A compact high-power microwave TM-TE mode converter.

In circular waveguides, the TE mode has the lowest transmission loss, which is very suitable for long-distance transmission of high-power microwaves (HPMs). The output mode of HPM sources is mainly the TM mode; however, there are few research studies on mode converters of TM-TE. In this paper, a high efficiency HPM TM-TE mode converter is designed; compared with the traditional TM-TE mode converters, the structure of the mode converter is compact and easier to process. It is mainly composed of an input circular waveguide, a tapered rectangular waveguide, a 90° bent rectangular waveguide, and an output circular waveguide. A prototype with a center frequency of 2.4 GHz is fabricated and HPM experiments are carried out. The transmission efficiency of this device reaches 99.8% in the simulation, and the measured transmission efficiency is more than 98%. Additionally, the measured power handling capacity is more than 1 GW, which is consistent with simulation. This design has important reference significance for the design of long-distance power transmission devices and HPM mode converters.