Chirping techniques to maximize the power-handling capability of harmonic waveguide low-pass filters

Abstract

A novel chirping technique is applied to the design of very high-power waveguide harmonic low-pass filters. The technique could be used, for instance, to avoid multipactor testing in multicarrier systems such as the output multiplexer of a communications satellite. The novel chirped filter shows low insertion loss, all higher order mode suppression, and broad stopband rejection up to the third harmonic. This paper focuses on the maximization of the filter power-handling capability without affecting its excellent frequency behavior. Given a certain frequency response, the E-plane mechanical gap of the structure and the length (in the propagation direction) of the waveguide sections between its constituent bandstop elements can be considered to improve the high-power behavior. However, the power performance may not be sufficient yet in some applications if we wish, for instance, multipactor testing to be avoided. This becomes feasible by chirping the length (in the propagation direction) of the bandstop elements. An example for Ku band is discussed for relevant frequency specifications. An improvement from ∼8 kW (non-chirped filter) to more than 100 kW (chirped filter) is obtained. As a reference, the equivalent waffle-iron filter can handle only 0.15 kW. Such high-power threshold levels have never been reported before for such kind of filters.