Integrated single-piece antenna feed

1. An integrated single-piece antenna feed having an axis with proximal and distal ends for propagating an electromagnetic wave, comprising:

a circular waveguide input having a circular opening at the proximal end and extending coaxially toward the distal end;

a circular waveguide to wrapped-single-ridged waveguide transition coupled to the circular waveguide input extending further along the axis toward the distal end and flaring radially outward relative to the axis into four waveguide branches;

a polarizer coupled to the four branches of the circular waveguide to wrapped-single-ridged waveguide transition, wherein each of the four branches forms a wrapped-single-ridged waveguide extending from the circular waveguide to wrapped-single-ridged waveguide transition and parallel to the axis further toward the distal end;

a wrapped-single-ridged waveguide to coaxial waveguide transition coupled to the polarizer wherein each of the four branches transitions into a single coaxial waveguide;

a coaxial feed horn coupled to the single coaxial waveguide of the wrapped-single-ridged to coaxial waveguide transition, the single coaxial waveguide disposed between a cylindrical subreflector support having a smaller diameter and a feed horn bell having a larger and variably increasing diameter opening to free space, the cylindrical subreflector support extending coaxially from the feed horn still further toward the distal end; and

a subreflector located at the distal end and supported by the cylindrical subreflector support.

2. The integrated single-piece antenna feed according to claim 1 , wherein the circular waveguide input further comprises a flange disposed around the circular opening at the proximal end, the flange further comprising a plurality of mounting holes suitable for mounting the integrated antenna feed to a main reflector of an antenna system.

3. The integrated single-piece antenna feed according to claim 1 , wherein the power of an electromagnetic signal propagating from the circular waveguide input is split equally into all four of the branches of the polarizer.

4. The integrated single-piece antenna feed according to claim 1 , wherein each of the four branches of the polarizer is equally-spaced around and parallel to the axis.

5. The integrated single-piece antenna feed according to claim 1 , wherein two of the four branches of the polarizer are positive phase-shift waveguide branches, each having a +45° phase-shift and disposed opposite one another relative to the axis, and wherein two remaining of the four branches of the polarizer are negative phase-shift waveguide branches, each have a −45° phase-shift, such that when all four branches are recombined at the coaxial feed horn, recombined power of a wave propagating through the polarizer produces a necessary 90° phase-shift between two equal amplitude linear components of the wave necessary to synthesize right-hand circular polarization (RHCP) and left-hand circular polarization (LHCP).

6. The integrated single-piece antenna feed according to claim 5 , wherein each of the positive phase-shift waveguide branches comprises a waveguide having:

a floor closer to the axis;

a ceiling further from the axis;

two opposed walls, each extending from floor to ceiling; and

a plurality of floor to ceiling rib pairs extending from the opposed walls toward each other for achieving a +45° phase-shift in an electromagnetic wave propagating through the positive phase-shift waveguide branch.

7. The integrated single-piece antenna feed according to claim 6 , wherein the plurality of floor to ceiling rib pairs extending from the opposed walls comprises eight rib pairs.

8. The integrated single-piece antenna feed according to claim 5 , wherein each of the negative phase-shift waveguide branches comprises a waveguide having:

a floor closer to the axis;

a ceiling further from the axis;

two opposed walls, each of the walls extending from the floor to the ceiling; and

a plurality of wall to wall rib pairs extending toward each other from the ceiling and the floor configured for achieving a −45° phase-shift in an electromagnetic wave propagating through the negative phase-shift waveguide branch.

9. The integrated single-piece antenna feed according to claim 8 , wherein the plurality of wall to wall rib pairs extending from the ceiling and the floor comprises eight rib pairs.

10. The integrated single-piece antenna feed according to claim 1 , wherein each of the four branches of the polarizer comprises a waveguide having:

a floor extending between the proximal and distal ends and parallel to the axis;

a ceiling extending between the proximal and distal ends, and parallel to, and further away from, the axis than the floor;

two opposed walls extending from the floor to the ceiling; and

a ridge extending perpendicularly from and bisecting the ceiling, the ridge also extending between the proximal and distal ends parallel to the axis.

11. The integrated single-piece antenna feed according to claim 1 , wherein the modes of electromagnetic wave transmission propagation through the circular waveguide input comprise two orthogonal TE 11 modes rotated 90° apart from each other.

12. The integrated single-piece antenna feed according to claim 1 , wherein the only mode of electromagnetic wave transmission propagation through the polarizer comprises TE 10 mode.

13. The integrated single-piece antenna feed according to claim 1 , wherein the only mode of electromagnetic wave transmission propagation through a throat of the coaxial feed horn comprises TE 11 mode.

14. The integrated single-piece antenna feed according to claim 1 , wherein the subreflector comprises a circularly symmetric optimized subreflector.

15. The integrated single-piece antenna feed according to claim 1 , wherein the cylindrical subreflector support comprises a center conductor of the coaxial feed horn.

16. The integrated single-piece antenna feed according to claim 1 , wherein the four wrapped-single-ridged waveguide branches of the polarizer comprise internal ribs for generating a circularly polarized output wave from a linearly polarized input wave.

17. The integrated single-piece antenna feed according to claim 1 , wherein the antenna feed is formed of a single-piece of metal that cannot be disassembled into its component parts.

18. The integrated single-piece antenna feed according to claim 1 , wherein the antenna feed is manufactured as a single-piece of aluminum using three-dimensional additive metal printing techniques.

19. An antenna comprising the integrated single-piece antenna feed according to claim 1 , wherein the circular waveguide input is mounted to an apex of a ring-focus main reflector having a focal length for generating a ring focus within open space between the bell of the coaxial feed horn and the subreflector.

20. A turnstile polarizer disposed between a circular waveguide input and coaxial feed horn, comprising:

two wrapped-single-ridged positive phase-shift waveguides, each positive phase-shift waveguide having first and second ends;

two wrapped-single-ridged negative phase-shift waveguides, each negative phase-shift waveguide having third and fourth ends;

a first transition in communication with the circular waveguide input and the first ends of the two wrapped-single-ridged positive phase-shift waveguides, the first transition also in communication with the third ends of the two wrapped-single-ridged negative phase-shift waveguides; and

a second transition in communication with the coaxial feed horn and the second ends of the two wrapped-single-ridged positive phase-shift waveguides, the second transition also in communication with the fourth ends of the two wrapped-single-ridged negative phase-shift waveguides.