In a method and a system, or so-called nullifier or discharger, for reducing or even zeroing an electrical potential of an electrical system or of an electrical device, an electrically conducting element has one part electrically connectable to an electrical system or an electrical device having an electrical potential, and it extends so that its another part is introduced in a medium other than a layer of Earth.

In a method and a system, or so-called nullifier or discharger, for reducing or even zeroing an electrical potential of an electrical system or of an electrical device, an electrically conducting element has one part electrically connectable to an electrical system or an electrical device having an electrical potential, and it extends so that its another part is introduced in a medium other than a layer of Earth.

A switchless combiner includes a circuit having a delay line consisting of a constant-impedance transmission line and a device adapted to vary the electric length of said transmission line, the device including a metallic body with walls defining a cavity, the walls being interrupted to define a slot, the cavity and the slot extending along at least a portion of the length of the device, the cavity including a first portion having a first cross-section and a second portion having a second cross-section which is greater than the first cross-section, the second portion having a dielectric element with a cutout corresponding to the slot, the first and second portions extending in the longitudinal direction of the device and the transmission line being positioned, inside the first and second portion, in the cutout, the dielectric element occupying the cavity of the second portion, and having an element to translate the dielectric element on the circuit in the longitudinal direction of the device.

An improved active, electronically scanned array antenna that employs programmable time delays in the transmission feed lines to form timed arrays is provided. A timed array can be implemented as a nested set of transmission lines, and the programmable time delay can be realized as or in each of the transmission lines such that each transmission line can have a fixed physical length and a programmable electrical length.

An improved active, electronically scanned array antenna that employs programmable time delays in the transmission feed lines to form timed arrays is provided. A timed array can be implemented as a nested set of transmission lines, and the programmable time delay can be realized as or in each of the transmission lines such that each transmission line can have a fixed physical length and a programmable electrical length.

Programmable multi-reflective phase shifters which provide reduced root-mean-square phase error, can be optimized for a desired frequency band, can compensate for process variations arising during manufacture, and can help offset system level performance shortfalls. Embodiments include a hybrid coupler (e.g., a Lange hybrid coupler) in combination with a multi-reflective reactance-based terminating circuit with a number of different configurations that permit various modes of operation, including a thermometric mode, a phase overlap mode with interstitial phase shift states, an extended range phase shift mode, and a tweak bit mode. A number of programmable or selectable RF phase shifters can be series or parallel connected to provide a desired gamut of phase shift.

A wide band radio frequency (RF) circulator is presented. The RF circulator includes at least one stage having four ports configured to circulate an input RF signal from a first port to a second port while isolating a third port, from the second port to the third port while isolating the first port, and from the third port to the first port while isolating the first port, wherein the fourth port is grounded; and wherein the at least one stage includes at least a pair of couplers connected via a delay line, wherein each coupler includes a main transmission line and a coupling transmission line disposed on distinct dielectric layers.

Aspects of the present disclosure involve a system and method for generating noise waves at millimeter wave frequencies. A noise source generator is designed to be connected to a crystalline structure for efficient heat transfer and compatibility with millimeter wave receivers. The use of crystalline structure coupled to the noise source generator allows heat from a biasing device, such as a diode, to be carried away such that the diode is able to generate noise waves while being reversed biased without compromising the device. In another embodiment, the noise source generator includes the use of a backshort transmission line with vias that is connected to the biasing device for heat transfer from the biasing device to the backshort.

A true time delay (TTD) module includes a substrate and a transmission line formed on the substrate. The transmission line includes time delay lines that define signal paths of varying lengths between a signal input and a signal output of the TTD module. A plurality of switching elements are positioned along the transmission line and are selectively controllable to define a signal transmission path between the signal input and the signal output. The switching elements include an input switching element positioned at a first end of each of the plurality of time delay lines, an output switching element positioned at a second end of each of the plurality of time delay lines, and at least one intermediate switching element positioned between the input switching element and the output switching element of at least one of the plurality of time delay lines.

A wide band radio frequency (RF) circulator is presented. The RF circulator includes at least one stage having four ports configured to circulate an input RF signal from a first port to a second port while isolating a third port, from the second port to the third port while isolating the first port, and from the third port to the first port while isolating the first port, wherein the fourth port is grounded; and wherein the at least one stage includes at least a pair of couplers connected via a delay line, wherein each coupler includes a main transmission line and a coupling transmission line disposed on distinct dielectric layers.