A Miniaturized and Low-Loss Phase Shifter Based on Slow-Waves and Liquid Crystal
This article proposes a miniaturized, low-loss, and continuously tunable slow-wave (SW) liquid crystal (LC) phase shifter, designed specifically for the 60 GHz millimeter-wave band. The 60 GHz frequency range, with its wide bandwidth and short wavelength, enables compact and high-performance designs...
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| Format: | Article |
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IEEE
2025-01-01
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| Series: | IEEE Access |
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| Online Access: | https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10969796/ |
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| author | Daming Du Hua Zhu Hao Liang Jiejun Peng Zhengfang Qian |
| author_facet | Daming Du Hua Zhu Hao Liang Jiejun Peng Zhengfang Qian |
| author_sort | Daming Du |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This article proposes a miniaturized, low-loss, and continuously tunable slow-wave (SW) liquid crystal (LC) phase shifter, designed specifically for the 60 GHz millimeter-wave band. The 60 GHz frequency range, with its wide bandwidth and short wavelength, enables compact and high-performance designs, making it ideal for next-generation communication systems. A three-parallel-stub slow-wave unit, incorporating fine rectangular branches and gaps, is proposed to enhance the slow-wave effect. A rectangular defected ground structure (DGS) is introduced to increase the bandwidth, while gradient stubs in the coplanar waveguide (CPW) are employed to improve impedance matching between the CPW port and the inverted microstrip line (IMSL) port. The equivalent circuit model of the proposed slow-wave unit is analyzed, and the evolutionary process of the structural design, along with its impact on phase velocity, is examined through comparison. Measurement results indicate that the structure achieves a phase shift of up to <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$250~^{\circ }$ </tex-math></inline-formula>/<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\lambda $ </tex-math></inline-formula> and a figure of merit (FoM) of <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$41.7~^{\circ }$ </tex-math></inline-formula>/dB, with an insertion loss of more than -6 dB. The simulation and measured results are in good agreement, demonstrating the feasibility of the proposed design in the 60 GHz band. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e68d4e4ba2b343f3a002c81226bcf066 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2169-3536 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | IEEE |
| record_format | Article |
| series | IEEE Access |
| spelling | doaj-art-e68d4e4ba2b343f3a002c81226bcf0662025-08-20T02:28:15ZengIEEEIEEE Access2169-35362025-01-0113786077861710.1109/ACCESS.2025.356230110969796A Miniaturized and Low-Loss Phase Shifter Based on Slow-Waves and Liquid CrystalDaming Du0https://orcid.org/0009-0007-5754-9984Hua Zhu1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3578-3880Hao Liang2Jiejun Peng3Zhengfang Qian4https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8377-4260College of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, ChinaCollege of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, ChinaCollege of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, ChinaCollege of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, ChinaCollege of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, ChinaThis article proposes a miniaturized, low-loss, and continuously tunable slow-wave (SW) liquid crystal (LC) phase shifter, designed specifically for the 60 GHz millimeter-wave band. The 60 GHz frequency range, with its wide bandwidth and short wavelength, enables compact and high-performance designs, making it ideal for next-generation communication systems. A three-parallel-stub slow-wave unit, incorporating fine rectangular branches and gaps, is proposed to enhance the slow-wave effect. A rectangular defected ground structure (DGS) is introduced to increase the bandwidth, while gradient stubs in the coplanar waveguide (CPW) are employed to improve impedance matching between the CPW port and the inverted microstrip line (IMSL) port. The equivalent circuit model of the proposed slow-wave unit is analyzed, and the evolutionary process of the structural design, along with its impact on phase velocity, is examined through comparison. Measurement results indicate that the structure achieves a phase shift of up to <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$250~^{\circ }$ </tex-math></inline-formula>/<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\lambda $ </tex-math></inline-formula> and a figure of merit (FoM) of <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$41.7~^{\circ }$ </tex-math></inline-formula>/dB, with an insertion loss of more than -6 dB. The simulation and measured results are in good agreement, demonstrating the feasibility of the proposed design in the 60 GHz band.https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10969796/Slow wave structureliquid crystalphase shifterdefected ground structure |
| spellingShingle | Daming Du Hua Zhu Hao Liang Jiejun Peng Zhengfang Qian A Miniaturized and Low-Loss Phase Shifter Based on Slow-Waves and Liquid Crystal IEEE Access Slow wave structure liquid crystal phase shifter defected ground structure |
| title | A Miniaturized and Low-Loss Phase Shifter Based on Slow-Waves and Liquid Crystal |
| title_full | A Miniaturized and Low-Loss Phase Shifter Based on Slow-Waves and Liquid Crystal |
| title_fullStr | A Miniaturized and Low-Loss Phase Shifter Based on Slow-Waves and Liquid Crystal |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Miniaturized and Low-Loss Phase Shifter Based on Slow-Waves and Liquid Crystal |
| title_short | A Miniaturized and Low-Loss Phase Shifter Based on Slow-Waves and Liquid Crystal |
| title_sort | miniaturized and low loss phase shifter based on slow waves and liquid crystal |
| topic | Slow wave structure liquid crystal phase shifter defected ground structure |
| url | https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10969796/ |
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