Corrugated Horn Antenna as Mode Transition for Millimeter-wave Plasma Diagnostics System

For fusion plasma, its density and temperature of electrons are the two most crucial parameters. There are various techniques, including microwave/millimeter-wave reflectometry, to measure these parameters. In a reflectometry set-up, transmitting and receiving antennas play a very important role. In this paper, design and optimization of a corrugated horn antenna suitable for plasma diagnostics in reflectometry/interferometry system is presented. The S
₁₁
, cross-polar isolation, side-lobe level and gain of the D-band (110-170 GHz) horn are discussed with necessary graphs. To ensure the performance stability, sensitivity analysis is also included.