CASCADE-an advanced computational tool for waveguide system and circuit design

Summary form only given. Calabazas Creek Research, Inc. is continuing the development of an advanced scattering matrix program for rapid design of waveguide systems and RF circuits. Initial funding was obtained from the Naval Research Laboratory with current funding from the Department of Energy. The initial program allowed modeling of waveguide components and circuits consisting of rectangular, cylindrical, or coaxial segments and included support for dielectrics for window design. Under the current DOE funding, the program is being extended to allow design of ripple wall and serpentine mode converters, reentrant cavities, and integration with Ansoft Corporation's High Frequency Structure Simulator (HFSS). Additional enhancements in progress include support for multiple port devices, hybrid modes, and automated optimization. Automated optimization maximizes or minimizes a user specified performance function, such as VSWR, over a frequency band, by using established optimization algorithms. Using this technique, complex ripple wall mode converters with output purities exceeding 99% are routinely obtained in a few hours. This allows rapid optimization of complete waveguide systems.