IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON MICROWAVE THEORY AND TECHNIQUES, VOL. 50, NO.

3, MARCH 2002 721

Ferrite Devices and Materials

J. Douglas Adam, Fellow, IEEE, Lionel E. Davis, Life Fellow, IEEE, Gerald F. Dionne, Fellow, IEEE,
Ernst F. Schloemann, Life Fellow, IEEE, and Steven N. Stitzer, Senior Member, IEEE

Invited Paper

Abstract—The development and current status of microwave to improve their performance. Over the last 50 years, many
ferrite technology is reviewed in this paper. An introduction to the devices have been developed across the microwave spectrum
physics and fundamentals of key ferrite devices is provided, fol- for a wide range of power levels and are now commercially
lowed by a historical account of the development of ferrimagnetic
spinel and garnet (YIG) materials. Key ferrite components, i.e., cir- available. However, many challenges remain to be addressed if
culators and isolators, phase shifters, tunable filters, and nonlinear this body of knowledge is to be extended to meet demands for
devices are also discussed separately. miniaturization, broader relative bandwidths, higher operating
Index Terms—Ferrite circulators, ferrite isolators, ferrite mate- frequencies, and reduced costs.
rials, ferrite phase shifters, YIG filters, YIG limiters. The study of ferrite devices has advanced our knowledge
of microwave circuit theory. Hogan [12] realized the first
microwave gyrator. Using classical group theory and the scat-
I. INTRODUCTION
tering matrix theory developed in the 1940s, Carlin [14], [15]

M ICROWAVE ferrite devices permit the control of

microwave propagation by a static or switchable dc
magnetic field. The devices can be reciprocal or nonreciprocal,
showed that a lossless symmetrical nonreciprocal three-port
junction is a circulator, and this analysis was extended by Auld
[16]. Weiss [17] used network theory to consider the synthesis
linear or nonlinear, and their development requires a knowledge of three-port circulators using nonreciprocal phase shifters
of magnetic materials, electromagnetic theory, and microwave and tee-junctions and showed that there are many solutions
circuit theory. Unlike a magnetic metal, a ferrite is a magnetic that require very little nonreciprocal phase shift. Bosma [18]
dielectric that allows an electromagnetic wave to penetrate the and Davies and Cohen [19] used field theory to explore the
ferrite, thereby permitting an interaction between the wave conditions for perfect three-port circulation in stripline and
and magnetization within the ferrite. This interaction has waveguide circulators, respectively. Whether a ferrite device
been used to produce a variety of useful devices. There is an is reciprocal or nonreciprocal depends upon its symmetry, and
extensive ferrite literature and a brief list is given here [1]–[9], Dmitryev [20] has classified ferrite devices in terms of their
[175]–[177]. symmetry groups using concepts from crystallography.
Spontaneous magnetism in electrically insulating iron oxides The behavior of all microwave ferrite devices can be
was observed in the 19th Century, but systematic research on explained in terms of one or more of the following effects:
ferrites did not occur until the 1930s. In 1949, Polder’s theory Faraday Rotation—the rotation of the plane of polarization of
[10] of the influence of ferrimagnetic resonance on magnetic a TEM wave as it propagates through a ferrite in the direction
permeability became a basis for understanding their microwave of the magnetization, ferromagnetic resonance (fmr)—the
properties. Then, building on the idea of a “gyrator,” a circuit strong absorption that can occur when an elliptically polar-
element introduced by Tellegen [11], [178], Hogan at the ized RF magnetic field is perpendicular to the direction of
Bell Telephone Laboratories (BTL), demonstrated microwave magnetization, field displacement—the displacement of the
Faraday rotation in ferrites and used it to propose a new class field distribution transverse to the direction of propagation
of microwave components [12], [13]. This caused a surge of resulting in more or less field in the ferrite region, nonlinear
activity to investigate new types of devices and new materials effects—at higher power levels amplification and frequency
doubling are possible and subsidiary losses can occur, spin
Manuscript received August 31, 2001. waves—short-wavelength waves of magnetization that can
J. D. Adam is with Electronic Sensors and Systems, Northrop Grumman Cor- propagate at any angle with respect to the direction of magne-
poration, Baltimore, MD 21203 USA.
L. E. Davis is with the Microwave Engineering Group, Department of Elec- tization. If the wavelength of such a wave is comparable to the
trical Engineering and Electronics, University of Manchester Institute of Sci- dimensions of the ferrite sample, it is called a magnetostatic
ence and Technology, Manchester M60 1QD, U.K. wave (MSW).
G. F. Dionne is with Expert Services Personnel, MIT Lincoln Laboratory,
Lexington, MA 02420 USA. An understanding of the above effects requires a study of the
E. F. Schloemann is with the Consulting Scientist Division, Weston, MA interaction between the magnetization of the ferrite and the RF
02493-1713 USA. magnetic field. In the linear regime, this can be expressed in
S. N. Stitzer is with the Northrop Grumman Corporation, Baltimore, MD
21203 USA. terms of the Polder tensor permeability [10], [21], [22], as de-
Publisher Item Identifier S 0018-9480(02)01992-0. scribed below.
0018–9480/02$17.00 © 2002 IEEE
722 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON MICROWAVE THEORY AND TECHNIQUES, VOL. 50, NO. 3, MARCH 2002

Permeability Tensor [ ] [10], [21], [22]

SI units are used in the following summary. However, much
of the modern ferrite literature retains centimeter, gram, second
(cgs) units for historical reasons. Therefore, conversion between
the two systems is frequently necessary. A rigorous discussion
of the relationships between various systems of units is given in
[23] and [179].
The permeability tensor is derived from the tensor suscepti-
bility ( ), which, in turn, is derived from the equation of mo-
tion of a magnetic dipole (due to electron spin) in the presence
of both a static magnetic field ( ) and a transverse RF mag-
netic field ( ). This is shown in Fig. 1 and it is assumed that
. m precessing about a static magnetic field
H
Fig. 1. Magnetic dipole moment
Due to the electron spin, when a magnetic dipole ( ) is im- .
mersed in a static magnetic field, it precesses about the field axis
with an angular frequency . The torque acting on is given decrease with time until is aligned with . If the RF field
by , where is the permeability of vacuum. The is present, the precession will be maintained, but there will be
spin momentum is oppositely directed to , i.e., , some absorption of the signal. Just as with a gyroscope and the
where the gyromagnetic ratio (rad/s)/(a/m). direction of gravity, there is a natural direction of precession
The torque acting on a body is equal to the rate of change of that is associated with the direction of the static field, as shown
angular momentum of the body, i.e., . Combining in Fig. 1. If is reversed, the precession is reversed. However,
these equations, it follows that . If an interesting phenomenon occurs if the ferrite is immersed in
there are unbalanced spins ( ) per unit volume, the magnetic a rotating elliptically polarized RF magnetic field that drives
dipole moment per unit volume (the magnetization) , the precession. If the driven precession is against the natural
and if all the magnetic moments precess in unison, the macro- direction, the cone angle is reduced. If they are in the same
scopic form of the equation of motion can be written sense, the cone angle will increase. Furthermore, if they are in
. If the dipole is subjected to a small transverse the same sense and the driving frequency is equal to the natural
RF magnetic field at an angular frequency , the preces- frequency, resonance will occur accompanied by strong absorp-
sion will be forced at this frequency and an additional transverse tion of the microwave signal. This loss mechanism is called
component ( ) will occur. Due to the time taken for to pre- fmr and it is used in resonance isolators. To take this absorption
cess, there is a phase difference of 90 between and . The into account, a damping coefficient is introduced into the
susceptibility tensor relating and can be derived from this equation of motion and the range of static magnetic field (at
equation [21], [22] and the relative permeability tensor follows a fixed frequency) over which this absorption is significant is
in a straightforward manner. The result is given in (1) below. denoted by the linewidth . The relationship between and
The presence of “ ” in the off-diagonal terms is due to the 90 is given by . In polycrystalline ferrites,
phase difference mentioned earlier and is the cause of nonrecip- random anisotropy field and residual porosity contribute to the
rocal behavior. linewidth, and the line shape is not Lorentzian due to spin-wave
excitation. Other loss mechanisms in ferrites are associated
with demagnetized and partially magnetized states [26]–[30]
(1)
and are important in practice.

