Comprising a slab of semiconductor material

Claim 2

An electrically variable phase shifter, the phase shift of which may be controlled by a variable polarity bias signal, comprising a waveguide having internal broad and narrow phase determining conductive wall dimensions measured in a plane transverse to the direction of electromagnetic wave propagation, a slab of semiconductive material located inside said waveguide and having oppositely disposed major surfaces and a predetermined thickness therebetween, said slab having a first electrode on one semiconductive surface thereof and a second electrode on an opposite semiconductive surface thereof, said slab exhibiting relatively high electrical conductivity when said signal is of a given polarity and a relatively low electrical conductivity when said signal is of opposite polarity, one major surface of said slab being parallel to and touching the surface area of one of said internal narrow dimensioned waveguide walls, and means for applying said bias signal between said electrodes, wherebY change of the polarity of said applied bias signal changes the electrical conductivity of said slab and thereby changes the effective value of said broad wall dimension.

Claim 3

A phase shifter according to claim 1, wherein one of said electrodes is parallel to and in electrical contact with said one narrow dimensioned internal waveguide wall.

Claim 4

A phase shifter according to claim 1, including a second slab of semiconductive material located inside said waveguide and having a given thickness and first and second electrodes thereto, said second semiconductive slab being responsive to the polarity of an electric bias signal applied to the electrodes thereof, one major surface of said second semiconductive slab being parallel to and touching the surface area of the narrow dimensioned waveguide wall opposite said one narrow dimensioned waveguide wall, whereby the polarity of the bias signal applied to the first and second electrodes of said second slab changes the conductivity of said second slab and thereby changes said internal broad wall dimension.

Claim 5

A phase shifter according to claim 1, wherein said first electrode is in the form of a conductive comb-like pattern on the major semiconductive surface remote from said waveguide walls, said comb-like pattern having conductive fingers oriented in the direction of electromagnetic wave propagation.

Claim 6

A phase shifter according to claim 1, wherein said semiconductive slab comprises a p region separated from an n region by a layer of high resistivity material, said p and n regions having conductive electrodes thereon.

Claim 7

An electrically variable phase shifter, the phase shift of which may be controlled by a variable polarity bias signal, comprising a waveguide having internal broad and narrow phase determining conductive wall dimensions measured in a plane transverse to the direction of electromagnetic wave propagation, first and second slabs of semiconductive material located inside said waveguide and each having oppositely disposed major surfaces and a predetermined thickness, said slabs each having a first electrode on one semiconductive surface thereof and a second electrode on an opposite semiconductive surface thereof, each slab exhibiting relatively high electrical conductivity when said signal is of a given polarity and a relatively low electrical conductivity when said signal is of opposite polarity, one major surface of said first slab being parallel to and touching the surface area of one of said internal narrow dimensioned waveguide walls, and means for applying said bias signal between the electrodes of each slab, said bias signal applying means having a first condition wherein the bias signal applied to each of said slabs is of said given polarity, and a second condition wherein the bias signal applied to said first slab is of said given polarity and the bias signal applied to said second slab is of said opposite polarity, whereby change of the polarity of said applied bias signal changes the electrical conductivity of said first and second slabs and thereby changes the effective value of said broad wall dimension.

Claim 8

An electrically variable phase shifter, the phase shift of which may be controlled by a variable polarity bias signal, comprising a waveguide having internal broad and narrow phase determining conductive wall dimensions measured in a plane transverse to the direction of electromagnetic wave propagation, first and second slabs of semiconductive material located inside said waveguide and each having oppositely disposed major surfaces and a predetermined thickness, said slabs each having a first electrode on one semiconductive surface thereof and a second electrode on an opposite semiconductive surface thereof, each slab exhibiting relatively high electrical conductivity when said signal is of a given polarity and a relatively low electrical conductivity when said signal is of opposite polarity, one major surface of said first slab being parallel to and touching the surface area of one of said internal narrow dimensioned waveguide walls, and means for applying said bias signal between the electrodes of each slab, said bias signal applying means having a first condition wherein the bias signal applied to each of said slabs is of said given polarity, and a second condition wherein the bias signal applied to said first slab is of said given polarity and the bias signal applied to said second slab is of said opposite polarity, whereby change of the polarity of said applied bias signal changes the electrical conductivity of said first and second slabs and thereby changes the effective value of said broad wall dimension.

Claim 9

A phase shifter according to claim 6, wherein one major surface of said second slab is parallel to and touching the internal narrow dimensioned waveguide wall opposite said one narrow dimensioned wall.

Claim 10

A phase shifter according to claim 6, wherein a first slab major surface opposite said one major surface is parallel to and touching a major surface of said second slab.