On the design of dual-polarization directional couplers

This paper illustrates the design guidelines of a dual-polarization directional coupler. This component is the building block of a dual polarization feeding network which has been conceived for space applications where mass and losses are the main issues. The design is based on a judicious choice of the coupling elements in order to guarantee acceptably large coupling and high isolation between orthogonal polarizations. An example concerning a Ku device is discussed.