Computer optimization and statistical tolerancing analysis of waveguide windows

Typical designs of waveguide windows such as coax and pill box windows (PBW) in industry have been done without aid of computer optimization and are constructed without any real knowledge of the expected yield rate when constructed with a given tolerance level. The geometry of most coax and PBWs is such that they can be solved with any desired level of accuracy using mode-matching type codes. Using the mode-matching technique, a complete scattering matrix solution of a typical waveguide window can be obtained in seconds on a modern PC. The small computation time and accurate solutions makes implementation of computer optimization a natural extension to these codes. In addition, the small computation times allows for Monte Carlo type statistical tolerancing simulations, which can provide estimates for yield rates of the constructed window. The computer optimization and statistical tolerance analysis of a typical PBW using a mode-matching code is presented.