where Ferrite-Loaded Waveguides

There are three principal configurations for the study of TEM
(2) wave propagation in an infinite ferrite medium. These are when
(3) the direction of propagation is: 1) parallel with ; 2) perpen-
dicular to and with the RF magnetic field perpendicular to
(4)
; and 3) perpendicular to and with the RF magnetic field
(5) parallel with . With the first configuration, the plane of po-
(6) larization of a linearly polarized wave rotates as it propagates in
the direction of the static field. This is known as Faraday rotation
is the internal static magnetic-field intensity and it assumed [1], [12], [13]. The wave can be decomposed into a right- and
here to be uniform. In practice, it will smaller than the applied left-hand-side circularly polarized wave and the effective rela-
field and nonuniform due to the nonelliptical shape of the tive permeability for each wave is and ,
sample [24], [25]. In the above description, the effects of respectively. It follows that the two waves have different phase
losses have been neglected for clarity. If losses are present, coefficients and, thus, from the reconstitution of the two con-
and are complex quantities [21], [22], and if the transverse stituent waves, it can be seen that the plane of polarization of the
RF magnetic field is absent, the cone angle in Fig. 1 will original wave is rotated. It is important to note that the rotation
ADAM et al.: FERRITE DEVICES AND MATERIALS 723

(a)

Fig. 2. Isotropic dielectric slab between parallel conducting plates supporting

(b)
a TE mode propagating in the z -direction.
Fig. 3. Ferrite slab between parallel conducting planes with a TE mode
propagating in the z -direction.
is nonreciprocal. That is to say, the plane of polarization of a lin-
early polarized wave propagating in the reverse direction rotates
in the same direction as that of the forward wave, and reversal
of the direction of propagation does not restore the original di-
rection of polarization. This effect is used in Faraday rotation
isolators and circulators. With the second configuration, the RF (a)
magnetic-field components are again perpendicular to the align-
ment of the magnetic dipoles, but the direction of propagation is
perpendicular to the direction of magnetization. In this case, the
effective relative permeability is given by .
With the third configuration, the direction of propagation is per-
pendicular to the direction of magnetization, but the RF mag- (b)
netic-field component is parallel with the static field. Therefore, Fig. 4. Symmetrical reciprocal ferrite slab structures. (a) Rectangular
at low power levels, there is no interaction with the magnetiza- waveguide. (b) Dielectric-loaded waveguide.
tion. It is important to note that, from (2)–(6), , , and
are frequency dependent and that the phrase “device operation Fig. 3 shows the dielectric slab replaced with a ferrite
above (below) resonance” that appears in the literature should slab magnetized perpendicular to the parallel plates. When
be interpreted carefully. For historical reasons, it usually means the wave propagates in the -direction, the -field near the
“operation with an internal static field above (below) that re- right-hand-side ferrite/dielectric interface is elliptically polar-
quired for resonance,” but sometimes it is used to mean “opera- ized in the same direction as that of the natural precession of the
tion at a frequency above (below) that required for resonance.” magnetization, whereas it is in the opposite direction near the
Many modern ferrite devices use planar technology, but the left-hand-side interface. The effect of this difference in rotation
essential principles of operation are more easily described quali- direction is to produce a greater concentration of microwave
tatively using rectangular structures as follows. We consider first field near the ( ) interface and a reduced field near the ( )
a TE mode on a dielectric slab between two parallel perfectly interface. This classical effect is known as transverse field
conducting plates parallel to the -plane, as shown in Fig. 2, displacement [1] and the resulting asymmetrical field distri-
and then consider the perturbation of this behavior when the di- bution is sketched in Fig. 3(a). If the direction of propagation
electric slab is replaced by a ferrite slab. The distributions of the is reversed, the senses of elliptical polarization are reversed
- and -fields associated with the dielectric slab are shown in and the field displacement will be toward the interface.
Fig. 2(a) and (b), respectively. With the mode, the elec- Although the surface reactances of the two ferrite/dielectric
tric field is perpendicular to the parallel plates, it is symmetrical interfaces have been interchanged, the propagation constant
about the plane of symmetry, and there is no field variation in is not affected, i.e., , and the structure is said to
the -direction. The wave is guided because the dielectric/air be reciprocal. This statement remains true if the structure
interfaces provide reactive surface impedances and the field is is altered provided symmetry is maintained. Examples are
evanescent outside the dielectric. shown in Fig. 4(a) and (b), in which external dielectric slabs or
If the mode propagates in the -direction, it can be seen that conducting planes parallel with the – -plane have been added.
is elliptically polarized in the clockwise direction in the In the waveguide structure [see Fig. 4(a)], a mode can
– -plane near the dielectric/air interface and elliptically be guided by the ferrite/dielectric interfaces or by the sidewalls
polarized in the anticlockwise direction near the dielec- [1]. In the first case, the field is evanescent outside the ferrite;
tric/air interface. in the second case, the field is harmonic between the sidewalls.
724 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON MICROWAVE THEORY AND TECHNIQUES, VOL. 50, NO. 3, MARCH 2002

early papers on circulators, it was assumed for simplicity that:

