The rapid expansion in the use of microwave communications has created a need for dramatically improved microwave devices. In adaptive microwave electronics, it is important and critical to tune the electrical characteristics of a microwave signal. Ferroelectrics and ferrites are the materials of choice providing the electrical and magnetic tunability for adaptive microwave devices, respectively. Individually, however, such tunability is based on the tradeoff of impedance mismatch. Any field induced dielectric constant or permeability change of the device will result in a deviation from the designed device impedance. The bigger the tunability, the greater the deviation of the impedance. An electrical and magnetic dual-tuning microwave device has the advantage of achieving frequency or phase tunability while keeping the impedance of the device unchanged. NZ Applied Technologies (NZAT) proposes to develop innovative dual-tuning microwave structures for adaptive microwave applications. An innovative metal-organic chemical liquid deposition will be utilized to grow low loss ferroelectric and ferrite films. By using our approach, the major source of dielectric loss caused by internal stress due to a lattice mismatch will be minimized. The dual-tuning structures developed in this program will lead to a new generation of microwave devices tuned either electrically or magnetically or both.
Benefits: Success in the Phase I effort will lead to the commercial fabrication of a new generation of tunable microwave devices. These advanced devices will have great applications in military, space, industrial, and consumer sectors. Examples are tunable phase shifters, tunable filters, and tunable beam scan antennas.
