WR-3.4 Overmoded Waveguide Module for the Packaging of a Linear Integrated-Circuit Array
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
In the article titled “WR-3.4 Overmoded Waveguide Module for Packaging of Linear Integrated-Circuit Array” studied the performances of WR-3.4 overmoded waveguide modules containing a linear array of terahertz integrated circuits. However, for a better understanding it should be integrated considering the following aspects:
1. The waveguide type is not clear presented i.e Parallel plates waveguide, Slot line, Ribbon, Photonic crystal or the others.
2. The author highlights the previous works of power module. However, the author does not compare clearly the improvement of their study. Please elaborate it and present it into table form for better understanding purposes.
3. The author state that these separate-channel waveguide power combining modules possess shortcomings due to complexities in construction. Are the technique proposed can make easier the module assembly?
4. Please add more references currently!
Author Response
(1) Our waveguide module is a regular rectangular metallic waveguides. The input and output of the module use a standard WR-3.4 waveguide flanges. In order to improve the clarity, we placed a photograph of the fully assembled module in Fig 1(a).
(2) A variety of different waveguide-combining techniques do exist in the millimeter-wave range. However, it is difficult to build up a table as there are only two other E-plane expanded channel waveguide papers previously published.
|
Ref |
Year |
Freq. Band |
Input width |
Output width |
Loaded elements |
|
[A] |
2018 |
Q |
2.84 mm |
52 mm (1:18) |
Empty |
|
[B] |
2021 |
W |
1.27 mm |
28 mm (1:22) |
10 thru-lines on single PCB |
|
This work |
2022 |
WR-3.4 |
430 mm |
1720 mm (1:4) |
4 discrete passive IC |
(List of former works related to E-plane expanded waveguide)
[A] Yi, C., et.al.: ‘Uniform-field Over-mode Waveguide for Spatial Power-combining Applications’, IEEE Microw. Wireless Comp. Letters, 2018, 28, (1), pp. 10–12, doi: 10.1109/LMWC.2017.2771475
[B] Yi, C., et.al.: ‘W-Band Waveguide Module Design for Power Combining of Linear Microstrip Array’, IEEE Microw. Wireless Comp. Letters, 2021, 31, (6), pp. 569–571, doi: 10.1109/LMWC.2021.3075243
(3) We believe the assembly will become much easier when a single chip containing an array of circuits is mounted across a single waveguide channel as opposed to many chips mounted on separate waveguide channels.
(4) We have added several new references related on-chip and waveguide power combining techniques.
Reviewer 2 Report
-The paper is technically poor. More details must be provided in all sections to clarify the paper motivations and objectives
- The abstract should be rewritten
- A deep literature survey should be provided to show the differences between the presented work and other recent research works in the literature
- The contributions of the presented work should be provided in the introduction section
Author Response
(1) Thanks for providing an important comments. The manuscript is modified to clarify the paper motivations and objectives.
(2) The abstract section has been rearranged.
(3) Our idea of mounting a single chip with a linear array circuits in the expanded waveguide channel is rather unique. However, we did perform more paper search and added four extra references on various power combining techniques.
(4) Introduction section is modified to clarify the contribution of this work stating that the single-channel multiple-circuit mounting is performed for the first time at above 100GHz.
Reviewer 3 Report
Basically it is a well written paper.
Minor suggestions:
(1) Fig.5(b) is compact, although the H-plane pattern may be not so strictly symmetrical.
(2) The authors say that the E plane pattern is caused by an equivalent uniform source in the aperture, this is approximately true as the E field will slightly bend at the open end.
Author Response
(1) The open-end waveguide is perfectly symmetric in both E and H-planes. To clarify this point, a photograph of the assembled open-end module is added to Fig 5(a) as an inset.
(2) It is true that the open-end discontinuity distorts the uniform fields across the aperture, and this is confirmed by the HFSS simulation result shown in the attached file. It turns out both the uniform source and distorted source produce almost the same radiation patterns. Our goal in testing the radiation pattern is to verify that no higher-order modes appears in the expanded E-pale waveguide channel.
Author Response File: 
Author Response.pdf
Round 2
Reviewer 2 Report
The paper still needs improvement. The cited references are not enough to clarify the paper contributions. The results need more clarifications and discussions.
Author Response
(1) Thank you for pinpointing very important issues. We have newly added three IC amplifier references that combines either eight or sixteen devices on chip, but deleted one reference from the original list due to redundancy. In addition, two references that explains the basic principle of waveguide power-combining technique are added.
(2) The section on “Array Module Performance” has been edited to discuss the average loss of the antenna transitions and the loss difference between single and array modules.
Round 3
Reviewer 2 Report
None
