Classification

• Active versus passive: Active phase shifters provide gain, while passive phase shifters are lossy.
  • Active:
    • Applications: active electronically scanned array
      Active Electronically Scanned Array
      An Active Electronically Scanned Array , also known as active phased array radar is a type of phased array radar whose transmitter and receiver functions are composed of numerous small solid-state transmit/receive modules . AESAs aim their "beam" by broadcasting radio energy that interfere...
      
       (AESA)‏, passive electronically scanned array
      Passive electronically scanned array
      A passive electronically scanned array , contrary to its active counterpart AESA, is a phased array which has a central radiofrequency source , sending energy into phase shift modules, which then send energy into the various emitting elements in the front of the antenna...
      
       (PESA)
    • Gain: The phase shifter amplifies while phase shifting
    • Noise figure
      Noise figure
      Noise figure is a measure of degradation of the signal-to-noise ratio , caused by components in a radio frequency signal chain. The noise figure is defined as the ratio of the output noise power of a device to the portion thereof attributable to thermal noise in the input termination at standard...
      
       (NF)
    • Reciprocity: not reciprocal
  • Passive:
    • Applications: active electronically scanned array
      Active Electronically Scanned Array
      An Active Electronically Scanned Array , also known as active phased array radar is a type of phased array radar whose transmitter and receiver functions are composed of numerous small solid-state transmit/receive modules . AESAs aim their "beam" by broadcasting radio energy that interfere...
      
       (AESA)‏, passive electronically scanned array
      Passive electronically scanned array
      A passive electronically scanned array , contrary to its active counterpart AESA, is a phased array which has a central radiofrequency source , sending energy into phase shift modules, which then send energy into the various emitting elements in the front of the antenna...
      
       (PESA)
    • Loss: the phase shifter attenuates while phase shifting
    • NF: NF = loss
    • Reciprocity
      Reciprocity (electromagnetism)
      In classical electromagnetism, reciprocity refers to a variety of related theorems involving the interchange of time-harmonic electric current densities and the resulting electromagnetic fields in Maxwell's equations for time-invariant linear media under certain constraints...
      
      : reciprocal

• Analog versus digital:
  • Analog phase shifters provide a continuously variable phase shift or time delay.
  • Digital phase shifters provide a discrete set of phase shifts or time delays. Discretization leads to quantization errors. Digital phase shifters require parallel bus control.

• Differential, single-ended or waveguide:
  • Differential
    Differential signaling
    Differential signaling is a method of transmitting information electrically by means of two complementary signals sent on two separate wires. The technique can be used for both analog signaling, as in some audio systems, and digital signaling, as in RS-422, RS-485, Ethernet , PCI Express and USB...
    
     transmission line
    Transmission line
    In communications and electronic engineering, a transmission line is a specialized cable designed to carry alternating current of radio frequency, that is, currents with a frequency high enough that its wave nature must be taken into account...
    
    : A differential transmission line is a balanced two-conductor transmission line in which the phase difference between currents is 180 degrees. The differential mode is less susceptible to common mode noise and cross talk.
    • Antenna
      Antenna (radio)
      An antenna is an electrical device which converts electric currents into radio waves, and vice versa. It is usually used with a radio transmitter or radio receiver...
      
       selection: dipole
      Dipole
      In physics, there are several kinds of dipoles:*An electric dipole is a separation of positive and negative charges. The simplest example of this is a pair of electric charges of equal magnitude but opposite sign, separated by some distance. A permanent electric dipole is called an electret.*A...
      
      , tapered slot antenna (TSA)‏
    • Examples: coplanar strip, slotline
  • Single-ended transmission line: A single-ended transmission line is a two-conductor transmission line in which one conductor is referenced to a common ground, the second conductor. The single-ended mode is more susceptible to common-mode noise and cross talk.
    • Antenna selection: double folded slot (DFS), microstrip, monopole
      Monopole
      Monopole may refer to:*Magnetic monopole, or Dirac monopole, a hypothetical particle that may be loosely described as a magnet with only one pole, or related concepts in physics and mathematics:...
      
      
    • Examples: CPW, microstrip, stripline
  • Waveguide
    Waveguide
    A waveguide is a structure which guides waves, such as electromagnetic waves or sound waves. There are different types of waveguides for each type of wave...
    
    
    • Antenna selection: waveguide, horn
      Horn antenna
      A horn antenna or microwave horn is an antenna that consists of a flaring metal waveguide shaped like a horn to direct the radio waves. Horns are widely used as antennas at UHF and microwave frequencies, above 300 MHz...
      
      

• Frequency band

• One-conductor or dielectric transmission line versus two-conductor transmission line
  • One-conductor or dielectric transmission line (optical fibre, finline, waveguide):
    • Modal
      Transverse mode
      A transverse mode of a beam of electromagnetic radiation is a particular electromagnetic field pattern of radiation measured in a plane perpendicular to the propagation direction of the beam...
      
