A V-band waveguide to microstrip inline transition

A wideband, low loss inline transition from microstrip line to rectangular waveguide is presented. This transition efficiently couples energy from a microstrip line to a ridge and subsequently to a TE10 waveguide. This unique structure requires no mechanical pressure for electrical contact between the microstrip probe and the ridge because the main planar circuitry and ridge sections are placed on a single housing. The measured insertion loss for back-to-back transition is 0.5 – 0.7 dB (0.25 – 0.35 dB/transition) in the band 50 – 72 GHz.