Design & measurement techniques for innovative, high performance, circularly polarized, ultra wideband corrugated horn antenna with septum polarizer for space applications

This paper discusses design & measurement techniques for innovative, high performance, circularly polarized, ultra wideband corrugated horn antenna with septum polarizer having high gain & extremely low side lobes for space applications. An innovative technique of feeding with septum polarizer has been utilized to make the corrugated horn antenna circularly polarized. Excellent axial ratio of 1.9 dB has been achieved at center frequency which ensures circular polarization as required by space standards of axial ratio<;3dB. Beam pattern remains circularly polarized for wide range of values for theta ranging from -70 deg to 70 deg covering the main beam as well as side lobe region. Antenna has high gain of 20dBi allowing the ease to maintain EIRP with sufficient margin for link establishment. Due to proper designing antenna have very low side lobe levels of 55dB as compared to the main lobe. Antenna possesses ultra wideband characteristics showing VSWR<;2 for fantastic range of 13GHz. Excellent manufacturing equipments have been utilized to ensure high precision required for space standards. Design meets the ruggedness, strength & reliability, durability, weight, corrosion resistance, temperature variation requirements of space applications. Design, Simulation & Optimization for corrugated horn antenna with septum polarizer has been done on Ansoft HFSS v11.