An Efficient Design Approach for a Broadband E-Plane Five-Way Power Divider/Combiner in Rectangular Waveguide

This paper presents a comprehensive investigation and proposal of an innovative equivalent circuit for a five-way power divider, developed within a rectangular waveguide framework. This design serves as an effective solution for odd-number power dividers, achieving performance metrics that are rarely seen in the literature. The proposed equivalent circuit model eliminates the need for quarter-wavelength impedance converters, allowing for an equitable power distribution solely based on the interrelationship of the characteristic impedances across the branches. Furthermore, we present a novel method to ensure phase coherence among the output ports, employing various E- and H-plane waveguide bends to achieve effective phase distribution. A power divider/combiner prototype is manufactured and rigorously tested to validate its operational efficacy. Experimental results indicate that the return loss at the input port exceeds 20 dB, while the insertion loss remains below 0.2 dB in a frequency range of 12 to 18 GHz, corresponding to a relative bandwidth of 40%. The proposed power divider not only offers a compact structure and broad bandwidth but also demonstrates low loss and straightforward fabrication processes. These attributes position it as a promising candidate for applications in solid-state power amplifiers (SSPAs) and passive antenna arrays.