An 8-18 GHz 90° Switched T-Type Phase Shifter

Area of Science:

• Electrical Engineering
• Microwave Engineering
• Semiconductor Devices

Background:

• Conventional T-type phase shifters (TPS) often face limitations in phase shifting capacity and wide-band performance.
• Achieving a flat relative phase shift over a broad frequency range is crucial for advanced wireless and radar applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and validate a novel 8-18 GHz 90° switched T-type phase shifter (TPS) with enhanced performance.
• To improve phase shifting capacity and achieve a flat relative phase shift across a wide band.

Main Methods:

• Design and fabrication of a novel TPS incorporating a compensation capacitance and a filtering compensation network.
• Utilizing 0.15 μm GaAs pHEMT technology for device fabrication.
• Experimental characterization of phase shift, phase error, and insertion loss across the 8-18 GHz band.

Main Results:

• The proposed TPS achieves a homogeneous phase shift from 8-18 GHz with a measured phase error of less than ±1.5°.
• The device exhibits an insertion loss ranging from 1.3-2.6 dB.
• The fabricated chip size is compact, measuring 0.53 × 0.86 mm².

Conclusions:

• The novel TPS design significantly enhances phase shifting capacity and provides a flat relative phase shift over a wide band.
• The excellent performance, including low phase error and insertion loss, makes the device suitable for ultra-wideband wireless communication and radar systems.
• The compact size further enhances its applicability in space-constrained systems.