A new concept for tunable and reduced size microwave circuits is presented based on barium-strontium-titanate (BST) varactors. The proposed design methodology relies on substitution of quarter-wavelength transmission line segments with their equivalent low-pass structures. The ferroelectric BST-varactors are used as tuning elements and allow for a frequency agile behavior and size reduction of the circuit. Candidates for this methodology are quarter-wavelength based circuits such as Wilkinson power dividers and branch-line couplers. Prototype boards for both topologies were implemented and characterized through scattering parameter measurements. For the implemented Wilkinson divider a tuning range from 1.7 to 2.1 GHz is achieved. The insertion loss in both output paths varies from 0.6 to 1.2 dB while maintaining a worst case amplitude-and phase difference of 0.5 dB and 9 , respectively, for all operating cases. The isolation between the two output ports exceeded 25 dB over the whole tuning range. The implemented branch-line coupler exhibits a tuning range from 1.8 to 2.3 GHz with a maximum insertion loss of 2.7 dB while maintaining worst case amplitudeand phase difference of 0.4 dB and 90 5 , respectively. Port matching and isolation levels of more than 15 dB are exhibited at all bias conditions. Index Terms-Couplers, ferroelectric capacitors, power dividers, tunable circuits and devices.
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