1) the ferrite/dielectric interface is a perfect magnetic wall
except at the feeder points; 2) the disk is uniformly magne-
tized; and 3) losses could be neglected. These idealizations
have now been removed. Nonideal boundary conditions and
(a) (b) inhomogeneous magnetization in the ferrite disk in junction
circulators have been modeled using annular structures and
recursive Green’s functions in two and three dimensions [37],
[38]. Using the two-dimensional (2-D) approach [37], the
frequency response of a circulator with quarter-wave matching
transformers has been computed including the demagnetizing
(c) (d) effects. The three-dimensional (3-D) analysis [38] enables hor-
izontal inhomogeneities in the layer structure, and RF fringing
Fig. 5. Asymmetrical nonreciprocal ferrite slab structures. (a) Rectangular
waveguide. (b) Dielectric-loaded ferrite waveguide. (c) Oppositely magnetized fields above the microstrip surface to be taken into account
twin slabs in rectangular waveguide. (d) Ferrite toroid for latching. in addition to the 2-D variations described above. An FDTD
approach has been used [39] to model a stripline circulator
This structure is used as a reciprocal phase shifter in which the including ferrite losses. Transformation from the time domain
phase shift is controlled by . to the frequency domain yields the frequency response more
If some asymmetry is introduced into Fig. 4, e.g., by moving quickly than the point-by-point process in FE methods. Other
the ferrite off-center [see Fig. 5(a)] or removing a dielectric types of planar circulators have been proposed using ferrite
slab [see Fig. 5(b)], the ferrite interfaces no longer behave inter- coupled lines (FCLs) [53]–[56] and, as planar ferrite devices
changeably when the propagation is reversed and the structure evolve, a better understanding of the complex modes on such
is nonreciprocal, i.e., . structures will become important [43]–[45]. Progress has
A particularly important type of nonreciprocal asymmetry is also been made in modeling hollow-waveguide components.
the introduction of an oppositely magnetized ferrite slab [see A circular ferrite-filled waveguide with transverse four-pole
Fig. 5(c)] [1]. With a high dielectric-constant material between static magnetic bias can be used as a differential phase-shift
the slabs, this structure has been developed into the toroid shown section [46], and its size can be reduced while maintaining
in Fig. 5(d). The application of this structure to phase shifters is phase accuracy by inserting sections of high- ceramic at
discussed later in this paper. intervals along the ferrite-rod waveguide [47]. “Hybrid” FE
The effects described above, and the canonical structures methods have been introduced to model a high-power phase
shown in Figs. 3–5, form the basis of resonance isolators, shifter that avoid using approximate demagnetizing factors.
reciprocal and nonreciprocal phase shifters, and edge-mode A static field solver is used first to compute the nonuniform
isolators and circulators. For example, a resonance isolator can magnetization in the ferrite, and then this result is used in the
be designed by using a thin ferrite slab in the geometry shown in computation of the eigenmodes of the ferrite waveguide with
Fig. 5(a) and adjusting to cause resonance absorption of the good agreement with experiment [40]. Full 3-D FE modeling
signal for one direction of propagation [1]. If the height of the has also been used to analyze transmission modes in latching
slab is reduced to a fraction of the full height of the waveguide, ferrite phase shifters [41], [57]. Corner effects and the variation
and the slab width increased, the performance improves and the of the domains of magnetization were found to affect the phase
energy dissipated as heat in the ferrite can be extracted more shift significantly. An FE technique has also been developed
efficiently via the waveguide walls. However, the complexity to enable the effects of arbitrary, but uniform, directions of
of the analysis is increased. The principles associated with magnetization to be investigated in ferrite-loaded uniform
Fig. 5(b) can be extended to the design of edge-mode isolators inhomogeneous structures [42]. A mixed FE/analytic method
and circulators in microstrip [31]–[33], and the toroidal struc- has been used to solve the coupled microwave thermal problem
ture shown in Fig. 5(d) is used in nonreciprocal latching phase in a full-height phase-shifter section [58]. In all aspects of
shifters, as discussed later in this paper. ferrite device modeling, a key goal remains, i.e., to produce
device models that circuit designers can use with commercial
Numerical Modeling software packages in the same way that they can use libraries
Mode matching [34], [35], Green’s function [36]–[38] for active devices.
and finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) techniques [39],
finite-element (FE) [40]–[42] and spectral-domain Methods
II. FERRITE MATERIALS
[43]–[45], and equivalent-circuit methods [46], [47] are all
used to simulate existing devices and to explore possibilities for Ferrites for microwave applications were first synthesized
new ones. Matching transformers and analytically inconvenient and studied during the 1940s by Snoek’s group at the Philips
shapes of ferrite such as triangles can be included. Using the Laboratories [59]. These pioneering achievements grew into
contour integration method [48]–[50], Macchiarella et al. [51] comprehensive investigations of the spinel and hexagonal fer-
and Helszajn [52] have analyzed inhomogeneous stripline rite systems [60], and inspired research efforts of international
circulators with matching sections and triangular microstrip scope. A concise, but inclusive, history covering that early
circulators with weakly magnetized regions, respectively. In period is found in the book by Lax and Button [1]. Reviews
ADAM et al.: FERRITE DEVICES AND MATERIALS 725

emphasizing various contexts followed as the evolution pro- By the 1970s, many of the important advances in bulk ce-
gressed [2], [61]–[65]. This brief summary focuses on the ramic ferrites had taken place. However, for high-power wave-
ferrite materials work that has directly enabled advances in guide phase shifters, two problems remained. As with the Ni
microwave device technology over the past 50 years. spinels, the hysteresis loops of the garnets were too stress sen-
In the 1950s, the spinel families underwent intensive develop- sitive for latching operation, and the MgMn ferrites were too
ment. Prominent among these compounds were nickel (Ni) fer- temperature sensitive for high power. Temme’s group at the MIT
rite with zinc and aluminum magnetic dilutants and magnesium Lincoln Laboratory (LL) found workable solutions through col-
(Mg) ferrite with aluminum dilutant. The dielectric-loss proper- laborations with industry: Trans-Tech reduced the stress sensi-
ties of the Ni group were superior to the Mg group, but hysteresis tivity in the garnets by Mn substitutions [83], and Ampex imple-
loops lacked the squareness desired for latching devices because mented bismuth oxide as a sintering aid to densify the tempera-
of magnetoelastic effects. The dielectric loss in Mg ferrite was ture-stable lithium (Li) spinel ferrite system [84]. Another pro-
reduced by Van Uitert at BTL [66] through the suppression of gram with Trans-Tech produced low-cost ferrite toroids for the
electron hopping by adding manganese (Mn) [67], thereby in- waveguide phase shifters of the Aegis and Patriot radars [85].
spiring the creation of the useful MgMn family. The hysteresis During the decade, advances in the physics of ferrite proper-
loop problem of Ni ferrite was solved later by Mn additions, but ties continued despite a declining demand for microwave mag-
for reasons related to magnetostriction [68]. netic technology. Dionne at the MIT LL extended the multiple
In Grenoble, France, in 1956, Bertaut and his colleagues syn- sublattice theory of ferrimagnetism to include magnetic dilu-
thesized the rare-earth iron garnets and analyzed their magnetic tion by correcting for spin-canting effects, and computer pro-
characteristics [69]. These findings were quickly replicated and grams were created to predict the thermomagnetic characteris-
refined by Geller and Gilleo at BTL [70], and then expanded tics of a wide range of rare-earth garnet [86] and the lithium
to form a base of crystallographic and magnetic data for most spinel compositions [87]. The theory guided the development of
of the known garnet compounds, the most important of which new compounds, e.g., the calcium–vanadium–indium (CaVIn)
was yttrium–iron garnet (YIG). By the end of the decade, both low-linewidth ceramic garnets studied initially at Philips [88]
the spinel and garnet systems were becoming available to mi- and Raytheon [89], and also aided in the design of epitaxial
crowave device engineers. garnet films for “bubble” memories and isolators for fiber-op-
During the 1950s and 1960s, when military needs for tical systems.
high-power phased-array radar with ferrite phase shifters were By the 1980s, conventional ferrites used in microwave
receiving great attention, magnetic loss caused by nonlinear devices had reached maturity. Garnets with their superior
spin-wave generation above an RF power threshold presented a dielectric properties had found favor between and band;
challenging problem. Theoretical analyses of the phenomenon spinels with their higher magnetization capability could also
by Suhl at BTL [71] and Schloemann at the Raytheon Research find application up to -band. Although the microwave
Division [72] enabled device designers to avoid catastrophic losses of the hexaferrites have been too high for most practical
losses by informed selection of the ferrite composition and op- devices, efficient 35-GHz self-biased circulators employing
erating conditions. Raising of the peak power thresholds could oriented M-type barium–strontium ferrite were demonstrated
be accomplished by increasing average power losses through at the MIT LL [90].
small concentrations of fast-relaxing ions. The broadening of During this decade, semiconductor transmit/receive (T/R)
ferrimagnetic resonance lines of polycrystals caused by mag- modules were replacing the waveguide ferrite phase shifters
netocrystalline anisotropy [73] and nonmagnetic inclusions, as the basic element for electronically steerable phased-array
e.g., porosity [74], was also examined. Patton at Raytheon [28] radars. As ferrite applications began to reach into the mil-
and Vrehen at Philips [75] applied these concepts to define the limeter-wave bands where ferrites still had an advantage
“effective” linewidth of polycrystals for off-resonance condi- in power handling, the emphasis in bulk ferrites shifted to
tions. The limits of intrinsic linewidths of single-crystal garnet high-magnetization Ni and Li spinel diluted with zinc. In the
were investigated at BTL [76]. Rado at the Naval Research standard microwave bands, microstrip and stripline circulators
Laboratory investigated microwave propagation in partially for integration with the T/R modules were emphasized. Film
magnetized ferrites [77], and Green and Sandy at Raytheon deposition of ferrites grew in importance as miniaturization,
later reported extensive characterizations of their microwave hybrid structures, and monolithic circuits were added to the
magnetic properties [26], [27]. ferrite lexicon.
Important advances in basic magnetic theory and properties Efforts in these directions continued through the 1990s, but
relevant to ferrites were also achieved during these early years. seemed to result in more challenges identified than problems
The ferrimagnetic resonance relations for anisotropic single solved. As a partner in a Defense Advanced Research Projects
crystals were derived at BTL [78], the anisotropy of YIG as a Agency (DARPA)-sponsored industrial consortium, Westing-
function of temperature was measured at Harvard University house deposited microwave-quality polycrystalline ferrite on
[79], and comprehensive theoretical analyses of the anisotropy semiconductor substrates [91]. The main problems are thermal
from multiple magnetic sublattices were carried out at Osaka expansion mismatches between film and substrate and the
[80] and Harvard universities [81]. These contributions influ- need for post-deposition annealing to crystallize amorphous
enced the development single-crystal garnet spheres at BTL phases. The use of -axis oriented -type hexaferrites for
[82] needed for magnetically tunable filters that were based on millimeter-wave self-biased circulators has been hindered for
the narrow resonance lines. similar reasons, but also because of the higher microwave loss
726 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON MICROWAVE THEORY AND TECHNIQUES, VOL. 50, NO. 3, MARCH 2002

