Patent ID: 8183952

Claim:
A circulator/isolator device comprising: an electric circuit having predetermined electrical characteristics, the electric circuit including at least one conductor disposed on at least one side of a first dielectric substrate, the at least one conductor including at least one first transmission line, at least one second transmission line and at least one third transmission line that form a transmission line junction at a substantially central region on the at least one side of the first dielectric substrate, the at least one first transmission line including a first electric circuit port disposed at a first edge of the first dielectric substrate, the at least one second transmission line including a second electric circuit port disposed at a second edge of the first dielectric substrate, the at least one third transmission line including a third electric circuit port disposed at a third edge of the first dielectric substrate; at least one second dielectric substrate disposed adjacent the first dielectric substrate, the at least one second dielectric substrate including an opening formed in a substantially central region of the at least one second dielectric substrate, the opening being aligned in a predetermined position relative to the transmission line junction formed at the substantially central region of the first dielectric substrate; a ferrite element disposed in the opening of the at least one second dielectric substrate, the ferrite element being biased below ferromagnetic resonance in the presence of a biasing magnetic field, the ferrite element abutting a predetermined portion of the electric circuit; at least one third dielectric substrate disposed adjacent the at least one second dielectric substrate, the at least one third dielectric layer including an interior ground plane formed on an interior major surface of the at least one third dielectric substrate and disposed adjacent the at least one second dielectric substrate and an exterior ground plane formed on an exterior major surface of the at least one third dielectric substrate, the at least one third dielectric substrate including a first-third dielectric port disposed at a first edge of the third dielectric substrate and coupled to the first electric circuit port, a second-third dielectric port disposed at a second edge of the third dielectric substrate and coupled to the second electric circuit port, and a third-third dielectric port disposed at a third edge of the third dielectric substrate and coupled to the third electric circuit port, the electric circuit, the at least one second dielectric substrate having the ferrite element, and the at least one third dielectric substrate being laminated together to form a surface mountable multi-layer assembly, the surface mountable multi-layer assembly being further characterized by a non-metallic magnetic circuit return path.