In this thesis, we describe the synthesis of periodic substrate-integrated waveguide (SIW) supporting degenerate band edge (DBE) points. The DBE point is a special fourth-order degenerate point encountered at the edge of the stopband in a periodic structure, which leads to field enhancement and high-Q resonances. The choice of SIW technology can lead to the use of the DBE concept in microwave and mm-wave integrated circuits, given the easy fabrication, low profile and low-cost features of this technology. Applications of this concept will be oscillators having low threshold currents and being robust to external loading, and sensors with high directivity and sensitivity. Conditions for the design of a unit cell providing a DBE point are give...