Microwave cable assemblies from MeasureTech Inc., Sun Valley, Calif., use a metal jacket and high-purity silicon dioxide to resist temperatures exceeding 900°C.
Special processing results in cable with a low-dielectric constant able to operate above 20 GHz with a low insertion loss and VSWR (voltagestanding wave ratio). The cable assemblies are completely hermetic to survive hostile environments. While Teflon-insulated cables change electrical performance in extreme temperatures, silicondioxide microwave cable shows insignificant changes in insertion loss and phase. Applications for the microwave cable assemblies include aircraft, radar, decoys, and electronic countermeasure systems.