Waveguide switch having a diode mounted in the side arm of a three port junction

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING MICROWAVE POWER COMPRISING: A THREE PORT MICROWAVE JUNCTION HAVING THREE WAVEGUIDE MEMBERS; A TUNABLE SHORTING PLATE DISPOSED WITHIN A FIRST SAID WAVEGUIDE MEMBER AT A SUBSTANTIALLY N$/4 DISTANCE FROM A TERMINAL PLANE AS DEFINED BY THE INTERSECTION OF SAID FIRST WAVEGUIDE MEMBER WITH THE SECOND AND THIRD WAVEGUIDE MEMBERS, WHERE N EQUALS AN ODD WHOLE NUMBER AND $ REPRESENTS THE WAVELENGTH OF SAID MICROWAVE POWER; ONE SEMICONDUCTOR DIODE MEANS LOCATED WITHIN SAID FIRST WAVEGUIDE MEMBER BETWEEN SAID SHORTING PLATE AND SAID FIRST POR T COINCIDENT WITH SAID TERMINAL PLANE, SAID DIODE MEANS BEING ELECTRICALLY OPERATIVE IN FIRST BIAS CONDITION FOR PERMITTING SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETE TRANSMISSION OF MICROWAVE ENERGY BETWEEN THE REMAINDER OF SAID WAVEGUIDE MEMBERS BUT ELECTRICALLY OPERATIVE IN A SECOND BIAS CONDITION FOR PERMITTING SAID SHORTING PLATE TO PREVENT THE FLOW OF MICROWAVE ENERGY BETWEEN SAID REMAINING WAVEGUIDE MEMBERS; AND BIAS MEANS FOR APPLYING A BIAS VOLTAGE TO SAID DIODE MEANS.