Improved manufacturing method for millimetre wave components

In developing integrated components for application in the 26-40 GHz band much of the early work in the field has concentrated on hybrid circuits built in quartz microstrip. Quartz was selected because of its favourable dielectric properties. The question which arises, however, is whether that material is the most suitable for routine production of microwave components. In this paper alternative materials are considered which have been shown to be suitable for production and which have good microwave performance. The paper discusses the alternative materials which are available and then goes on to describe some millimetre wave components which have been built with soft substrate technology. Performance figures are given and the advantages of using this approach are highlighted