      
    • No TEM or quasi-TEM mode, not TTD or quasi-TTD
    • Higher-order TE, TM, HE or HM modes are distorted
      Distortion
      A distortion is the alteration of the original shape of an object, image, sound, waveform or other form of information or representation. Distortion is usually unwanted, and often many methods are employed to minimize it in practice...
      
      
  • Two-conductor transmission line (CPW, microstrip, slotline, stripline):
    • Differential or single-ended
    • TEM or quasi-TEM mode is TTD or quasi-TTD

• Phase shifters versus TTD phase shifter
  • A phase shifter provides an invariable phase shift with frequency, and is used for fixed-beam frequency-invariant pattern synthesis.
  • A TTD phase shifter provides an invariable time delay with frequency, and is used for squint-free and ultra wideband (UWB) beam steering.

• Reciprocal versus non-reciprocal
  • Reciprocal: T/R
  • Non-reciprocal: T or R

• Technology
  • Non semi-conducting (ferrite, ferro-electric, RF MEMS
    RF MEMS
    The radio frequency microelectromechanical system acronym refers to electronic components of which moving sub-millimeter-sized parts provide RF functionality. RF functionality can be implemented using a variety of RF technologies...
    
    , liquid crystal):
    • Passive
  • Semi-conducting (RF CMOS, GaAs
    Gallium(III) arsenide
    Gallium arsenide is a compound of the elements gallium and arsenic. It is a III/V semiconductor, and is used in the manufacture of devices such as microwave frequency integrated circuits, monolithic microwave integrated circuits, infrared light-emitting diodes, laser diodes, solar cells and...
    
    . SiGe
    SiGe
    SiGe , or silicon-germanium, is a general term for the alloy Si1−xGex which consists of any molar ratio of silicon and germanium. It is commonly used as a semiconductor material in integrated circuits for heterojunction bipolar transistors or as a strain-inducing layer for CMOS transistors...
    
    , InP, GaN
    Gan
    Gan may refer to:-Computing and telecommunications:*.gan, the file extension for documents created by GanttProject*Generic Access Network formerly known as Unlicensed Mobile Access *Global Area Network- Mythology :...
    
     or Sb):
    • Active: BJT or FET transistor based MMICs, RFICs or optical ICs
    • Passive: PIN diode
      PIN diode
      A PIN diode is a diode with a wide, lightly doped 'near' intrinsic semiconductor region between a p-type semiconductor and an n-type semiconductor region. The p-type and n-type regions are typically heavily doped because they are used for ohmic contacts....
      
       based hybrids

• Design
  • Loaded-line:
    • Distortion:
      • Distorted if lumped
      • Undistorted and TTD if distributed
  • Reflect-type:
    • Applications: reflect arrays (S₁₁ phase shifters)‏
    • Distortion:
      • Distorted if S₂₁ phase shifter, because of 3 dB coupler
      • Undistorted and TTD if S₁₁ phase shifter
  • Switched-network
    • Network:
      • High-pass or low-pass
      • or T
    • Distortion:
      • Undistorted if the left-handed
        Metamaterial
        Metamaterials are artificial materials engineered to have properties that may not be found in nature. Metamaterials usually gain their properties from structure rather than composition, using small inhomogeneities to create effective macroscopic behavior....
        
         high-pass sections cancel out the distortion of the right-handed low-pass sections
  • Switched-line
    • Applications: UWB beam steering
    • Distortion: undistorted and TTD
  • Vector summing

Figures of Merit

• # Effective bits, if digital [Bit]
• Biasing: current-driven, high-voltage electrostatic [mA,V]
• DC power consumption [mW]
• Distortion: group velocity dispersion (GVD) [ps/(km.nm)]
• Gain [dB] if active, loss if [dB] if passive
• Linearity: IP3, P1dB [dBm]
• Phase shift / noise figure [deg/dB] (phase shifter) or time delay / noise figure [ps/dB] (TTD phase shifter)
• Power handling [mW, dBm]
• Reliability [Cycles, MTBF]
• Size [mm²]
• Switching time [ns]‏

External links

• Website on Phase Shifters in Microwaves

• Microwave Phase Shifter information from Herley General Microwave
  Herley Industries
  Herley Industries , based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, is an American company that specializes in supplying microwave and millimeter wave products to defense and aerospace industries. They provide solutions for radars, flight instrumentation, weapon sensors, electronic warfare systems and guidance...
  
  

• http://www.activefrance.com/Antennas/Phase_Shifter8.pdf A low cost electro-mechanical phase shifter design, including a brief summary of solid state methods @ www.activefrance.com