Wideband microwave hybrid

Claim 1

WIDEBAND MICROWAVE HYBRID APPARATUS OPERATIVE OVER A SUBSTANTIAL FREQUENCY RANGE CENTERED AT A PREDETERMINED MIDRANGE FREQUENCY COMPRISING A FIRST RECTANGULAR WAVEGUIDE STRUCTURE OF CONDUCTIVE MATERIAL, A SECOND RECTANGULAR WAVEGUIDE STRUCTURE OF CONDUCTIVE MATERIAL HAVING A NARROW WALL AT LEAST PARTLY IN COMMON WITH A NARROW WALL OF SAID FIRST WAVEGUIDE STRUCTURE, AN APERTURE IN THE CONDUCTIVE MATERIAL OF SAID COMMON WAL PORTION PROVIDING AN INTERACTION REGION FOR SAID WAVEGUIDE STRUCTURES, AND WAVEGUIDE STRUCTURES BEING CAPABLE OF SUPPORTING FIRST AND SECOND MODES OF PROPAGATION IN SAID INTERACTION REGION IN THE VICINITY OF SAID APERTURE, AND MEANS PLACED IN SAID INTERACTION REGION TO AFFECT ONE OF SAID MODES TO A SUBSTANTIALLY GREATER EXTENT THAN THE OTHER FOR DIFFERENTIAL ALTERING THE PHASE VELOCITY FOR SAID TWO MODES OF PROPAGATION, AND MEANS COMPRISING A STRUCTURE HAVING A THICKNESS IN THE DIRECTION OF THE WIDE TRANSVERSE DIMENSION OF SAID WAVEGUIDE STRCUTURES WHICH IS SMALL COMPARED TO THE WIDTH OF ONE OF SAID WAVEGUIDE STRUCTURES, THE RELATION BETWEEN THE DIMENSIONS, LOCATION, AND DIFFERENTIAL PHASE VELOCITY EFFECT OF SAID STRUCTURE WITH RESPECT TO SAID TWO MODES CAUSING THE FIRST DERIVATIVES OF PHASE VELOCITY WITH RESPECT TO FREQUENCY FOR THE SAID TWO MODES TO BE SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO EACH OTHER AT A FREQUENCY WITHIN THE DESIGN FREQUENCY RANGE OF SAID APPARATUS.