A new technique to reduce the isolation network's size in a Marchand balun needed for perfect all-port matching and isolation is proposed. The proposed isolation circuit is realized using a coupled-line phase-inverter in place of the bulky 180line section that has been previously proposed. Analysis of the proposed circuit yields the required relationship between coupling coefficient and electrical length of the coupler. Based on the design equations, the circuit is experimentally demonstrated at 1.8 GHz and has shown excellent results. The obtained output return loss and isolation loss are more than 18 dB and 40 dB, respectively. The proposed balun was then applied to the application of a doubled-balanced ring-diode mixer. The designed mixer achieves a low conversion loss of 6 dB at its operating frequency, which is 1.5 dB lower than for a doubled-balanced diode mixer using a conventional impedance-transforming Marchand balun. The RF-IF and LO-IF isolations are well below 25 dB and 18 dB across 1 GHz RF operating bandwidth, respectively.

Design techniques are presented for high performance microstrip bandpass filters using GaAs FETs for loss compensation. The filters are based on conventional planar filter topologies with the addition of GaAs FET negative resistance circuits to amplify the signal within the resonators via a reflection-mode of amplification. Three practical filters have been demonstrated using these negative resistance techniques: (1) A filter employing an active loop configuration, (2) a dual-mode microstrip ring resonator filter, and (3) an end-coupled half-wavelength resonator filter. The investigation of this negative resistance method of loss compensation has led to the development of an exciting new type of miniaturised filter which employs MIC microstrip resonators with MMIC negative resistance chips bonded into the filter for loss compensation. This approach has the advantage of combining the proven capabilities of established MIC microstrip filter topologies with the excellent reproducibility of the MMIC loss compensation circuits.