A simple and efficient technique for optimizing the primary performance in the presence of secondary performance

In today´s era of inexpensive and powerful computers the design of an antenna or a component is invariably achieved using numerical optimization in which a rigorous analysis is embedded inside an optimization algorithm. This approach determines the best possible physical parameters which define the antenna in order to achieve the performance specifications. While the specifications are given by a single quantity for a simple device, most of the devices have multiple specifications. Of these multiple specifications one can be defined as primary and the rest as secondary. A ´performance-trade´ relationship would be extremely helpful for the designer to arrive at the final design, as a compromise between the primary and secondary performance specifications. This paper presents a simple procedure for obtaining the ´performance-trade´ curve. While the procedure is illustrated with reference to a minimax optimization of a shaped reflector, it can be applied to other types of design problems.