Passive Temperature Compensating Attenuator

The technical innovation proposed herein is a Passive Temperature Compensating Attenuator (PTCA) capable of operating up to K-Band with a Temperature Coefficient of Attenuation (TCA) greater than -0.008 dB/dB/@C. The proposed innovation is a replacement for existing temperature compensation techniques for RF amplifiers, especially those amplifiers using GaAs FET elements. The PTCA will reduce the size and cost, and increase the reliability and power efficiency of the amplifier compensation. The effort will consist of: the design and layout of the attenuator resistors and terminations, a software simulation and analysis of the design, the development of thickfilm thermistor inks followed by fabricating and testing a prototype. Upon completion, this project will yield a working unit that can be used to replace temperature compensating circuits using active variable attenuators (Typically with GaAs FET or PIN diode elements) that are controlled by linearized drivers with temperature detection circuits. The resulting increase in reliability due to the elimination of active components and the reduction in the total amount of parts is achieved at a fraction of the current expenditure in terms of cost, size and power consumption.