Fig. 6. Schematic diagram of phased-array antenna module.

[92] that may be fundamental to the electronic structure of order to control the voltage standing-wave ratio (VSWR) seen
the metal ions in the ferrite. Most recently, however, a team at by the high-power amplifier at the output of the transmitter, and
Northeastern University reported the epitaxial deposition of also to control undesirable reflections from the receive antenna
hexaferrite thick films for phase-shifter applications [93]. array. In this case, isolators rather than circulators are required.
At the MIT LL, ferrite requirements have been defined for These isolators can be made by connecting a matched load to
cryogenic microstrip devices that exploit the low-conduction one of the ports of a circulator, but under some conditions, a
loss of superconductor circuits [94]. Los Alamos National Lab- “dedicated” isolator design may be preferable, as further dis-
oratory has reported deposition of epitaxial high-temperature cussed below.
superconductor films on ceramic garnet substrates using ion- The literature on microwave circulators and isolators is too
beam-assisted deposition (IBAD) [95]. Among the materials is- extensive to be reviewed in detail in this short summary. For de-
sues remains the quest for single-crystal and epitaxial ferrite that tails, see the books devoted to this subject [1], [96]–[98], an ex-
meet microwave device requirements. cellent annotated bibliography [99], recent review papers [100],
As this new century begins, the world of nanotechnology [101], and the other cited references.
appears to offer little room for the micrometer dimensions of
ferrite crystallites. Nonetheless, microwaves and the nonrecip- B. Principles of Operation, Circulators
rocal propagation property of magnetized ferrite seem funda-
All circulators have at least three ports. The three-port cir-
mentally linked for eternity. For the foreseeable future, it ap-
culator is the most frequently used type of circulator. The dis-
pears that the goals of ferrite materials development will remain,
cussion in this paper, therefore, focuses on three-port circula-
i.e., crystal perfection; chemical purity, homogeneity, and de-
tors and, in particular, on “symmetric” three-port circulators (in
sign accuracy; the continued development of low-cost film de-
which all three ports are equivalent). Other types of circulators
position processes for compatible precision interfacing with dis-
are mentioned only briefly. The scattering matrix theory [102],
similar materials; and the reduction of microwave loss.
[103] provides a convenient and general method of character-
izing all circulators.
Detailed design theories for circulators have been developed
III. CIRCULATORS AND ISOLATORS primarily for rectangular waveguide, stripline, microstrip line,
and image guide. Here, we focus on circulators in stripline or
A. Purpose and Function
microstrip line because these devices are used most often in
In microwave systems that use a single antenna aperture for practice. Bosma’s seminal work [36] established, for the first
both sending and receiving, the function of circulators is pri- time, how a Green’s function derived from Maxwell’s equations
marily to facilitate the routing of outgoing and incoming signals could be used to predict circulator performance. The theory is
to the transmitter or receiver as appropriate. This is illustrated in based on the assumption of “magnetic-wall” boundary condi-
Fig. 6, which shows a schematic diagram of a phased-array an- tions at the edge of the metallization that defines the stripline or
tenna module using a switchable circulator in addition to an or- microstrip circulator. The magnetic-wall boundary conditions
dinary (nonswitchable) circulator. The module also contains two are very plausible for thin ferrite substrates (thickness junc-
T/R switches. Their function can also be satisfied by two fur- tion disc radius), but are by no means rigorously valid, as em-
ther circulators, but switches are generally preferred in these lo- phasized by Latrach et al. [104]. If these boundary conditions
cations because of cost and size considerations. Circulators and are valid, the electromagnetic field in the circulator junction
isolators are made possible by the nonreciprocal character of the can be shown to consist of an -field normal to the plane of
microwave behavior of ferrites (and certain other materials). the device ( -direction) and an -field in the plane of the de-
In microwave systems that use separate antenna apertures for vice ( - and -components). Bosma derived a Green’s function
sending and receiving, nonreciprocal devices are required in , which relates the -field at any point in the
ADAM et al.: FERRITE DEVICES AND MATERIALS 727

interior of the ferrite junction volume, to the azimuthal compo-

nent of the magnetic field existing at the boundary
points of this junction volume. This relationship is

(7)

Wu and Rosenbaum [105] have extended Bosma’s work sig-

nificantly by showing how wide-band performance could be
achieved by proper choice of relevant design parameters, such
as the disc radius and the coupling angle .
In the theories of Bosma and Wu–Rosenbaum, the so-called
effective permeability

(8) Fig. 7. Calculated and measured insertion loss of edge-mode isolator.

