An Optimum Sectional Waveguide Taper for Quasioptical Transmission Lines

The paper considers an optimum sectional waveguide taper (OSWT) which at a shortest length of the transition region provides nearly adiabatic propagation of the fundamental mode between circular, widely different in diameter quasioptical transmission lines of class hollow dielectric waveguide (HDW). Derived as a consequence of coaxial circular-horn sections, the OSWT offers all the advantages of a simple geometry and lends itself to simple fabrication techniques. The relationships among the critical geometrical parameters and the loss calculation formulae are presented. The comparison studies show that even at a few sections, the OSWT is almost as good in performance as the parabolic taper, but the OSWT is much better from a mechanical viewpoint. And compared to the ordinary linear taper, the OSWT allows essential cut in length and loss with the broadbandness kept. The HDW-based four-sectional OSWT has been fabricated and tested in a quite broad wave range 2,5-8 mm. The testing results lend a good support to the analytical formulae lying at the basis of the design software.