Compact cell topology selection for size‐reduction‐oriented design of microstrip rat‐race couplers |
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| Authors: | Slawomir Koziel Piotr Kurgan |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Engineering Optimization and Modeling Center, School of Science and Engineering, Reykjavík University, Menntavegur 1, Reykjavík, Iceland;2. Faculty of Electronics, Telecommunications and Informatics, Gdansk University of Technology, Gdansk, Poland |
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| Abstract: | In this work, we address the problem of compact cell topology selection for miniaturization of rat‐race couplers. The principal objective of the design process is to achieve the smallest possible footprint of the coupler, while maintaining the required levels of electrical parameters imposed on its components. Our approach permits identification of the minimum achievable coupler area, provided that the circuit is composed of a given compact cell and folded lines. This allows for the quantitative assessment of a set of considered cells with respect to the miniaturization capabilities they exhibit under certain design specifications. The proposed method is validated using 6 different cells with unified parameterization to identify the smallest rectangular‐like rat‐race coupler described by 2 design specifications. The obtained results attest that circuit topology and electrical parameters of the reference design are critical factors determining the final miniaturization rate. The proof‐of‐concept prototype devices occupy merely 8% of the conventional coupler area, while preserving fractional bandwidths (20% and 13.5%) of their conventional counterparts. The experimental results confirm the claims inferred from the numerical data. |
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| Keywords: | compact microwave circuits EM‐driven design miniaturization rat‐race couplers slow‐wave structures topology selection |
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