Calculation neglects all losses other than that due to the resistive sheet, and
has an important role because its square root is a factor in the assumes H = 2 Oe. Based on data from Hines publication [31].
argument of the various Bessel functions that appear in the ex-
pression for the Green’s function derived from Maxwell’s equa- Arguably the most promising type of isolator for broad-band
tions. In Bosma’s work [36], as well as that of Wu–Rosenbaum applications is the “edge-mode” isolator (also known as “periph-
[105], it was implicitly assumed that is positive and real. A eral mode” isolator), which consists of a wide strip conductor on
superficial inspection of the behavior of the Green’s function a ferrite substrate that is magnetized normal to its plane. A re-
in the limit may lead one to expect a significant sin- sistive sheet is disposed along one edge of the strip conductor.
gularity. There also exists a large amount of experimental data Operation of the device relies on the field displacement induced
that appears to indicate that no usable circulator performance by the gyromagnetic properties of the magnetized ferrite. Since
is possible when the frequency is less than , where the strip conductor has to be very wide in order to produce the
, . (Note: the gyromagnetic ratio desired nonreciprocal attenuation, the characteristic impedance
is here defined as , the value used in Section I.) This is is low. Suitable impedance transformers are required when the
the condition for , and it is also the frequency range, in device is connected to 50- transmission lines.
which “low-field loss” is expected to prevent low-loss operation Hines [31] has developed quantitative theory of the expected
of circulators (and other devices) when the ferrite is not mag- performance of this device. The results obtained from this anal-
netized to saturation. It was, therefore, natural to disregard the ysis indicate that the device should have excellent broad-band
possibility of circulator operation under the conditions in which performance if it is operated at a very low value of internal bias
. field. A high-frequency limit is imposed by the propagation of a
However, Schloemann and Blight [106] showed that the higher order mode. The upper edge of the performance band of
Green’s function actually has no significant singularity in the this device is limited to approximately due to this effect.
limit . Furthermore, they demonstrated experimen- The theory suggests that no similar low-frequency limit exists,
tally that low-loss circulator operation could be achieved for as long as the internal magnetic bias field is suitably low.
, provided that a high degree of bias-field homogeneity Hines’s experiments [31] confirmed many aspects of his
was maintained. In their experiments, they used a stripline theory, but were at variance with the predicted low-frequency
configuration, with hemispherical ferrite pieces placed outside loss behavior, as illustrated in Fig. 7. He attributed the fact
the ground planes of the circulator in order to simulate the that the isolators became excessively lossy at low frequencies
homogeneous demagnetizing field of a sphere. Other, more to the onset of “low-field loss,” a well-known phenomenon in
practical, methods of realizing the high degree of bias-field materials that are incompletely magnetized [107], [108]. This
homogeneity are available. In the experimental work reported explanation is questionable, however, because the insertion loss
by Schloemann–Blight [106], low-loss circulator operation was was not reduced when the bias field was increased well beyond
achieved for frequencies less than , but the signal frequency the value at which the magnetization would saturate.
could not be set below approximately without a signif-
icant increase in insertion loss. This result was unexpected at
the time. The physical reason for it has only recently become D. Radiation Loss Due to Quasi-Static Interface Waves
clear, as discussed below. The low-frequency loss observed in isolators and circulators
can be explained by taking account of the excitation of quasi-
C. Principles of Operation, Isolators static waves at the interfaces of the ferrite and dielectric ma-
Isolators offer certain advantages over circulators in regard to terials [109]–[111]. This effect is widely known for devices in
size and cost. In applications that do not require the full range of which the magnetic bias field is applied parallel to a strip con-
circulator capabilities, a small low-cost isolator may be prefer- ductor. Ganguly and Webb have developed a quantitative theory
able over a circulator converted into an isolator by connecting a for this case and applied it successfully to magnetostatic sur-
matched load to one of the ports. face-wave devices [112].
728 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON MICROWAVE THEORY AND TECHNIQUES, VOL. 50, NO. 3, MARCH 2002

In the edge-mode isolator geometry, radiation loss due to In nonreciprocal devices based on ferrite films of relatively
excitation of quasi-static interface waves occurs at the side modest thickness, the ohmic loss due to the finite conductivity
faces of the ferrite substrate, where the ferrite/dielectric inter- of the metal layers of the device become a significant or even
face is parallel to the bias field direction. A straightforward dominating part of the total loss. Neidert and Philips [120], and
analysis [109]–[111] shows that these interfaces will support How et al. [121]–[123] have described detailed analyses and
propagating quasi-static waves in the frequency range below supporting experimental data concerning this effect.
. Since the unexplained loss evident in Fig. 7 occurs The size of stripline, microstrip, and waveguide circulators
at frequencies less than , it appears that radiation loss alone is generally comparable to the electromagnetic wavelength,
cannot provide an adequate explanation. One must also take and they are analyzed using field theory. By contrast, so-called
account of the fact that the measurements were made under lumped-element circulators can be very small compared to the
conditions in which the bias field is strongly inhomogeneous. electromagnetic wavelength, and they are analyzed using a
In conventional bias magnets, the external magnetic field can circuit theory approach. Building on earlier work [124], [125],
be made very homogeneous, but the internal magnetic field in Miura et al. [126] have recently described an improved method
the ferrite substrates is necessarily inhomogeneous, especially of optimizing circulators based on the lumped-element design.
near the edges of the ferrite substrates. This is due to the de- Dionne et al. [127] have investigated the integration of
magnetizing field, which is approximately equal to the satura- superconductive materials with ferrites in microwave devices
tion magnetization in the interior of the ferrite substrate (for and have demonstrated the feasibility of a switchable circulator
thin substrates), but only one-half as large near the perimeter. based on this technology. The circulator most suitable for this
For optimal performance, the external magnetic field has to be application is the “ring network circulator,” which is based on
adjusted to a value at which the internal field in the interior is the same principles as the meander-line phase shifters discussed
small, but positive to avoid low-field loss. The bias field near in Section IV [128], [129].
the substrate perimeter is then characterized by . Although ferrites are most frequently used nonreciprocal ma-
Hence, the onset frequency for low-frequency radiation loss is terial for circulators, other materials can also satisfy this func-
approximately equal to in this case. With tion. Davis et al. [130], [131] have demonstrated the feasibility
careful design of the bias magnet, the internal magnetic field of circulators at millimeter-wavelengths, based on Y-junctions,
can be made substantially homogeneous (by placing high-per- where the junction area is filled with a semiconductor material
meability pole pieces close to the ferrite substrate). The onset that is exposed to a magnetic bias field. Other types of semi-
frequency for low-frequency radiation loss is then reduced to conductor circulators are based on the transistor effect and do
. not require a magnetic bias field. Tanaka et al. [132] originally
proposed this type of circulator, and Ayasli [133] has further de-
E. Recent Developments veloped it. Carchon and Nauwelaers [134] have calculated the
theoretical power and noise limitations of such circulators.
The Faraday effect (see Section I) is a fundamental prop-
erty of ferrite materials that are magnetized parallel to the di-
rection of propagation. This effect can be used to achieve cir- IV. FERRITE PHASE SHIFTERS
culator action in a quasi-optical geometry, which is especially Ferrite phase shifters generally take advantage of the ability
useful for millimeter-wave applications. By combining a ferrite to control the permeability of a waveguiding medium to vary
disc with suitable polarization filters, a four-port circulator has the phase velocity of a microwave signal passing through it. In
been demonstrated to have very low insertion loss and superior most cases, the change in permeability changes the phase ve-
power-handling capability [113]–[116]. locity and, therefore, the insertion phase. In a few cases, such
Circulators and isolators usually require a bias magnet to as in the rotary field phase shifter, the orientation of the internal
operate satisfactorily. However, some materials of the -type magnetization controls the phase shift.
hexaferrite family mentioned in Section II can be used without
a bias magnet because these materials behave like permanent
A. Classification
magnets themselves [117].
The integration of ferrite devices with integrated circuits Ferrite phase shifters can be classified in several different
based on semiconductor technology poses very challenging ways as follows.
problems because the deposition of ferrite films generally • Reciprocal versus nonreciprocal: The phase shift in a re-
requires much higher temperatures than can be tolerated by ciprocal phase shifter is the same for signals propagating
semiconductor substrates. Adam et al. [118] have described a in either direction. It is different in the two directions in
process by which ferrite circulators can be integrated monolith- nonreciprocal types.
ically with monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs) • Driven versus latching: Driven phase shifters require con-
on GaAs substrates. In an alternative approach, single-crystal tinuous control current. Latched types have a closed mag-
films of YIG, deposited on GGG substrates, can be bonded to netic path and require only a momentary pulse of current
silicon at 195 C [119]. The GGG substrate is subsequently to store a phase command.
removed and a patterned metal circuit is generated at the YIG • Analog versus digital: Analog types allow the insertion
surface, resulting in an integrated circulator at -band with a phase to be continuously varied by an external control cur-
1-GHz bandwidth. rent. Digital types generally comprise cascaded discrete
ADAM et al.: FERRITE DEVICES AND MATERIALS 729

