Patent ID: 8076997

Claim:
A continuously tunable delay line, comprising a waveguide and a dielectric perturbing member that is continuously displaceable relative to the waveguide by displacement driving units for varying the delay imparted by the delay line, said waveguide comprising a longitudinally extending ridge having an end surface, and said perturbing member being arranged in the waveguide, wherein said perturbing member is mounted onto a support secured to one or more rods extending through openings disposed in a waveguide wall opposite to said end surface of the ridge and connected to said driving units for displacing said perturbing member toward and away from said end surface, wherein said perturbing member is displaceable between a position in which said perturbing member is substantially adjacent to said end surface of the ridge and a position in which said perturbing member is spaced by at most 1 mm from said end surface.