BROAD BAND, THIN FILM ATTENUATOR AND METHOD FOR CONSTRUCTION THEREOF

• Main Authors: ROLAND, LEONARD A, GRELLMANN, ERWIN, H, LOCKWOOD, LARRY R
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 10.08.1988
• Edition: 4
• Subjects: BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS; BASIC ELECTRONIC CIRCUITRY; ELECTRICITY; IMPEDANCE NETWORKS, e.g. RESONANT CIRCUITS; RESISTORS; RESONATORS; RESONATORS, LINES, OR OTHER DEVICES OF THE WAVEGUIDE TYPE; WAVEGUIDES

A broad band, thin film attenuator. An attenuator for microwave circuits is constructed by placing a ground plane conductor on one side of a ceramic, insulating substrate, and conductive, resistive, and reactive elements on the other side of the substrate. Capacitive stubs are provided to compensate for inductance in a grounding conductors between resistance elements and the ground plane conductor. Constrictions are provided in input and output conductors to provide increased series inductance to compensate for distributed capacitance of the resistance elements. One resistance element is constructed so that the interface between the input conductor and that resistance element forms an obtuse interior angle with an adjoining transitional edge extending from the input conductor to the grounding conductor, and the transitional edge formsan obtuse interior angle with the adjoining edge of the grounding conductor, so as to minimize current density concentrations and distributed capacitance. A second resistance element is employed to achieve additional attenuation.