Amplitude Balance Research Articles

Multilayer substrate integrated waveguide six-port junctions with embedded resistive films

Abstract This article deals with multilayer substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) six-port junctions with embedded carbon resistive films. SIW six-ports usually employ reactive power dividers, which degrade the amplitude and phase balance when the six-port is terminated with mismatched power detectors. The associated impairments are studied and two SIW six-port junctions with improved isolation and output matching are designed for K-/Ka-band applications to overcome these limitations. The proposed designs differ with respect to the configuration of the output ports making the underlying six-port topology applicable for different layout requirements. Measurements of the fabricated components validate the concept. The six-ports are compact, fully shielded and can be integrated in multilayer printed circuit boards.

Target-oriented image-domain elastic least-squares reverse time migration

Elastic least-squares reverse time migration (ELSRTM), as an imaging method, offers advantages over conventional elastic reverse time migration (ERTM), including higher resolution, better amplitude balancing, reduced crosstalk, and broader bandwidth. However, conventional ELSRTM involves iterative processes in the data domain, resulting in high computational costs. Moreover, since time is continuous during data domain extrapolation, it cannot solely focus on the target area within the subsurface medium. In contrast, image-domain ELSRTM (IDELSRTM) exhibits high computational efficiency and the ability to image target area. Currently, research on image-domain least-squares reverse time migration is predominantly focused on the acoustic wave assumption, despite elastic waves being closer to the actual subsurface medium and providing richer imaging information. In this study, within the framework of data domain ELSRTM, we derived the objective function for the IDELSRTM and introduced an L1 regularization term under the L2 norm to enhance inversion stability. We devised an inversion strategy employing the fast iterative shrinkage-thresholding algorithm (FISTA). Furthermore, drawing from the point spread functions theory in optics, we derived the mapping relationship between the elastic multi-parameter point spread functions (PSF) and the elastic multi-parameter Hessian matrix, and the relationship between the Hessian matrix and the ERTM images. We provided the computational method for the elastic multi-parameter Hessian matrix and utilized it as the linearized forward operator for IDELSRTM. Through numerical experiments, we further elucidated the relationship between the ERTM images and the Hessian matrix under the framework of IDELSRTM, along with the sources of crosstalk in ERTM. Applying our proposed target-oriented IDELSRTM method to layered models and the Marmousi2 model, we demonstrated its effectiveness in improving imaging resolution and quality with only a marginal increase in computational overhead compared to conventional ERTM.

WR‐3.4 multi‐mode waveguide module with single‐chip‐integrated array circuits

AbstractThis paper introduces a WR‐3.4 waveguide module that contains an array of circuits fabricated on a single chip with an area of 3 × 0.75 mm2. The array comprises ten elements, each containing a straight differential thru line connecting input and output waveguide transitions. Modifications to the edge element design are intended to produce perfect cell‐to‐cell symmetry by providing amplitude and phase balances for all array elements. The measurements show that the array module possesses an insertion loss of around 3.5 dB in the frequency range of 220–300 GHz. This result represents an increase of 2.5 dB compared to an empty waveguide module, displaying similarity to the performance of single‐element modules.

Viscoacoustic least squares reverse-time migration using L1-2 norm sparsity constraint

Abstract Least-squares reverse-time migration (LSRTM) has become an advanced technique for complex structures imaging of the subsurface, as it can provide a higher resolution and more balanced amplitude migrated image than conventional reverse-time migration (RTM). However, the intrinsic attenuation of subsurface introduces amplitude attenuation and phase dispersion of seismic wavefield, which leads to the inverted image kinematically and dynamically inexactitude. Moreover, the imperfect geometry, limited bandwidth of seismic data, and inappropriate modeling kernel etc., would inevitably introduce two side-effects in migrated image, resulting in degradation of LSRTM imaging potential. To alleviate above issues, we present a data-domain sparsity constraint viscoacoustic least-squares reverse-time migration algorithm in this paper. In particular, we utilize the decoupled constant Q fractional Laplacians (DFLs) viscoacoustic wave equation as the modeling kernel to describe the attenuation effects of the subsurface, while a model constraint constructed in the misfit function via L1-2 norm is carried out to clear the migrated artefacts and boost the imaging resolution. Thanks to the excellent performance in sparsity, the drawbacks of unconstraint LSRTM can be effectively mitigated by the L1-2 norm-based regularization. In this paper, we adopt the alternating direction of multipliers method (ADMM) to iteratively address the constrained L1-2 minimization problem by implementing a proximal operator, and three synthetic examples are hired to evaluate the effectiveness and practicability of the proposed strategy. Migration results prove that the proposed scheme can effectively compensate the attenuation effects, improve the resolution, and suppress the migration artifacts of inverted images even in the complex imaging situations.

