No abstract

PurposeThis paper aims to study tuning effects on thick film microstripline due to ferrite thick film overlay.Design/methodology/approachThe possibility of obtaining tuning characteristics in the Ku band microwave region in the absence of external magnetic field by a simple process of using NixZn1−xFe2O4 thick film and bulk as in‐touch overlay over Ag thick film microstripline was investigated. The microstripline is basically a non‐resonant component with high‐transmission at a large microwave frequency band. The ferrite was synthesized by precursor method and the thick films were deposited by screen printing.FindingsIt was found that tuning characteristics were observed and composition, thickness and precursor dependent changes occurred. The changes with composition are more prominent in the 14.5‐16.5 GHz range. Also, the ferrite thick film overlay produces a deep notch at 15.7 GHz. It is observed that the pellet overlay also makes the microstripline very dispersive with a high‐insertion loss in the 16‐17 GHz range. The presence of permeability‐related effects interfering with the normal propagation of the microstrip circuits might be causing the changes in the circuits.Originality/valueOwing to the NixZn1−xFe2O4 overlay the simple microstripline can be tuned to have narrow band filter type of characteristics. Thick film NixZn1−xFe2O4 overlay gives the added advantage of planer configuration along with cost‐effectiveness in the absence of magnetic field.