Fig. 8. Reggia–Spencer phase shifter (from [136]).

Fig. 9. Single and twin toroid phase shifters (from [141]).

phase shift sections that are switched between two specific

insertion phase states, arranged in 180 , 90 , 45 , 22.5 ,
etc., steps. The phase resolution in the driven types is con-
trolled by the resolution of the driver circuit. Resolution
of the digital types is set by the number of discrete stages
used.

B. Phase-Shifter Types
Reggia and Spencer [135] described one of the first practical Fig. 10. Dual-mode phase shifter (from [142]). (a) Basic concept of dual-mode
ferrite phase shifters. It consists of a longitudinally magnetized phaser. (b) Dual-mode phaser configuration.
ferrite rod in a waveguide. It is reciprocal, and the magnetizing
solenoid, as shown in Fig. 8, must be driven continuously [136]. wave through a longitudinally magnetized ferrite rod. Fixed per-
A latching version was described later [137]. manent magnets applied to the ferrite sections at the ends of
Clavin investigated slabs mounted against the sidewalls of the device form nonreciprocal quarter-wave plates that convert
rectangular waveguide [138]. Another approach, using trans- a linearly polarized input wave to a circularly polarized wave.
versely magnetized ferrites, evolved into the twin-slab design. Phase shift is controlled by varying the current through a sole-
When the two slabs were joined by a magnetic path forming a noid coil on the central phase-shifting section. This phase shift
closed toroid, as shown in Fig. 9, this device became latchable is inherently nonreciprocal, but since the end polarizers reverse
[139], [140]. Here, a magnetizing current was passed through a the sense of circular polarization for the two propagation direc-
wire running down the center of the toroid. Early designs used tions, the overall device is reciprocal.
discrete phase shift sections in 180 /90 /45 increments. Later The rotary field phase shifter in Fig. 11 has a similar appear-
devices used incremental adjustments of the remanent magne- ance to the dual mode, but operates on a very different prin-
tization to produce different amounts of phase shift in a single ciple [143]. Again, nonreciprocal polarizers convert linear po-
device. Much greater phase shift is achieved by placing high di- larized RF into circular polarized waves. The phase-shifting sec-
electric-constant material between the slabs. A properly chosen tion of ferrite is magnetized transversely by currents in a set of
dielectric slab draws the RF fields into the region around the two motor-like windings. The coil currents are adjusted to maintain
slabs. The twin toroid design has a dielectric slab between a pair in the ferrite a saturated region that can be rotated around the rod
of single toroids to serve the same purpose [141]. Two magne- axis. This provides the electrical analog of the mechanically ro-
tizing wires are needed to thread the two toroids, but they avoid tatable phase shifting section in a Fox phase shifter [144]. The
coupling to the strong RF fields in the center of the device. insertion phase varies at twice the rotation angle of the saturated
The dual-mode phase shifter, shown in Fig. 10, follows a region, giving twice as much phase shift per unit length as the
somewhat different path [142]. The main phase-shifting sec- dual-mode type. The phase shift is in principle only a function
tion is circular, and the RF propagates as a circularly polarized of the rotation angle of the internal magnetic field. In addition,
730 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON MICROWAVE THEORY AND TECHNIQUES, VOL. 50, NO. 3, MARCH 2002

Fig. 11. Rotary field phase shifter (from [143]).

Fig. 12. TEM phase shifters. Machined ceramic (left-hand side) (from [145]), and LTCC (right-hand side), as described by Stitzer [57].

the ferrite is always saturated, resulting in more uniform inser- The higher insertion loss inherent in TEM devices has been
tion loss over all phase angles. significantly reduced by combining superconducting transmis-
Various TEM phase shifters have been described. Simon et al. sion lines with the meander-line approach [148], illustrated in
[145] described a ferrite-filled stripline device in which the dc Fig. 13.
magnetization was switched between a state transverse to the
C. Applications
RF magnetic field and a longitudinal state (see Fig. 12). Indi-
vidual phase bits were used. A more recent version [57] used The main use of ferrite phase shifters is in phased-array an-
low-temperature cofired ceramic (LTCC) techniques to mini- tenna systems. The direction of a beam radiated by an array of
mize air gaps between the ferrite and the conductors, and in- elements in a linear array can be steered by inserting a different
tegrated the coil windings with the structure. Continuous varia- phase shift in each radiator’s feed. A phase control range of only
tion of the phase shift was achieved by incremental rotation of 360 is required, but that full 360 range is required regardless
the internal remanent magnetization between the two extreme of the scan angle.
orientations. The choice of phase shifter type is dictated by the following.
A meander line can be used to enhance the phase shift by • Frequency: TEM devices are better suited to lower fre-
generating a circularly polarized RF magnetic field around quencies. Waveguides containing simple ferrite shapes
the center conductor [146]. Other workers have investigated such as rods are easier to fabricate with the high precision
ferrite-filled TEM lines with continuously driven coils [147]. needed for the small sizes required at higher frequencies.
ADAM et al.: FERRITE DEVICES AND MATERIALS 731

Fig. 13. Superconducting meander-line phase shifter.

