Ka-band circulators
1. Phased array satellite communication terminal
Ka-band circulators are widely used in phased array satellite communication terminals. Due to the rapid growth in the demand for the popularization of phased array technology (domestic demand is expected to exceed 4 billion yuan in the next five years), each terminal is usually equipped with multiple T/R components (each T/R group requires a circulator), so the market space is huge.
To achieve unidirectional transmission and isolation of signals in T/R components (such as separation of transmit and receive channels), ensure efficient transmission of signals, and reduce interference.
2. High-reliability transceiver system for satellites
The Ka-band transceiver system is one of the core components of the satellite platform, in which the functions of the circulator include:
Protect the transmitter from interference from reflected signals.
realize the separation of uplink and downlink signals (such as uplink 30 GHz and downlink 20 GHz bands).
3. High-power transmission and anti-interference
The Ka band is suitable for high-data-rate transmission due to its wide bandwidth characteristics (more available resources than the Ku band).
Anti-rain attenuation optimization:
Although the Ka band is susceptible to rain attenuation (the higher the frequency, the worse the anti-rain attenuation capability), it can still work stably through optimized design (such as increasing gain or using redundant links);
Military-grade high-performance circulator devices made of Ka single-crystal BaM materials (such as extremely low insertion loss and high isolation) are used for missile guidance or confidential communications.
The customized millimeter-wave solutions provided by HXI (such as 60 GHz transceiver pairs) also rely on high-performance ring devices.
4. Trends in miniaturization and integration
Low-cost commercial solutions:
Ka-band polycrystalline BaM ceramic circulators have become the first choice for civil satellite terminals due to their mature supply chain and low cost.
SMT patch packaging (such as UIYSC12A series) further reduces the volume and production cost;
LTCC low-temperature co-fired ceramic technology miniaturized circulator filters can be used in millimeter-wave communication systems.
Metamagnetics' non-magnetic material circulators provide new options for high-frequency bands.
Ka-band circulators revolve around signal isolation, power management, and anti-interference (especially in phased array terminals and satellite-borne systems). Its technical evolution direction includes low-cost commercialization and high-performance military customization.
1. Zhao Laiding, Bai Xiaodong et al. "A Ring-Focus Antenna with Splash Plate in Ka-Band." International Journal of Antennas and Propagation
2. Renaissance Electronics & Communications. [2024-12-02]
3. S. Mener, R. Gillard et al. "A Dual-Band Dual-Circular-Polarization Antenna for Ka-Band Satellite Communications." IEEE Antennas and Wireless Propagation Letters.
4. Programme for 2018 12th European Conference on Antennas and Propagation (EUCAP) [2018]