We have developed a new wideband hybrid circulator technology. The hybrid circulator has significantly higher bandwidth than the Y-junction. The hybrid circulator is an enabling technology for broadband transmit/receive applications.
What drove this innovation? We were not satisfied with the performance of the Y-junction millimeter wave circulators nor the impossibility of realizing a Y-junction circulator with good bandwidth above 150 GHz. Even after we squeezed about all the bandwidth possible out of our Y-junction using sophisticated impedance matching techniques, any further significant increases in bandwidth are prohibited by limitations in the ferrite material. So we found another way to implement the circulator function.
Our new patented hybrid circulator is not a Y-junction, it is the next innovation in millimeter wave circulator technology. It is a passive device similar in size to the Y-junction but having an astounding 24% fractional bandwidth in every band from WR-15 to WR-3.4; that’s triple the bandwidth of a W-band Y-junction circulator and more than 10 times the bandwidth of a Y-junction circulator in WR-5.1.
For the first time ever, there’s a real market option for millimeter wave circulators at high frequency bands such as WR-3.4, which is making people rethink the design of their systems. Or as one customer said when contemplating the possibilities with our hybrid circulator technology, “I’m glad to see that this component is not science fiction”. The hybrid circulator is thus an enabling technology for high frequency, broadband transmit/receive systems. Check out our blog post to learn more about the hybrid circulator.
MILLIMETER WAVE HYBRID CIRCULATORS
| Model | Flange (EIA) | Band (GHz) | Insertion Loss (dB, Avg) | Isolation [S12, S23, S31] (dB, Typ Min) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HC148 | WR-15 | 54 – 68 | 0.6 | 21, 22, 19 |
| HC122 | WR-12 | 70 – 86 | 0.6 | 21, 22, 20 |
| HC100 | WR-10 | 85 – 104 | 0.6 | 24, 24, 18 |
| HC080 | WR-8 | 107 – 133 | 0.8 | 24, 24, 19 |
| HC065 | WR-6.5 | 118 – 150 | 1.0 | 23, 23, 18 |
| HC051 | WR-5.1 | 150 – 190 | 1.8 | 20, 20, 16 |
| HC043 | WR-4.3 | 196 – 250 | 1.6 | 21, 20, 18 |
| HC034 | WR-3.4 | 258 – 330 | 2.6 | 20, 20, 17 |
Developing a series of circulators up to WR-3.4 with a 24% fractional bandwidth was a leap in mmWave circulator technology. And we have seen the effect on the market, enabling next generation telecommunications and radar technology. But we know that some applications demand a full waveguide band (40%) bandwidth or require the flexibility of a wideband circulator. Therefore, we continue to innovate, and are excited about the development of our fullband circulators.
MILLIMETER WAVE HYBRID CIRCULATORS
| Model | Flange (EIA) | Band (GHz) | Insertion Loss (dB, Avg) | Isolation [S12, S23, S31] (dB, Typ Min) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HC148F (TBD) | WR-15 | 50 – 75 | ||
| HC122F (TBD) | WR-12 | 60 – 90 | ||
| HC100F (TBD) | WR-10 | 75 – 110 | ||
| HC080F (TBD) | WR-8 | 90 – 140 | ||
| HC065F | WR-6.5 | 110- 170 | 1.2 | 24, 24, 17 |
| HC051F (TBD) | WR-5.1 | 140 – 220 | ||
| HC043F (TBD) | WR-4.3 | 170 – 260 | ||
| HC034F (TBD) | WR-3.4 | 220 – 330 |
Though the hybrid circulator is superior to the Y-junction circulator for most applications, we understand that for certain customers the old-style, band-limited Y-junction circulator might be a better fit. Contact us to see how we can design a Y-junction circulator to fit your needs if we do not already have one designed.
We don’t make just millimeter wave circulators, you can also find our industry leading millimeter wave isolators, as well as millimeter wave attenuators.
For more information concerning our product lines, white papers, and informational videos follow the link below.