Radiation Coupling Of Inter-Injection-Locked Oscillators

Inter-injection-locked oscillators have been proposed as a simple and efficient alternative to conven-tional methods of driving millimeter-wave phased antenna arrays. In this concept, each radiating element is driven by its own oscillator, and phase control is achieved through inter-oscillator coupling networks. This paper examines the possibility of using free-space radiation coupling to synchronize inter-injection-locked oscillators. A discussion of the two-oscillator case leads to a simple model which predicts the behavior of the two possible modes. Predictions of this analysis are verified by an experimental study using an X-band planar Gunn oscillator, and implications for more sophisticated arrays are discussed.