Analysis of planar grid oscillators

A full-wave analysis of infinite periodic grid structures loaded with active devices is presented. The grid consists of arbitrary periodic metal patterns printed on one or both sides of a dielectric slab in free space. Since the structure is periodic, it is sufficient to analyze a single unit cell. An expression is derived relating the tangential electric field to the surface current density on the metal, which is determined by the method of moments. The driving point impedances are found for any active devices embedded in the grid structure. Using this analysis, the metal geometry can be optimized for designing active quasi-optical power-combining grids in the microwave and millimeter-wave regions.<
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