Study of the Multipactor Effect in Bandpass Wedge-Shaped Waveguide Filters

Recently developed high-power radio-frequency discharges prediction tools have suggested that wedge-shaped waveguides are more resistent to multipactor effects than the equivalent rectangular waveguides. As a result of several research activities performed in cooperation with the European Space Research and Technology Centre of the European Space Agency, a filter structure based on wedge-shaped cavities is designed and manufactured, thus proving the previous theoretical results with a passive device widely used in the output (high-power) stage of satellite payloads. Experimental results are presented that confirm the developed prediction models. Finally, a discussion of advantages and potential limitations of this new filter topology is included, and further improvements for this waveguide topology are also suggested.