A 77 GHz Power Amplifier with 19.1 dBm Peak Output Power in 130 nm SiGe Process.

This article reports a two-stage differential structure power amplifier based on a 130 nm SiGe process operating at 77 GHz. By introducing a tunable capacitor for amplitude and phase balance at the center tap of the secondary coil of the traditional Marchand balun, the balun achieves amplitude imbalance less than 0.5 dB and phase imbalance less than 1 degree within the operating frequency range of 70-85 GHz, which enables the power amplifier to exhibit comparable output power over a wide operating frequency band. The power amplifier, based on a designed 3-bit digital analog convertor (DAC)-controlled base bias current source, exhibits small signal gain fluctuation of less than 5 dB and saturation output power fluctuation of less than 2 dB near the 80 GHz frequency point when the ambient temperature varies in the range of -40 °C to 125 °C. Benefiting from the aforementioned design, the tested single-path differential power amplifier exhibits a small signal gain exceeding 16 dB, a saturation output power exceeding 18 dBm, and a peak saturation output power of 19.1 dBm in the frequency band of 70-85 GHz.

Miniaturised integrated passive device balun design with balanced amplitude and phase for Wi‐Fi applications

AbstractA miniaturised integrated passive device (IPD) balun design with low insertion loss and balanced amplitude and phase is proposed for Wi‐Fi/Bluetooth applications. In this design, a novel topology based on the modified T‐type filter structure is introduced to offset the parasitic and coupling effects that cause poor balance in IPD design. The proposed balun design is fabricated on a GaAs substrate. The measured insertion loss is lower than 0.9 dB and the measured return loss is >16 dB in the frequency range of 2.2–2.9 GHz. The measured results of amplitude and phase show rather minor imbalances, which are lower than ±0.67 dB and ±1.8° respectively. The fabricated device size is 0.9 mm × 0.6 mm only.

Modeling the frequency characteristics of the waveguide structure of a heterodyne receiver with sideband division for the range 211...275 GHz

The microwave properties of the components of the waveguide structure of a heterodyne receiver in the 211...275 GHz range with sideband separation based on a pair of superconductor–insulator–superconductor (SIS) tunnel junctions are described. The following elements of the waveguide were studied structures: hybrid four-port splitter, directional coupler, T-shaped splitter body and waveguide absorber. S parameters were calculated for all elements. For hybrid divider additionally shows a phase balance with deviations of less than 0.4 degrees, and an amplitude balance within 1 dB. The expected level of quality of band separation in a band separation receiver using the studied waveguide elements is analyzed; its value is more than –25 dB. The waveguide elements are designed taking into account the fact that the block will be manufactured using precision milling; the minimum dimensions of the waveguide structure are limited by the diameter of the cutter used; in our case, 100 μm was chosen. All numerical calculations were performed using the finite interval method in the HFSS package.

On the Design of Broadband Truly Balanced Inductor-Less Differential-to-Single-Ended Converter in CMOS Friendly to Wire-Bond Package

This brief presents a broadband inductor-less differential to single-ended (D2S) converter employing complementary structure with series resistor. The developed D2S converter has a unique advantage in terms of amplitude and phase balance performance, achieving true balance in theory and while maintaining wire-bond package friendliness. The D2S converter is validated in a prototype of broadband driver amplifier (DA) for the transmitter front-end and fabricated in 65 nm CMOS process. The measurement results show an amplitude and phase error of less than 0.2 dB and 1∘, respectively, over a frequency range of 0.1 to 6 GHz. The proposed D2S occupies a core chip area of only 0.04×0.1 mm and consumes 6.5–7.4 mW power from a 1.2 V supply voltage.

