Novel Circuit-Shape Leaky Wave Waveguide for Microwave Snow melting

In a snow melting device using microwaves, it is generally necessary to install some waveguides each with a power source in order to melt snow in a planar area. This paper proposes a novel leaky wave slotted waveguide that is constructed in a circuit shape to achieve uniform snow melting for an area with a single microwave power-supply device with low cost. The behavior of the electromagnetic field in the proposed structure, in which the electromagnetic waves radiated from the feeding point go around the waveguide and return, was analyzed using the FDTD method. The electrical characteristics of the proposed waveguide simulated with parameterized position of the feeding point and the slot spacing were compared. The results clarified that the electric field strength in the upper surface direction of the waveguide increase when the slot spacing was set to the guide wavelength and the feeding point was located at the end in the longitudinal direction of the circuit.