Frequency agile microwave dielectric components integrated with high-speed piezoelectric actuator

Low loss highly tunable microwave material can be fabricated using dielectric laminate structure in which effective dielectric constant /spl epsiv//sub ef/ is efficiently controlled. Proposed combined structure usually consists of two dielectric parts with an air gap between them. This gap has to be arranged in such a way that provides the largest perturbation in the electromagnetic filed. By means of fast piezoelectric miniactuator, the size of the air gap is changed. As a result, the /spl epsiv//sub ef/ of given structure strongly varies that is used for device control. Wide-band low loss waveguide phase shifters, highly tunable dielectric resonators, and based on them 20%-tunable filter are realized experimentally.