Point-cloud acquisition in CFRP composites using ultrasonic location estimation with the phase-shift reference pulse

Wrinkles in carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP) degrade the mechanical performance. The numerical study on wrinkles requires internal structural point cloud for the meso-structure reconstruction. This paper explores the ultrasonic location estimation with the phase-shift reference pulse for the point-cloud acquisition. The point-cloud acquisition using pulse-echo signals is a time-delay estimation which is a multi-reflection and multi-delay problem. We theoretically simplify the multi-reflection problem as a single-reflection problem and propose a normalized-cross-correlation-peaks (NCCPeaks) method for the multi-delay problem. The proposed method can eliminate some amplitude decrease and balance the smearing and frequency-dependent effects. Simulation shows that the proposed method has the maximum detectable depth without missing inter-ply estimations and a stronger noise resistance than the instantaneous phase method. An experiment is implemented on the 32-ply CFRP sample with an induced wrinkle. The estimation results of the instantaneous phase and NCCPeaks methods are almost the same at the first thirteenth layers. After the thirteenth layer, the NCCPeaks method has a stabler estimation and lower false estimation index than the instantaneous phase method.

Modified Adaptive Filter Based UPQC for Battery Supported Hydro Driven PMSG System

The standalone three phase system for power quality improvement of both the load side voltages as well as the currents of the machine terminal is presented in this paper. This standalone system consists of a three-phase permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG) driven by governor-less hydro turbine as a three-phase source feeding the sensitive/non-linear/linear loads, connected via a unified power quality conditioner (UPQC). The UPQC consists of a back-to-back connected voltage source converters (VSCs) sharing a common DC bus. The series compensator of the UPQC is used to eliminate voltage power quality (PQ) and to maintain the sinusoidal, balanced, and constant amplitude voltages at load terminals irrespective of any variation in the system. Moreover, the current quality such as reactive power compensation, harmonics elimination, etc. are provided by the shunt compensator of the UPQC, simultaneously while improving voltage quality issues. In addition, the efficiency of the overall system is significantly improved by running the generator below its rated voltage and reduces the losses by operating at unity pf. The system frequency and the generated voltage magnitudes are maintained during any load fluctuation or imbalance loading. The model of the UPQC based hydro turbine driven PMSG system is developed in the Simulink-MATLAB environment, and its results are presented for analysis. The validation of the system is also done on the hardware prototype, and it performs effectively for the voltage and current PQ enhancement simultaneously. It significantly improves the PQs at the generator terminals and ensures to adhere the IEC-61727 and the IEEE-519 standards even with either balanced or unbalanced loads.

Highly Integrated Ka-Band Multi-Beam Network Design Based on a Low-Cost Multi-Layer Printed Circuit Board

A Ka-band low-profile and low-loss tile-type four-beam network based on high-density interconnection printed circuit board (PCB) technology is proposed, which integrates a power supply network, serial peripheral interface (SPI) control network, and four-beam radio frequency (RF) feeding network. In order to realize the fast optimal design, an integrated multi-beam network topology and fast optimization methods are established. The proposed feed networks can be integrated with antenna array structures directly, which not only realizes low-profile, light, and miniaturized design but also achieves efficient heat dissipation and low-loss interconnection. The designed multi-beam network has an amplitude balance better than ±0.5 dB and a phase balance better than ±6° in the Ka-band with a 4 GHz working bandwidth. A prototype was fabricated and measured, and good performance was observed.

Quadrature Wilkinson power divider using cross-type short-circuited shunt stub for good amplitude and phase balance

This paper introduces a new design of a quadrature 3-dB power splitter using a quadrature Wilkinson power divider and a cross-type short-circuited shunt stub for printed circuit board (PCB) circuit design. For 3-dB power splitting and a relative 90° phase difference, several types of quadrature 3-dB power splitters are commonly used in RF and microwave applications, including Lange coupler, directional coupler, branch-line coupler, and quadrature Wilkinson power dividers. Among them, quadrature Wilkinson power dividers often utilize a Schiffman phase shifter and λ/4 short-circuited shunt stubs for compensation circuit.In this paper, the aforementioned schemes have been evaluated by image rejection ratio (IRR) bandwidth (BW) related to amplitude and phase imbalance property. The new design of the quadrature Wilkinson power divider adopting the proposed cross-type short-circuited shunt stub offers superior −25-dB IRR BW compared with other quadrature 3-dB power splitters in PCB fabrication. In measurement, the proposed quadrature Wilkinson power divider provided a −25-dB IRR BW of 3.50 GHz, operating at a center frequency of 9.5 GHz. The designed power splitter offered an operating frequency of 2.64 GHz, satisfying −25-dB IRR BW, 10-dB impedance BWs, and 20-dB isolation BW.

