The application of photonic crystals to quasi-optic amplifiers

Quasi-optical spatial power combining provides the high combining efficiency required of solid-state power amplifiers for millimeter-wave frequencies. Photonic crystals (PXTs) are used to implement this type of power combining, as shown by two examples in this paper. The first example describes an all-dielectric structure that provides a carrier for the amplifier array chip satisfying the requirements concerning unilateral transmission and thermal management. The second example describes the use of a high impedance ground plane, based on PXTs, to make the power density incident on the array chip as uniform as possible in order to maximize power and efficiency.