Patent ID: 7218180

Claim:
A low noise oscillator comprising: one or more transmission line segments, each segment having ends and a length of spaced apart first and second conductors therebetween, each length of conductor being electrically continuous; an odd number of passive connection means coupling the ends of the one or more segments to form a closed loop of segments and the passive connection means; and a plurality of regeneration devices located at various spaced-apart positions on the loop and connected between the first and second conductors of a segment, wherein the regeneration devices are operative to establish and maintain on the loop a wave traveling around the loop, the traveling wave wave including a voltage wave between the first and second conductors, a single lap of the wave around the loop defining a propagation time, and wherein each of the passive connection means causes the voltage of the traveling wave between the first and second conductors to reverse polarity, so that, at any location on a segment, there is a pair of oppositely phased oscillations having a period equal to twice the propagation time.