2010 International Symposium on Intelligent Signal Processing and Communication Systems (lSPACS 2010) December 6-8,2010

A Broad Band Orthomode Transducer

Du Yong, Tang Zongxi , Zhang Biao,Bao Lifen

School of Electronic Engineering, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China,
Chengdu 611731 , P. R. China
Email: duyonghappy@126.com
Tel: +86 (0)28 61830366

designed based on the B0ifot junction. In order to

ABSTRACT improve the designing efficiency, the entire structure

is divided into individual parts and each part is

In this paper, a broadband orthomode transducer has full-wave simulated by using CST simulator. After the

been designed based on the B0ifot junction. The device is design of individual parts of the orthomode transducer,

divided into individual parts, and each part is full-wave the entire structure is designed. The results show that

simulated by using CST simulator for improving the the relative bandwidth of the orthomode transducer is

designing efficiency. After the design of individual parts more than 4 6%, while the return loss is more than

of the orthomode transducer, the entire structure is 15dB and higher isolation level is achieved over the

designed. The results show that the relative bandwidth of whole operation band.

the orthomode transducer is more than 4 6%, while the

return loss is more than 15dB and higher isolation level 2. ANALYSIS
is achieved over the whole operation band.

The overall structure of the orthomode transducer is

1. INSTRUCTION shown figure I. The operation frequency of this

orthomode transducer is from 20 GHz to 32 GHz. The

Orthomode transducer is the key device for dual horizontal polarization signal is inputted into the

polarization antennas because of its importance on the standard WR 34 waveguide of the transducer, and the

general antenna performance [I]. This device is used as a power is divided to two equal parts by the E plane T

polarization duplexer that separate or combine two junction power divider. Then the power in the power

signals of orthogonal domain modes provided at the divider branch is recombined together in the common

common port. So orthomode transducer is helpful in square waveguide by using the E plane bended

improving the sensitivity and increasing the message waveguide. Using this method, asymmetric mode can

capacity of communication system [2]. The typical be cancelled. Meanwhile, the vertical polarization

performance criteria of orthomode transducer are: wave propagates directly from the WR 34 waveguide

operation bandwidth, return loss, cross polarization, to the common waveguide through the waveguide

insertion loss, isolation and power capacity. This device taper. Because of the symmetry of the E-plane of the

with waveguide-to-waveguide can be classified in three taper, only symmetrical higher modes can be excited.

main groups based on symmetry [3]. The orthomode Because of the symmetry of both two channels,

transducers which contain physical symmetry can unwanted higher-order modes will not be excited in

depress asymmetric higher modes. So the operation band common waveguide. For this reason, the operation

of such device can be expanded [4-6]. band of the orthomode transducer can be

In this paper, a broad band orthomode transducer is expanded.

978-1-4244-7371-7/10/$26.00 ©2010 IEEE

 2010 International Symposium on Intelligent Signal Processing and Communication Systems (lSPACS 2010) December 6-8,2010

[7].The scattering parameters can be obtained by using

CST simulator. After optimization, the simulation

results show that return loss is more than 28dB over

the operation band.

2.1. Design of the vertical polarization channel

The vertical polarization channel is a square

waveguide which contains a special septum. The

common waveguide is transformed to an ordinary

WR-34 waveguide through a 4 steps Chebyshev

Figure.1 the general structure of the orthomode transformer and bent into a mitred comer. Because of

transducer the symmetry of E-plane, only symmetrical high-order

In order to achieve excellent performance of isolation modes are excited. Therefore, it is obvious that a

and return loss of each port, an additional special septum broadband can be achieved. Considering the influence

and compensation pins are need. The size and position of on the electric property of the vertical polarization

the pins and septum are obtained by optimizing introduced by the septum is slight, so it can be ignored

procedure. The orthomode transducer can be designed by in the design procedures of vertical channel. The taper

dividing the whole structure into individual parts. can be designed and optimized by using CST. The

results in figure 3 show that the return loss of port 1 is

more than 33dB from 20GHz to 32GHz.

(a)
(a)

(b)
(b) Figure.3 (a) vertical channel without septum, (b)
Figure.2 (a) the horizontal polarization channel, (b) the return loss of port 1
the return loss of port 1 2.3. The general structure
The lateral branch of the orthomode transducer is The fundamental structure of orthomode

composed of the E-plane bended waveguide and the transducer is constructed of the vertical polarization

E-plane T junction power divider as shown in figure 2 channel and the horizontal polarization one as shown
 2010 International Symposium on Intelligent Signal Processing and Communication Systems (ISPACS 2010) December 6-8,2010

in figure 4. polarization,it is more difficult to get good return loss.

Additionally, In order to improve performance of Since the designed orthomode transducer has the

isolation and return loss of each port, a special septum characteristic of symmetry. Higher isolation between

and two capacitive pins are used at the junction of two polarized channels is achieved.

common waveguide. The overall orthomode transducer is

modeled in CST, the size and position of the septum and 3. CONCLUSION
pins are obtained by optimization. After the optimization A broad band orthomode transducer is full-wave

of the general structure, the results are shown in figure.4. designed based on the B0ifot junction. The orthomode

transducer is divided into individual part, and each

part is designed by using CST simulator. After the

design of individual part of the orthomode transducer,

the entire structure is designed. Results shown that the

relative bandwidth is exceed 46%, isolation is more

than 150dB and return loss is more than 15dB over the

operation band.

(a) 4. REFERENCE

[1]G Pelosi, R. Nesti, and GG Gentili, "Orthomode

transducers," encyclopedia of RF and microwave

engineering,Wiley,New York,2005.

[2]H. Schlegel and W. D. Fowler, "The ortho-mode

transducer offers a key to polarization diversity in EW

-50 '-------'--'--'-­
"
systems," Microw. Syst. News,pp.65-70,Sep. 1984.

(b) [3]A M. B0ifot, E. Lier, and T. Schaug-Pettersen,

-�� r_--�- -�---�
..•.... -...•....•....... � ....•...•....•...•...... �.
-16\ •....•...... ; ......................... ; .
"Simple and broadband orthomode transducer," Proc

; �'t\" +r',�i�'�� �¥�

Inst Elect Eng 137(1999), 396---400.

[4 ]A. Navarrini and R. L. Plambeck, "A turnstile

junction waveguide orthomode transducer," IEEE

-18'9 ••••••.••••.••••.•••.••••• -:- ························ t ···· Trans Microwave Theory Tech 54 (2006),272-277.
.19�S .......................... _.... SI2 ........................................

- ''' j ---''::::�==l::=.:;;;
:: �===;;; :::::t===:t:::::. [5]S. Skinner and G James, "Wide-band orthomode
-198.38 .t---

transducers," IEEE Trans. Microw. Theory Tech., vol.

" �
Fr�/G1l

(c) 39,no. 2,pp. 294-300,1991.

Figure.4 (a) the general structure of orthomode [6] P. Grimes, O. King, G Yassin, and M. Jones,

transducer modeled in CST, (b) the return loss of the "Compact broadband planar orthomode transducer,"

horizontal polarization and the vertical polarization, Electronics Letters,vol. 43,no. 21,pp. 294-300, 2007.

(c) the isolation between two polarization channel. [7] Rebollar, J.M., Esteban, 1., and Page, J.E " Full

It is shown that the return loss of the horizontal wave analysis of three and four-port rectangular

polarization port is more than 15dB while the vertical waveguide junctions ", IEEE Trans. Microw. Theory

port is more than 18dB over the whole operation band. Tech.,1994,42,(2),pp. 256-263.

Due to the change of propagation direction of horizontal