Ever since the late 1800s, waveguide technology has played a key role in the development of our modern world. From the rapid development and standardisation during World War II with the uses of RADAR, to the microwave backhaul links in the 1950 to 60s, and more recently mobile cell networks, the world would be a very different place without waveguide. Our next series of blog posts are going to discuss what we believe the future of waveguide technology looks like, with uses of high-power density and space-based applications to follow in the next few months, however, we begin with how the future transmission frequencies are likely to change.
As humanity progresses through the information age, there has been a constant battle between the development of technology and the user’s patience whilst using the technology: the perception of waiting for the data to load. Radio frequency waveguide is one method of technology that enables a solution to this constant battle. Ever since waveguide invention there have been huge increases in the information density and power density that can be transmitted. The Internet of Things (IoT) and humanity’s requirements for communication and sharing of information, drives this need for higher information density along with the drastic increase in processing power for this data, such as the ubiquity of smart phones. This consequently increases productivity and efficiency by saving time and increasing the amount of data we can transmit.
From a technical perspective, moving into higher frequencies enables this higher data transfer speeds and wider bandwidths. 5G is a current prime example of this increase in frequency, with the increase in transfer speeds and bandwidth leading directly to the expansion of wireless internet capabilities. 5G speeds are comparable to traditional wired systems, sometimes even surpassing these speeds, but without the need for expensive wired infrastructure. The natural evolution of 5G technology will be 6G – already at the R&D stage – which will enable even greater connectivity across the world. Flann instruments are already used in developing 6G systems, and as the market moves to 7G and higher frequencies we will continue our path of providing cutting-edge waveguide solutions, which are currently up to 1.1 THz.
One of the most widespread continual advancements of recent decades is the miniaturisation and compression of technology: computer systems, mobile phones, satellites, electronic components, telecommunications, all these technologies have decreased in size over time. This has the obvious benefits of filling less physical space, having a lower mass, and requiring less material to manufacture, all of which can lead to cost savings. As an example, manufacturing and launching a modern “smallsat” into space is much more economically viable than traditional satellite launches; another example is the modern new design of antennas operating at a higher frequency which can produce the same gain for a smaller physical aperture size or, produce a higher gain for the same physical aperture size which can be seen in Flann’s standard gain horn series. In waveguide technology there is an inversely proportional relationship between the frequency and the physical size, so doubling the frequency requires the dimensions of the waveguide to be halved. The transition to smaller sizes enables the use of a higher fundamental frequency of propagation – thus higher transfer speeds and higher bandwidth – without the waveguide becoming “overmoded”, an impractical state for most uses.
As modern life requires the evolvement of what is possible, we find ourselves increasingly content to push the boundaries of waveguide performance.
Written by: Leon Knight & Nathan Bayley