Double-Ridged Waveguide Loop Coupler

The double-ridged waveguide ring coupler is a wideband passive component upgraded from the standard rectangular waveguide ring hybrid. It adopts double‑ridged waveguide for both the resonant ring cavity and port transitions, also commonly named double-ridged waveguide 3dB ring hybrid. It features ultra-wide bandwidth, low VSWR, high isolation and high integrability, covering multiple octaves. It is ideally suited for power division/combination and phase control in microwave and millimeter-wave broadband systems.

Structural Characteristics

Definition & Construction: A double-ridged waveguide is evolved from a rectangular waveguide, with a pair of symmetrical protruding metal ridges inward on the upper and lower broad walls. This design creates a narrow gap region between the electric field grounding planes.

Transmission Performance: Compared with conventional rectangular waveguide, double-ridged waveguide delivers lower cutoff frequency, broader frequency coverage and lower characteristic impedance. Such superior properties greatly expand its application scope in modern microwave systems.

Working Principle

The operation of the double-ridged waveguide ring coupler relies on electromagnetic field coupling and wave interference effects. It generally consists of two double-ridged waveguides with overlapped broad walls, where coupling apertures are fabricated on the common wall. These apertures enable electromagnetic coupling between the two waveguide sections to realize signal transmission and power distribution.

Specifically, power injected from one designated port is coupled only to predefined output ports, while remaining ports maintain high mutual isolation. This inherent directivity ensures directional signal transmission and accurate power splitting for broadband microwave applications.

Specifications