A Digital Latching Ferrite Strip Transmission Line Phase Shifter

This paper is concerned with the development of a new type of latching phase shifter which combines submicrosecond switching with a compact strip transmission line structure. Digital increments of nonreciprocal phase shift are obtained by "latching" or switching the magnetization of appropriate square loop garnet or ferrite materials from one remanent state to another. The following data have been obtained for a four-bit, C-band model utilizing yttrium iron garnet (4/spl pi/M/sub 8/ = 1600 G): Center Frequency---5.45 Gc/s Phase Deviation---/spl les//spl plusmn/3 percent over an 8 percent frequency band Insertion Loss--- <0.9 db VSWR--- <1.50 Switching Time--- <0.3/spl mu/s with a 130 V, 13 amp pulse Switching Energy--- <200 /spl mu/J for 180/spl deg/ bit Length--- <6 inches.