QuinStar Technology offers a wide range of custom feed horns available in the
18-140 GHz frequency range. Products include conical and scalar (corrugated) horns and
very wide beam pyramidal and sectoral horns. These horn antennas can be designed and
produced to satisfy virtually any application or equipment requirement and can be fully
tested at QuinStar to determine their precise radiation patterns and gain.
Beamwidth of the
majority of conical and scalar horns is in the range of 6 to 40 degrees while broad beam
pyramidal and sectoral horns range from 25 to 90 degrees at half-power full width points
(3 dB beamwidth). The geometric design of the feed horns is carefully conducted to provide
the best possible performance in a relatively compact size. The length of the antenna is
determined by the beam pattern requirements and desired VSWR.
Feed horns
provided by QuinStar are linearly polarized unless circular or dual polarization is
requested. In addition, customized beam patterns, special materials and unique geometry
can be provided. Some of the more commonly used feed horns are described below:
Conical Feed
Horn: Least expensive horn and well suited for the majority of general purpose
applications. Beam patterns in the E- and H-planes are dissimilar and gain ranges from 10
to 26 dB for most frequencies depending on aperture (beamwidth) and frequency.
Pyramidal Feed
Horn: Relatively inexpensive and well suited for most general purpose applications.
Beam patterns in the E- and H-planes are generally dissimilar and gain ranges from 10 to
27 dB depending on aperture and frequency.
Sectoral Feed
Horn: Radiates a fan-shaped beam which is broad in one plane and relatively narrow in
the other for wide angular coverage. Typical beamwidths are in the range of 30 to 120
degrees in one plane and a few degrees in the other plane. The narrow beam can be obtained
in either of the two planes (E- or H-plane). The gain of these antennas is largely
determined by their beam patterns, and is generally in the 9-24 dB range. |
Scalar Feed Horn: More expensive and highest performance horn. Beam
shape is virtually independent of rotational angle (i.e. E- and H-plane radiation patterns
are very similar). They are ideal when highly symmetrical antenna patterns are desired and
well suited for reflector or lens antenna system feeds. Low VSWR and low sidelobes are
also among the benefits of these horns.
Special
Application Feed Horns: A variety of system applications, such as plasma diagnostics,
depth or range measurement and receiver/transmitter arrays, require specially designed and
produced feed horns or antennas. QuinStar can custom design such antennas and provide
detailed measurements on their radiation characteristics.
The following
parameters are necessary to completely specify a feed horn. However, QuinStar can propose
a solution for your application if only some of the parameters are provided:
Horn
type-conical, pyramidal, scalar, sectoral, or custom (if unspecified QuinStar will select
the best type);
Beam
shape-beamwidth in E- and H-plane, beam symmetry and any special features;
Aperture-size
and length constraints, if any;
VSWR
requirements;
Sidelobe levels
and cross polarization isolation requirements.
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