• Phase accuracy: In some designs, the insertion phase

varies significantly with frequency. In many types, the
phase shift is a strong function of the remanent magne-
tization, which varies with temperature. The phase shift
of a rotary field type is primarily a simple function of
the angle of the magnetizing field, with little frequency
dependence.
• Switching time and energy: If a nonreciprocal device is
used in a radar application, the phase shifter must be Fig. 14. Coupling structure for a single-stage YIG sphere filter.
switched between two different states between transmit
and receive. Continuously driven phasers are generally
very slow compared to latching types. If only one or a few
phase shifters are required in a given system, the power
consumed by a continuously driven phase shifter may be
acceptable. In a phased-array antenna with hundreds or
thousands of phase shifters, the choice is usually for a
latched device.
• Power handling: Ferrite phase shifters can generally
handle higher power than competing technologies. De-
signs in which the ferrite is in intimate contact with the Fig. 15. Simple MSW device with microstrip transducers. Depending on
housing will conduct heat dissipated in the ferrite away design, this can provide time delay and filtering functions.
more readily, permitting higher average power handling.
Peak power related nonlinear effects are discussed in The coupling structure for a single-stage filter is shown in
Section VI. Fig. 14 and consists of two orthogonal coupling loops around
a YIG sphere. The radius of the coupling loops controls the
external of the resonator and minimum practical values are
V. YIG FILTERS
limited by the excitation of MSW resonances. Digitally con-
Microwave filters and oscillators that are electronically tun- trolled filters and oscillators tunable over multioctave or even
able over a decade in frequency rely on fmr in single crystals of decades of frequency are now available commercially. Recent
YIG. YIG devices are widely used in test equipment, radar, and developments have focused on size reduction, compatibility
electronic-warfare (EW) systems and offer a wider electronic with packaging, and integration into higher level assemblies.
tuning range than other candidates including varactors, ferro- Filters and oscillators with greater than octave tunability are
electrics, and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). The commercially available in 1-in packages and dissipate less
narrow fmr linewidth of YIG, i.e., Oe, yields po- than 5 W. The feasibility of further volume reduction was
tential resonator unloaded 5000 at 10 GHz. demonstrated in a three-stage notch filter that occupied 1 cm
The fmr resonance is tuned linearly by the magnetic field so and required less than 1 W to tune over the 7–9-GHz range
that , where is the gyromagnetic ratio (2.8 MHz/Oe). [152]. This development investigated the use of permanent
A description of magnetically tunable microwave bandpass magnets to reduce electromagnetic power consumption, a
and band-stop filters using single-crystal YIG resonators was concept that has also been applied to YIG tuned oscillators. The
published in [149] and [150] respectively, and a comprehensive electromagnet power and saturation of the iron in the magnet
treatment of YIG resonators and filters was provided in [151]. poles determine the upper frequency for YIG tunable devices.
732 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON MICROWAVE THEORY AND TECHNIQUES, VOL. 50, NO. 3, MARCH 2002

Fig. 16. Frequency response of an FSL, and input and output power spectra, from multiple weak and strong signals, showing the frequency selectivity inherent
in YIG limiters.

Oscillators tunable over 33–50 GHz have been demonstrated loaded in this situation. An ordinary diode limiter placed in front
[153]. -type hexagonal ferrites have a large anisotropy field of a wide-band receiver to limit the high-level signals, will at-
of kOe, and have been applied to tunable filters tenuate all signals by the same amount. A frequency-selective
operating at 60 GHz and above [154], where a 50% reduction limiter (FSL) is defined as one that can attenuate strong signals
in magnet power was achieved. without attenuating other weaker signals present simultaneously
The negative permeability shown by ferrite materials at (Fig. 16).
frequencies higher than the fmr frequency enables wave Most microwave FSLs utilize the frequency-selective nature
propagation in structures with arbitrary small cross section of a magnetized ferrite. Above a critical RF magnetic-field level,
over limited frequency ranges. These are referred to as MSWs the spin precession angle can increase no further, and coupling
since the electric-field contribution is negligibly small. Initial to higher order spin waves begins to grow exponentially. Energy
theoretical and experimental studies of MSW propagation is efficiently coupled to spin waves at approximately one-half
in single-crystal YIG have been published [155], [156]. The the signal frequency and then into lattice vibrations (heat) in the
theory was extended to planar epitaxial YIG films spaced ferrite. This mechanism has been analyzed [164] and character-
from conducting ground planes in [157] and analysis of MSW ized for the following three different modes.
transduction into YIG films was presented in [112]. Further 1) “Premature decline” refers to the apparent drop in perme-
experimental and theoretical developments are reviewed in ability when the precession angle saturates.
several papers and books [158]–[160]. An example of a simple 2) A “subsidiary resonance” can be induced, which produces
MSW device is shown in Fig. 15. Significant interest in MSW an additional absorption band away from the normal fmr.
propagation in epitaxial YIG films arose because of the po- 3) A “coincidence limiter” is one in which the fmr coincides
tential for analog signal processing at microwave frequencies with the subsidiary resonance.
similar to that performed by surface acoustic wave (SAW) The limiting threshold is generally highest in the subsidiary res-
devices at lower frequencies [161]. However, although the onance type and is lowest in the coincidence type. An early re-
feasibility of many devices were demonstrated [162], none view of ferrite power limiters has been given in [165].
achieved the performance improvements necessary to replace The threshold power ranges from tenths of milliwatts for YIG
incumbent SAW, YIG sphere, and rapidly developing digital spheres in coincidence limiters [166] to tens of watts for poly-
approaches. crystalline ferrite in subsidiary resonance devices [167]. In any
The potential for narrow-band tunable filters with very low mode, the critical field strength is proportional to the spinwave
loss has led to studies of high-temperature superconducting fil- linewidth of the ferrite. YIG has the narrowest known
ters tuned by ferrites [163]. However, reductions in the ferrite linewidth, on the order of 0.2 Oe for single crystals. The effec-
loss at cryogenic temperatures are required for demonstration tive value of for polycrystalline ceramic ferrites is typi-
of practical devices. cally in the tens of oersteds. These are used in high-power re-
ceiver protectors [168] to prevent burnout.
VI. NONLINEAR MAGNETIC MICROWAVE DEVICES Ferrite FSLs have been realized in a variety of transmis-
EW systems are required to work in a high-signal density en- sion-line structures. Threshold power usually has to be traded
vironment and receivers and signal processors are easily over- off for bandwidth [169]. Nonresonant stripline formed directly
ADAM et al.: FERRITE DEVICES AND MATERIALS 733

