Abstract :
Major emphasis in the microwave components area today is on economy. In the early pioneering days of microwave development, performance was the criterion of excellence, and cost played a very subordinate role. Microwave components have traditionally been state-of-the-art devices, almost hand-tailored units with relatively small production runs. The increasing application of microwaves to communications systems, a growing urge to invade consumer markets, and the advent of electronically scanned arrays have all underscored a need for more economical (even cheap!) microwave devices. This trend is associated not only with a tightened federal R & D dollar, but also with a maturing industry, Today it is not so much a question of whether or not a circuit function can be done, but can it be done economically. Increasingly, the tradeoffs between cost and performance are being exhaustively studied.
