The proposed research will explore electromagnetic characteristics and properties of dielectric wave guiding and resonant structures using extensions of rigorous methodology developed by the PI under NSF Grant No. ECS-8320249. Due to the present availability and rapid improvements of extremely low loss, high dielectric constant materials and their relative simplicity, these structures will find new and innovative applications in many subsystems and components such as guiding transmission media, filters, couplers, and possibly high power sources and components in the microwave, millimeter, and optical region. The structures to be analyzed have circular cylindrical cross sections, an outer perfectly conducting enclosure partially filled with dielectric cylinders of various radii. They are rigorously modeled by sections of partially filled (dielectric loaded) or homogeneously filled waveguides. Detailed analytical and numerical investigations of the properties of complex waves on the uniform dielectric loaded waveguides will be carried out. The guiding structures will be analyzed as periodic structures and computer programs will be developed to implement the numerical solutions. Experimental verifications of the predicted characteristics will be made for the purpose of ensuring the adequacy and accuracy of the analyses and the models used. The proposed research will explore electromagnetic characteristics and properties of dielectric waveguiding and resonant structures. In the last decade, the progress in the development of low loss, temperature stable, high dielectric constant materials has been quite impressive, and consequently the utilization of these materials has increased substantially in several applications for components at microwave, millimeter wave, and optical frequencies. Major advantages that are achieved by using high dielectric constant materials are the miniaturization of the components, lower manufacturing and production costs, and potential compatibility with microwave integrated circuits and monolithic microwave integrated circuits.