A Comprehensive Review on Microstrip Couplers

In this work, several types of microstrip couplers are investigated in terms of structure, performance and design methods. These planar 4-ports passive devices transmit a signal through two different channels. Designers' competition has always been in miniaturizing and improving performance of couplers. Some couplers have been offered with a novel structure, which is a special feature. A high-performance coupler should have high isolation and low losses at both channels. The channels are usually overlapped so that the common port return loss in these channels should be low. Among the couplers, those with balanced amplitude and phase are more popular. The popular mathematical analysis methods are even/odd mode analysis, extracting the information from the ABCD matrix and analyzing the equivalent LC circuit of a simple resonator. According to the phase shift value, couplers are classified as 90º and correct multiples of 90º, where a microstrip 0º coupler can be used as a power divider. Some couplers have filtering and harmonic elimination features that are superior to other couplers. However, few designers paid attention to suppressing the harmonics. If the operating frequency is set in according to the type of application, the coupler becomes particularly valuable.ABCD Matrix

A 0.49 mm2 CMOS Low-Power TVCO Achieving FoM of 190.36 dBc/Hz for 5G New Radio Application

This paper describes the implementation of low-power, low-phase-noise (PN), and robust startup tailless class-C voltage-controlled oscillator (TVCO) for 5G new radio (NR) technology. It features dual gate voltage control source biasing to generate fast startup and differential signal amplitude balancing, thus eliminating the requirement of the conventional tail current source, which introduces more parasitic capacitance that affects the oscillation frequency, phase noise, and power consumption. The TVCO is fabricated in 180 nm complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology, oscillating at 2.59 GHz 5G NR carrier frequency with an output voltage swing of 1.7 V and low-phase-noise of -122 dBc/Hz at 1 MHz offset with supply voltage headroom of 0.7 V. Without additional features added, the TVCO consumes very low-power and a small die area of 0.98 mW and 0.49 mm2, respectively. The achieved figure of merit (FoM) is 190.36 dBc/Hz.

Analysis and Comparison of Marchand and Transformer Baluns Applied in GaAs

Analysis and measurement validation of Marchand and Transformer baluns is presented in this brief that compares key performance metrics including amplitude and phase balance, circuit size, bandwidth and impedance match. Whilst novel variants of these circuits have been published in the open literature to improve their performance by direct compensation, there yet remains a fundamental comparison of the core coupled-line structures to reveal a systematic design procedure for baluns. Simple analytical equations are derived for both the baluns to reveal a deep analytical insight and a basis for performance comparison. It is then validated by measurement on the same gallium arsenide wafer, which is demonstrated for the first time. A systematic design approach is summarized that can be followed by other designers that has resulted in state-of-the-art performance for both balun types without the need for additional compensation and or tuning techniques at the output ports. The Marchand balun covers a frequency range of 30-65 GHz with a measured amplitude and phase imbalance less than 0.7 dB and 1.2° respectively. The transformer balun covers a frequency range of 30-45 GHz with a measured amplitude and phase imbalance less than 0.2 dB and 0.9° respectively.

Reliability of transcranial magnetic stimulation and H-reflex measurement during balance perturbation tasks.

Following ankle movement, posterior balance perturbation evokes short- (SLR ∼30–50 ms), medium- (MLR ∼50–60 ms), and long-latency responses (LLR ∼70–90 ms) in soleus muscle before voluntary muscle contraction. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and Hoffmann-reflex (H-reflex) measurements can provide insight into the contributions of corticospinal and spinal mechanisms to each response. Motor evoked potential (MEP) and H-reflex responses have shown good reliability in some dynamic muscle contraction tasks. However, it is still unclear how reliable these methods are in dynamic balance perturbation and corticospinal modulation during long amplitude balance perturbation tasks. 14 subjects completed two test sessions in this study to evaluate the reliability of MEPs, H-reflex, and corticospinal modulation during balance perturbation. In each session, the balance perturbation system operated at 0.25 m/s, accelerating at 2.5 m/s2 over 0.3 m displacement. MEPs and H-reflexes were elicited in the right leg soleus muscle at four delays after ankle movement (10 ms, 40 ms, 80 ms, and 140 ms), respectively. Test-retest reliability of MEP and H-reflex amplitudes were assessed via intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) both between- and within-session. Between-session test-retest reliability for MEPs was excellent (ICC = 0.928–0.947), while H-reflex demonstrated moderate-to-good reliability (ICC = 0.626–0.887). Within-session reliability for both MEPs and H-reflex was excellent (ICC = 0.927–0.983). TMS and H-reflex measurements were reliable at different delays after perturbation between- and within-sessions, which indicated that these methods can be used to measure corticospinal excitability during balance perturbation.

