Ultra‐wideband printed ridge gap waveguide hybrid directional coupler for millimetre wave applications

Abstract

The evolution of a wireless communication system to the fifth generation is accompanied by a huge improvement in the performance of the communication system through providing high data rate with a better coverage area. Hence, 5G technology requires access to millimetre wavebands where more spectra are available for high‐speed applications. This technological progress motivates the research community to develop the essential microwave components, specially couplers, through the use of state of the art guiding structure such as printed ridge gap waveguide (PRGW). In this study, the design of ultra‐wideband 3‐dB planar quadrature hybrid coupler based on PRGW technology is proposed. A systematic design procedure for the proposed coupler is presented and illustrated. The proposed directional coupler is fabricated and measured, where the measured results show good agreement. The presented coupler covers over 26% bandwidth centred at 30 GHz. The presented coupler has a measured wide impedance bandwidth of a 26.5% centred at 30 GHz based on −10 dB threshold. The phase difference between output ports is 90°±°5 over 23% relative bandwidth. On the other hand, the total bandwidth is limited by the amplitude imbalance, which has a bandwidth of 13% for ± 0.75 dB variation.

Broadband Three-Section Branch-Line Coupler Realized by Ridge Gap Waveguide Technology From 12 to 20 GHz

“…and [34]. The proposed couplers in [6] and [35] have more bandwidth of 26%, and 26.5%, respectively, which not only suffer from amplitude and phase imbalance but also these two structures have dielectric substrates that can limit to tolerate the power in high frequencies. Although the bandwidth in these two structures is more than the other compared references, because of the multilayered; their amplitude and phase balance bandwidth is reduced.…”

“…The associate editor coordinating the review of this manuscript and approving it for publication was Muhammad Usman Afzal . uses, rectangular waveguide contains manufacturing problems [5], [6], [7]. Also, significant transmission loss of stripline, SIW, and microstrip lines has become a disadvantage in high-power and high-frequency applications.…”

“…For more information, see https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ make it suitable for various applications [4], [5], [6], [7], [8], [9], [10], [11], [12], [13], [14], [15], [16], [17]. Recently, RGW-based components have been considered in various designs functioning as antenna array feed networks [11], couplers [13], [14], combiners [15], filters [16], [25], and power dividers [18], [19], [20].…”

Exploring Gap Waveguide Solutions: A Review of Millimeter-Wave Beamforming Components and Antennas for Advanced Applications

“…Building upon this foundation, subsequent research [48] introduced tapered transformers, optimizing the bandwidth for 20% operation. Expanding the horizons of quadrature hybrid coupling, [49] introduced a patch coupler featuring perpendicular outputs, achieved through strategic asymmetrical cuts to the patch's edges.…”

“…Reconfigurable power splitters, packaged in-phase/out-of-phase printed multilayer power dividers, and ultrawideband hybrid directional couplers are just a few examples of the innovative devices enabled by GW technology. These advancements, demonstrated by researchers in the field [45][46][47][48][49][50][51][52][53][54][55][56], have the potential to enhance the performance and versatility of beamforming and signal distribution systems in wireless communication networks. Furthermore, the synergy between GW technology and metamaterials has unlocked the development of compact and efficient devices with unprecedented properties.…”