Spherical cavity microwave filter

Claim 1

A tri-mode spherical cavity microwave filter for use in a microwave system having electromagnetic energy propagating therethrough, said filter comprising: two tandemly disposed generally spherical bodies each of which defines a spherical cavity which is adapted to support three identical, mutually orthogonal modes of said electromagnetic energy, said identical modes being three mutually orthogonal orientations of one mode; one of said spherical cavities having an input aperture adapted to receive said electromagnetic energy, said input aperture being adapted to transfer said electromagnetic energy from a mode residing outside said one cavity into another mode residing within said one cavity; another of said spherical cavities having an output aperture adapted to transmit said electromagnetic energy, said output aperture being adapted to transfer said electromagnetic energy from a mode residing within said another cavity into another mode residing outside said another cavity; a cavity coupling aperture connecting said spherical cavities, said aperture being adapted to transfer said electromagnetic energy from a mode residing in said one cavity into another mode residing in said another cavity; each of said spherical cavities having a plurality of cavity tuning holes and a like plurality of cavity tuners extending into said cavity through said cavity tuning holes, each cavity tuner serving to independently tune a respective one of said mutually orthogonal modes to the filter resonant frequency; and each of said spherical cavities also having a plurality of coupling tuning holes and a like plurality of coupling tuners extending into said cavity through said coupling tuning holes, each coupling tuner serving to transfer said electromagnetic energy from one mode to another mode both of which residing within the same spherical cavity.