Ferrite circulator with integrated E-plane transition

A waveguide circulator system for an E-plane-layer transition of an electro-magnetic field having a wavelength, the waveguide circulator comprising:

• a first waveguide including:
• at least N waveguide arms, where N is a positive integer,
• a first-interface aperture spanning a first X-Y plane on a bottom surface of the first waveguide arm of the first waveguide,
• a ferrite element having N segments protruding into the N respective waveguide arms of the first waveguide;
• N quarter-wave dielectric transformers attached to respective ends of the N segments of the ferrite element, the N quarter-wave dielectric transformers including a first quarter-wave dielectric transformer attached to a first segment of the ferrite element, wherein the first quarter-wave dielectric transformer and the first segment protrude into the first waveguide arm of the first waveguide;
• an E-plane-transition waveguide having a first open-end and a second opposing open-end defined by side-walls;
• and
• a second waveguide including a second-interface aperture spanning a second X-Y plane on a top surface of the second waveguide, the first X-Y plane offset from the second X-Y plane along a Z axis by a length of the E-plane-transition waveguide,
• wherein the first open-end of the E-plane-transition waveguide is approximately a same shape as the first-interface aperture of the first waveguide and the first-interface aperture is arranged to proximally overlap the first open-end,
• wherein the second open-end of the E-plane-transition waveguide is approximately a same shape as the second second-interface aperture of the second waveguide and the second-interface aperture is arranged to proximally overlap the second open-end, and
• wherein at least a portion of the first quarter-wave dielectric transformer protrudes into a volume extending between the first-interface aperture on the bottom surface of the first waveguide arm and an opposing top surface of the first waveguide arm.

A method for circulating electro-magnetic radiation in a waveguide circulator system to transition an electro-magnetic field, having a wavelength, in E-plane-layer transition, the method comprising:

• arranging a first segment of a ferrite element having N segments, where N is a positive integer, to protrude into a first waveguide arm of a first waveguide, the first waveguide arm including a first-interface aperture spanning a first X-Y plane on a bottom surface of the first waveguide arm;
• arranging (N−1) other-segments of the ferrite element to protrude into (N−1) other-waveguide arms of the first waveguide;
• arranging a first open-end of an E-plane-transition waveguide to proximally overlap the first-interface aperture;
• arranging a second open-end of the E-plane-transition waveguide to proximally overlap a second-interface aperture of a second waveguide including the second-interface aperture spanning a second X-Y plane on a top surface of the second waveguide, the first X-Y plane offset from the second X-Y plane along a Z axis by a length of the E-plane-transition waveguide;
• and
• coupling electro-magnetic radiation to the second waveguide via the E-plane-transition waveguide from at least one of:
• 1) the first segment of the ferrite element positioned in a volume extending between the first-interface aperture on the bottom surface of the first waveguide arm and an opposing top surface of the first waveguide arm;
• and 2) a quarter-wave dielectric transformer positioned in the volume.