QVW Integrated Q/V/W-Band Passive RF Hardware for Ground Segment Network Equipment

Very High Throughput Satellite systems are shifting towards Q/V/W-band for the feeder link due to rapidly increasing traffic demand. These new bands provide larger usable spectrum while freeing Ka-band for the increasingly demanding user connectivity. However, the manufacturing of waveguide feeders at these bands become increasingly complex due to the shrinking feature size. Conventional milling techniques require tool access, so the components must be machined out of multiple piece-parts that are connected using flanges and screws. This results in bulky assemblies, which impacts on insertion losses and eventually system performance. 
This activity addresses this challenge by applying high-precision 3D printing techniques to produce monolithic components with much reduced interfacing and assembly. The project also explores the full design flexibility afforded by 3D printing. 
The University of Birmingham partners with Airbus, who has heritage Q/V-band development, and Filtronic, who has commercial production experience with V/W band components. This activity develops and validates three breadboards of fully integrated passive waveguide feeders at Q, V and W-band, respectively.