Propagation and radiation behavior of dielectric-loaded plural hybrid mode multiflare conical horn antennas

A dielectric-loaded multiflare conical horn exhibiting the desirable features of low sidelobes and cross-polarization with the additional advantage of increased on-axis gain is reported. This new horn is developed by combining the techniques of multimode operation for low cross-polarization and sidelobe levels, and dielectric loading for aperture efficiency enhancement. The condition for the support of balanced hybrid modes for low cross polar radiation in the dielectric-loaded multimode horn is derived. Also, the equation for the dielectric thickness for maximum aperture efficiency at a given frequency is obtained. This new type of multimode horn is potentially simple to design, analyze, and manufacture, yet it exhibits the desirable features of a corrugated conical horn and hence can be an attractive alternative to corrugated conical horns for communication applications