A compact two-way power divider based on five-port structure.

Area of Science:

• Electromagnetics and Microwave Engineering
• Waveguide Theory and Applications
• Component Design for RF and Microwave Systems

Background:

• Traditional waveguide power dividers often face limitations in size and performance.
• The need for compact and efficient power division components is critical in modern microwave systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and validate a novel compact five-port waveguide power divider.
• To achieve high performance in terms of return loss, isolation, and insertion loss within a reduced footprint.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing a novel structure combining single-ridge and three-ridge waveguides.
• Employing mode coupling between TE10 and TE30 modes for power division.
• Designing, fabricating, and measuring a prototype five-port power divider.

Main Results:

• Achieved return loss > 18 dB for input/output ports from 8-9 GHz.
• Demonstrated isolation > 15 dB between output ports.
• Measured insertion loss < 0.3 dB with amplitude/phase imbalance < ±0.05 dB / ±1°.
• Sectional size of 1.1 λ × 0.4 λ achieved, offering significant compactness.

Conclusions:

• The proposed five-port waveguide power divider demonstrates superior compactness and high performance.
• The design is suitable for applications requiring efficient power division in space-constrained microwave systems.
• The results validate the effectiveness of the single-ridge and three-ridge waveguide structure for power divider applications.