Horn Antennas for

Communications
Dr. J.R.Descardeci
Federal University of Tocantins
UFT
Presentation Strategy

Preliminary Remarks
Horns
Pure-mode Horns
Multimode Horns
Corrugated Horns
Dielectric-Loaded Horns
Dielectric-Corrugated Configuration
Images that are worth more than words
Conclusions
Preliminary Remarks (Radar...)
Preliminary Remarks (with parabolic dish)...)
Preliminary Remarks
Horns were used as simple radiators of
electromagnetic waves in the 1890s.
Lord Rayleigh: Theoretical Properties of Modes
in Waveguides (Published in 1897).
No further work on Feeds is known until 1930s.
First detailed experimental investigation in 1936
(Southworth and Barrow).
First detailed theoretical treatment of the
pyramidal horn in January 1939 (Barrow and
Chu).
Preliminary Remarks

Late 1930s and 1940s => Series of Classical

papers describing the Basic Theory and Principles
of Operation of Pyramidal and Conical horns.
Since the Second world war: Radar Tech.,
Satellite communications and Radioastronomy has
required high-performance feeds (Radiation
Symmetry, Low Cross-Polarisation, Wide Band,
etc.).
Pure-mode Horns

Radiates from a Single Mode Aperture

Conical, Pyramidal, Diagonal, Arbitrary-shaped
Aperture
Simple in concept but poor electrical
characteristics (restriction to arrays, cross-polar)
Multimode Horns

Horns designed to operate with more than 1 mode

Higher-order modes are added to the dominant
mode to enhance radiation performance and
improve efficiency
Design concern: Waveguiding properties of the
Horn
Higher-order mode Excitation mechanisms:
Sharp change in cross-section dimentions in the horn
Insertion of dielectrics
Multimode Horns
Corrugated Horns
The idea and prototypes of the
Feed Horns: early 1960s to
achieve low sidelobe and
symmetric radiation patterns
High Copolar pattern
symmetry
Low Cross-polarisation
A complete understanding of
the working principles involves
the solution of Maxwells eq.
under the boundary condition
 Corrugated Horns
Aperture Fields of an open-ended corrugated
waveguide (produced by the dominant mode):
X Y.
Ex A1. Jn( 0 , K. r ) A2. Jn( 2 , K. r ) . cos( 2. ) H
k. r1 Y j. . y0
X Y. Ez
Ey A2. Jn( 2 , K. r ) . sin( 2. )
k. r1
E
K=Transverse Wavenumber . . y0
X j
k=Free-space Wavenumber Hz
X=Impedance at the boundary
Y=Admitance at the boundary
y0=admitance of free-space

Enough Corrug
per Wavelength ==> E=0 <==> X=0

Corrug. Narrow No current

and /4 deep ==> flows axially <==> Y=0
Corrugated Horns
Dielectric-Loaded Horns

First studied by Clarricoats, Olver and Risk

(1983)
Objective of study: Low cross-polarisation
over wide band of frequencies
Method: Surface impedance model for a
cylindrical waveguide
Dielectric-Loaded Horns
The Dielectric-Corrugated
Configuration

Motivation:
Combine the Low cross-polar characteristic of the
corrugated horn with the wide frequency band
characteristic of the dielectric-loaded horn
The Dielectric-Corrugated
Configuration
Description of the Geometry:

r1 r0 r2

r
The Dielectric-Corrugated
Configuration

Method of Analysis: (Surface Impedance

Approach)
Obtain expression for the Fields in the cylindrical
dielectric-corrugated guide
Obtain the corresponding characteristic equation
With the transverse fields: Obtain the expressions for
the radiated Far-field
Parametric Study
The Dielectric-Corrugated Config.
Disp.Curves: (d=9.5; r0=63.5; r1/r0=0.85; er=1.15)
1.4

_4 _2
1.2
B E T A B A R

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350
k
Mode 1 (Corr)
Mode 2 (Corr)
Mode 1 (Corr+Diel)
Mode 2 (Corr+Diel)
Mode 1 (Diel)
Mode 2 (Diel)
The Dielectric-Corrugated Config.

Transverse Electric Fiel Distribution, Hybrid HE11 mode

Images that are worth more than words ....
Conclusions

Horn antennas were presented together with an

overview of some common configurations for Horns

Horn antennas are widely used fo communication

systems. They can be uses alone, in arrays or as part of
reflector antennas.