Novel flexible dielectric waveguide for millimeter and sub-millimeter frequencies — Design and characterization

This paper is about a novel design of flexible dielectric waveguides that can be employed as multi-purpose connecting lines in test and measurement setups for mm- and sub-mm-wave frequencies. The waveguide design presented here differs from prior art basically in two features: the application of a protective tube composed of standardized segments and the use of strings for supporting and centering the dielectric ribbon waveguide within that tube. Following the proposed design allows building a waveguide that can be bent and twisted simultaneously while exhibiting only small changes in its electrical behavior. Besides the novel design we present experimental results that demonstrate its suitability for various mm-wave test applications.