Waveguide slide screw tuner with rotating disc probes
View Patent ↗A waveguide low profile slide-screw impedance tuner for seamless on-wafer integration uses rotating metallic tuning probe. This ensures high resolution in the area where the probe penetration is maximum (high GAMMA), a smooth increase of depth (basic anti-electrical discharge—“Corona” form) and compensation for the negative phase trajectory at higher GAMMA, native to traditional vertically moving stub-probes in waveguide tuners. Also, using rotating disc-probes simplifies the tuner mechanics, eliminates the cumbersome precise vertical axis and gear and flattens the tuner profile for best direct connection with wafer-probes.
1. A waveguide slide screw impedance tuner comprising: an input and an output port, and at least one straight waveguide airline section between the ports, slotted into a large wall along the input-output axis, and a disc-shaped, tuning probe comprising a conductive part and a non-conductive part, of which at least a conductive portion is insertable, in a non-contacting relationship, into the waveguide slot, and a disc probe control assembly, moving parallel to the slot of the waveguide, airline, wherein the disc probe control assembly includes a first remotely controlled stepper motor which controls the disc probe, and gear, and wherein the disc-probe is carried by the control assembly and rotates parallel to the waveguide slot around an axis which is perpendicular to the disc probes surface and to the waveguide slot.
2. The slide screw waveguide impedance tuner of claim 1 ,
wherein the slot is centered on the large waveguide wall.
3. The slide screw waveguide impedance tuner of claim 1 , wherein
the first stepper motor controls an angle of rotation of the disc-probe, and
a second, remotely controlled, stepper motor controls a position of the probe control assembly along the waveguide using an ACME rod.
4. The waveguide slide screw impedance tuner as in claim 1 ,
wherein the disc-probe is elliptical.
5. The waveguide slide screw impedance tuner as in claim 1 ,
wherein the disc-probe is oval.