A Wideband Doherty Combiner with Phase Variation Compensation Using LTCC Applicable for High Power Transmission

In this paper, we propose a small-sized Doherty combiner with phase variation compensation using low temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC) substrate. The proposed design theory for the Doherty combiner is derived using the phase calculation of the <i>S</i>-parameter based on the relation between the input and output ports. The proposed circuit is designed after determining the band edge frequency and the targeted degree of the phase balance. The proposed circuit is verified using the microstrip line and the LTCC substrate. The implemented structure, using LTCC as the substrate, is operated under a high-power test of continuous wave 50 W, the results of which also show that the amplitude and phase balance have variations within 0.2 dB and ±1°, respectively. The high-power test shows that the implemented structure is applicable for high power Doherty amplifiers or combiners.

The Improvement of Balance, Coordination & Proprioception Following an MPI Cervico-Thoracic Junction Seated Adjustment: A Case Report

Abstract: Further enquiries into how spinal manipulation directly impacts proprioception, balance and coordination are required to support the current body of evidence. The leading question of this study was “Does a Motion Palpation Institute cervico-thoracic junction high velocity, low amplitude adjustment impact proprioception, balance and coordination?”. A 32- year-old female with no prior gymnastic experience was recruited for this case-study. The participant was blind folded and given two attempts to maintain a static tandem Romberg stance on a 46cm high, 20cm wide gymnastic balancing beam for as long as possible. During the first attempt the participant lost her balance immediately. The participant then received a seated Motion Palpation Institute cervico-thoracic junction adjustment. Following the adjustment, an immediate improvement in balance, proprioception and coordination was observed. During attempt two, the participant could maintain her balance exponentially. The findings of this study suggest that spinal manipulation may have a potential benefit on proprioception, balance and coordination in a healthy patient. This further illustrates the importance of spinal manipulation as a non-invasive, low cost and low risk treatment. Further research to expand the findings of this study are needed to reach a stronger conclusion.

A Wideband Feed Network for Vivaldi Antenna Arrays

A wideband feed network for a Vivaldi antenna array is presented. A limitation of current wideband antenna arrays is the bandwidth of either the feed network or the antenna element. The proposed antenna array consists of four wideband Vivaldi antennas fed with an improved wideband feed network to extend the useable bandwidth of the array. The proposed feed network consists of coplanar waveguide-to-slotline-to-microstrip line transitions. The feed network has a single coplanar waveguide input and four microstrip line output ports. The feed network achieved uniform amplitude and phase balance and an impedance bandwidth of 160% from 1 GHz to 9 GHz. The feed network was used in a uniform linear antenna array to feed four Vivaldi antenna elements. The Vivaldi antenna array achieved stable radiation patterns from 1.3 GHz to 8 GHz, resulting in a useable bandwidth of 144%. The antenna array has a minimum gain of 8 dBi and a maximum of 13.8 dBi within the frequency band. Results for a prototype Vivaldi antenna array, measured in a compact antenna test range, are presented and compared to simulated results from CST Studio Suite.

A fast least-squares reverse time migration method using cycle-consistent generative adversarial network

With high imaging accuracy, high signal-to-noise ratio, and good amplitude balance, least-squares reverse time migration (LSRTM) is an imaging algorithm suitable for deep high-precision oil and gas exploration. However, the computational costs limit its large-scale industrial application. The difference between traditional reverse time migration (RTM) and LSRTM is whether to eliminate the effect of the Hessian operator or not while solving Hessian matrix explicitly or eliminating the effect of the Hessian matrix implicitly has a very high requirement on computation or storage capacity. We simulate the inverse Hessian by training a cycle-consistent generative adversarial network (cycleGAN) to construct a mapping relationship between the RTM results and the true reflectivity models. The trained network is directly applied to the RTM imaging results, which improves the imaging quality while significantly reducing the calculation time. We select three velocity models and two velocity models respectively to generate the training and validation data sets, where the validation data is not involved in the training process. The prediction results on the validation data sets show that the trained network significantly improves the imaging quality with almost no additional in computational effort. Finally, we apply the network trained with only synthetics to the field data. The predicted results confirm the effectiveness and good generalization of the proposed method.