Stress relieved iris in a resonant cavity structure

Abstract

An iris for an electromagnetic structure, such as a resonator assembly, is provided with a set of grooves introducing relief to thermally induced stresses, this allowing the iris to be fabricated of a metal having a greater coefficient of thermal expansion than the material of a sidewall and end walls of the resonator assembly. The grooves are arranged spaced apart from the central coupling aperture, and are disposed in an annular region of the iris plate composing the central coupling aperture. The grooves may be cut into the iris plate from both sides of the plate to extend partway into the plate, typically, approximately three-quarters of the distance through the plate. Alternatively, the grooves may pass completely through the plate, whereupon annular disks are soldered to the opposite sides of the iris plate to close off the grooves to ensure that coupling of electromagnetic power between opposite sides of the iris takes place only through the coupling aperture.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.