Toward Ultracompact Multi-Materials Rectangular Waveguide Terminations

A new multi-materials' compact topology, allowed by multi-materials 3-D-printing, is proposed to design microwave terminations in rectangular waveguide technology. The concept is based on a Salisbury-like resonant absorber constituted of a 3-D-printed polylactic acid (PLA) dielectric spacer and a lossy dielectric in the form of a pad whose dimensions allow controlling the frequency of maximum absorption. The flange of the termination is also printed with a lossy dielectric to achieve a compact and low-weight component that can be directly connected to a standard metallic waveguide. The concept has been validated experimentally in K-band (18-26 GHz) and X-band (8-12 GHz) with relative bandwidths (RBWs) around 20% for both frequency bands. These components demonstrate a quite stable temperature behavior. The power-handling capability (PHC) has been investigated through simulations and experiments. It was demonstrated that the maximum power than can support the termination is around 4-5 times lower than a more standard and bulky termination made with the same materials.

Automated summary

A new compact microwave termination design is proposed using multi-materials 3-D-printing. The concept allows for controlling frequency and absorption performance through the combination of different materials. Experimental results demonstrate stable temperature behavior and lower power-handling capability compared to traditional terminations.