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[150] G. L. Matthei, “Magnetically tunable band-stop filters,” IEEE Trans. J. Douglas Adam (M’77–SM’89–F’91) received
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MTT-S Int. Microwave Symp. Dig., 1992, pp. 1401–1402. from the University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland.
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vol. 36, pp. 3453–3459, 1965. publication. He holds 16 patents.
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netics. New York: Plenum, 1981. tingham, U.K., and the Ph.D. and D.Sc. (eng) degrees
[160] D. D. Stancil, Theory of Magnetostatic Waves. Berlin, Germany: from University College London, London, U.K.
Springer-Verlag, 1993. From 1959 to 1964, he was with Mullard Research
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based on epitaxial yttrium iron garnet,” Proc. IEEE, vol. 64, pp. was a faculty member in the Electrical Engineering
794–800, May 1976. Department, Rice University, Houston, TX. From
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static waves,” in Physics of Thin Films, Thin Films for Advanced Elec- Scotland, where he was Professor and Head of
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Academic, 1991, vol. 15, pp. 2–141. gineering. In 1987, he joined the Department of Electrical Engineering and
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using ferrite substrates,” in IEEE MTT-S Int. Microwave Symp. Dig., (UMIST), Manchester, U.K., where he is currently Professor of communication
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levels,” Proc. IRE, vol. 44, pp. 1270–1284, 1965. California at San Diego, and has been a consultant for several companies. He
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Phys., vol. 33, p. 747, 1962. for microwave, millimeter-wave, and optical wavelengths.
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472–480, Nov. 1961. and Techniques Society (IEEE MTT-S) International Microwave Symposium
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[168] J. L. Carter and J. W. McGowan, “ -band ferrite-varactor limiter,” (IMS) Technical Programme Committee and co-chairman of the IEEE MTT-S
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X
[169] S. N. Stitzer, P. E. Carter, Jr., and H. Goldie, “A high power -band tiated the Houston chapter of the IEEE MTT-S. He served on the Council, the
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Tech., vol. 41, pp. 2227–2231, Dec. 1993.
[171] J. D. Adam, S. N. Stitzer, and R. M. Young, “UHF frequency selective
limiters,” in IEEE MTT-S Int. Microwave Symp. Dig., vol. 01, 2001, pp. Gerald F. Dionne (SM’71–F’94) received the
1174–1175. B.Sc. degree in physics from the University of
[172] S. N. Stitzer, H. Goldie, J. D. Adam, and P. R. Emtage, “Magnetostatic Montreal (Loyola College), Montreal, QC, Canada,
surface wave signal-to-noise enhancer,” in IEEE MTT-S Int. Microwave the B.Eng. degree in engineering physics from
Symp. Dig., 1980, pp. 238–240. McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada, the M.S.
[173] T. Kuki and T. Nomoto, “A reflection type of MSW signal-to-noise en- degree in physics from Carnegie-Mellon University,
hancer in the 400 MHz band,” in IEEE MTT-S Int. Microwave Symp. Pittsburgh, PA, and the Ph.D. degree in physics from
Dig., vol. 95, 1995, pp. 111–114. McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
[174] S. N. Stitzer, “Spike leakage and suppression in frequency selec- He served as a member of the physics faculty at
tive limiters,” in IEEE MTT-S Int. Microwave Symp. Dig., 2000, pp. McGill University, was also involved with semicon-
901–904. ductor device development with both IBM and the
[175] Y. Murakami, “Status of ferrite technology in Japan,” in IEEE Sylvania Division of GTE (now Verizon), and investigated electron emission
MTT-S Int. Microwave Symp. Dig., vol. 1, Atlanta, GA, 1993, pp. and cesium vapor ionization for thermionic energy at Pratt and Whitney Air-
207–210. craft. Since 1966, he has carried out research at the MIT Lincoln Laboratory,
[176] L. E. Davis, “Status of ferrite technology in Europe,” in IEEE Lexington, MA. His numerous publications include original contributions in
MTT-S Int. Microwave Symp. Dig., vol. 1, Atlanta, GA, 1993, pp. fields of magnetism theory and the properties of ferrimagnetic materials for
199–202. microwave, millimeter-wave, and magnetooptical applications, the physics of
[177] L. R. Whicker, Ferrite Control Components. Norwood, MA: Artech electron emission, and the development and application of millimeter- and sub-
House, 1974, vol. 2, Ferrite Phasers and Ferrite MIC Components. millimeter-wave radiometry. From his studies of the role of large polarons in
[178] B. D. H. Tellegen, “The synthesis of passive resistance-less four poles high-T superconductivity, he has constructed an effective model for giant mag-
that may violate the reciprocity relation,” Philips Res. Rep., vol. 3, p. netoresistance effects in magnetic oxides. He holds patents on microwave fer-
321, 1948. rite, magnetostrictive, and superconductor devices.
[179] L. Young, “Systems of units in electricity and magnetism,” IEEE Mi- Dr. Dionne is a member of the American Physical Society and the Society of
crowave Mag., Mar. 2001. Sigma Xi.
ADAM et al.: FERRITE DEVICES AND MATERIALS 737

Ernst F. Schloemann (SM’71–F’78–LF’99) Steven N. Stitzer (M’74–SM’91) received the

received the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the B.S.E.E., M.S.E.E., and Ph.D.E.E. degrees from
University of Goettingen, Germany, in 1953 and Carnegie-Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, in
1954, respectively, both in theoretical physics. 1970, 1971, and 1974, respectively.
From 1954 to 1955, he performed post-doctoral In 1974, he joined the Westinghouse Electronic
research in theoretical solid-state physics at the Systems Group (now Northrop Grumman Electronic
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In 1955, Systems), Baltimore, MD, where he has been
he joined the Raytheon Research Division. During involved primarily with the design, development,
the 1961–1962 academic year, he served as a production, and automated testing of high-power mi-
Visiting Associate Professor at the W. W. Hansen crowave control devices. These include gas plasma
Microwave Laboratory, Stanford University. In and diode receiver protectors, and high-power
April 1964, he became a Consulting Scientist in special recognition of his p-i-n diode switches and attenuators. Most of his recent work has involved
research achievements. In 1966, he was a Visiting Professor at the University of modeling, analysis, and design of ferrite phase shifters, circulators, isolators,
Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany. He has made numerous important contributions frequency-selective power limiters, and ferroelectric phase shifters. He is
to the theory of resonance linewidth in polycrystalline magnetic materials and an inventor or co-inventor on 15 patents in these areas. He has authored,
to the theory of fmr at high signal levels. In the 1970s, he developed a novel co-authored, or presented over 20 papers on these topics.
technique for the recovery of aluminum and other nonferrous metals from Dr. Stitzer served as an officer in the Baltimore IEEE Microwave Theory
solid waste. He retired from Raytheon in 1995, and is now an independent and Techniques Society (IEEE MTT-S) chapter and was chairman from 1980 to
consultant. He has authored or co-authored research papers on the thermal 1981. He was chairman of the IEEE MTT-S Standards Subcommittee P457 from
conductivity of dielectric solids, magnetostatic and magnetoelastic waves, 1980 to 1982. He served as Publicity Chairman on the 1986 IEEE MTT-S Inter-
domain-wall dynamics, computer memories, YIG filters, low-noise YIG-tuned national Microwave Symposium Steering Committee, and was overall Steering
oscillators, broad-band circulators, miniature circulators, broad-band isolators, Committee Chairman for the 1998 IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Sym-
and RADAR cross-sectional reduction. He has also authored or co-authored posium (IMS), Baltimore, MD. He has served on the IEEE MTT-S IMS Tech-
over 130 scientific papers. He holds 21 U.S. patents and several foreign patents. nical Program Committee since 1993. He is a member of the IEEE MTT-13
From 1974 to 1976, he was a member of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Microwave Ferrites Technical Committee. He is currently chairman of the IEEE
Applied Physics and Applied Physics Letters. MTT-S Historical Collection Committee. He is a member of the Board of Direc-
Dr. Schloemann is also Fellow of the American Physical Society. He is a tors of the Historical Electronics Museum, Linthicum, MD. He was a recipient
member of the IEEE Magnetics Society, the IEEE Microwave Theory and Tech- of the 2000 IEEE Millennium Medal.
niques Society (IEEE MTT-S), and Sigma Xi. From 1970 to 1973, he was a
member of the Editorial Board for the IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON MICROWAVE
THEORY AND TECHNIQUES. He was the recipient of the 1990 Raytheon Thomas
L. Phillips Award for Excellence in Technology. He was also the recipient of a
Fulbright Scholarship.