interview

Chad Bartlett talks to us about his group's paper ‘W-band TE102-mode filter with doubly loaded E-plane and H-plane irises’ Please tell me a little bit about your field of research I recently completed my Masters’ degree in Electrical Engineering at the University of Victoria, Canada and am currently pursuing a Dr.Ing. degree at the University of Kiel's Chair of Microwave Engineering department directed by Professor Michael Höft. My research is in collaboration with the European Union's Horizon-2020 research and innovation programme (TESLA) for the development of advanced technologies for future European satellite applications. The project is directed at exploring four key research areas: high-speed satellite communications and remote sensing, flexible payloads, big constellation systems and Internet of space, and high-power technologies for large satellite platforms. Within this project framework, my research focuses on the design and synthesis of cavity-based filters for the next generation of W-band (75 - 110 GHz) satellite systems. Can you describe the background to the work that is presented in your Electronics Letters submission? Part of my research is dedicated to developing methods for increasing the realisable quality factor and overcoming fabrication challenges such as dimensional accuracy and surface roughness to maximise electrical performance in W-band designs. In recent years, technologies such as SU-8 micromachining and 3D-printing have attracted a lot of interest from the scientific community due to desirable features such as lowered material costs and large scale batch production. However, computer numerical controlled (CNC) milling technology has also greatly progressed in its ability to reach high-precision accuracy and micro-fine detail which requires rigorous investigation in its ability to achieve novel millimetre-wave components with stringent demands. In the case of W-band filters, most designs in the literature have demonstrated conventional Chebyshev characteristics as a method of evaluating new technologies. In this regard, filters with stringent or complex characteristics, which may result in much larger losses, have scarcely been investigated in the W-band literature. What is the main advance you have reported in your Letter and what is the significance of this advance? In the Letter that we have submitted to this issue, we have demonstrated a sixth-order doubly-loaded iris filter through the use of high precision CNC machining. The unique profile that has been presented allows the filter to remain inline and is able to demonstrate strong rejection characteristics throughout the W-band without the need for additional source-load coupling or frequency-dependent coupling. In general, such complex and finely detailed attributes are difficult to achieve in a multi-layer design, but through the use high-precision CNC milling techniques, we have been able to exhibit exceptional measured results and measured quality factor within the 100 GHz region. The robustness and accuracy of the component's response sets a competitive benchmark for future W-band satellite components requiring stringent characteristics. What challenges did you have to overcome during the research for your Letter? When designing millimetre and sub-millimetre wave components, the electrical performance becomes highly sensitive to the component's required dimensions, meaning that the final product is highly sensitive to any manufacturing inaccuracies. Additionally, meeting practical fabrication criteria such as aspect ratio and feasible end-mill diameter becomes more challenging; a lot of time must be spent considering how to achieve the necessary critical dimensions and how the prototype should be milled. At high frequencies, even the surface roughness of the component has a detrimental impact on the measured results of the final product. In this letter, we have taken advantage of higher-mode resonators for their increased quality-factor capability, as well as modifying the layout in a unique cross-coupled fashion. Ultimately, the careful consideration and design scheme has allowed us to demonstrate the abilities of high-precision milling and exhibit highly accurate measured results. How much has your research field changed since you began working in it, and how do you think it will develop over the next 10 years? Being relatively new to this field of research, I have not yet experienced any significant changes, but I believe we are currently in a paradigm shift. It is important to recognise the fast pace of emerging and competing technologies at this time and consider them carefully. The upcoming challenges posed by fields such as automotive radar, constellation communication, and deep-space exploration will require bold new methods and ideas that push the envelope of research and industry to new heights. I suspect that the given trends in microwave technology will continue well into the terahertz regions in the near future, allowing for new discoveries and exciting research. I am optimistic and look forward to what the future holds for all of us.

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