Transmitting Hybrid Filter with Cavities and Superconducting Resonators for Weather Radar

In Japan, there is a plan to introduce a 9 GHz-band weather radar network for observation of localized torrential downpours. However, a technology to decrease the noise of the amplifiers in the weather radar is required, in order to reduce interference between the radars.

Toshiba has developed a transmitting hybrid filter with conventional cavities and superconducting resonators, giving it the advantages of both high power handling capability and sharp skirt characteristics. As a result, this filter can handle power of 100 kW required for a weather radar system while reducing the noise of the signals to 1/100 or less. Given these features, high-density carrier frequency assignment for next-generation radar applications is expected to be realized by applying these filters.

This research was supported by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, Japan.

9 GHz-band transmitting hybrid filter

Simple structure of transmitting hybrid filter