spl deg/ at 36 GHz for a bias current of 500 mA, and an insertion loss of approximately 3.6 dB, including transition loss. This paper marks the first time that a ferrite waveguide phase shifter has been realized as a lightweight, compact, and rugged module that can be easily mass produced at low cost. Since it is embedded in a package, the phase shifter can be readily integrated with other active and passive system components that would ideally be contained within the same package.