Wide-Band Polarizer In Circular Waveguide Loaded with Dielectric Discs

A converter between linear and circular polarization has been designed in circular waveguide by the use of periodic loading with oblong dielectric discs. The disc loading increases the single-mode (TE-11) bandwidth relative to that of homogeneously filled circular waveguide. Moreover, periodic loading gives the designer freedom to adjust the disc thickness and shape to meet certain requirements. With the abutting disc-loaded waveguide as a reference, the dielectric loading is increased in one plane of polarization and decreased in the orthogonal plane. In a wide-band design, this differential loading gives nearly constant 90° difference in time phase between space-quadrature component waves, the condition for circular polarization. Such a polarizer has been constructed with four oblong discs. Across a frequency bandwidth of about 15 percent, the measured phase difference is within 2° of the desired value and the SWR is within 1.5 dB.