The Multimode Interference (MMI) mechanism is a powerful toool used in the analysis and design of a certain class of optical, microwave and millimeter wave devices. The principles of the MMI method and the self-imaging principle is described. Using this method, NXM MMI couplers, MMI splitter/combiners are analyzed. Computer simulations for illustrating the &quot / Multimode Interference Mechanism&quot / are carried out. The MMI approach is used to analyze overmoded &#039 / rectangular metallic&#039 / and &#039 / dielectric slab&#039 / type of waveguides and devices. The application of the MMI technique is investigated experimentally by using a metallic waveguide structure operating in the X-band. The construction of the related structure and the related experimental work are reported.

La tesis estudia cinco formulaciones del método de modos acoplados para analizar guías con medios magnéticos en su interior. La formulación indirecta, de tipo general, se ha aplicado al análisis de desfasadores toroidales obteniéndose resultados similares a los obtenidos mediante un método numérico puro como es el de diferencias finitas. La tesis introduce igualmente una formulación del método de adaptación que junto con el método de modos acoplados permite analizar discontinuidades simples. La combinación de los métodos anteriores con la matriz de dispersión generalizada ha permitido analizar discontinuidades en guías de onda con ferritas transversalmente magnetizadas con discontinuidades en las tres direcciones del sistema de coordenadas.

[pt] Este estudo apresenta um método computacional para modelar campos eletromagnéticos em guias de onda retangulares curvados com seção transversal uniforme, usando o método variacional de Rayleigh-Ritz. Potenciais aplicações desta pesquisa em engenharia incluem o projeto de alimentadores para antenas, conversores de modais na faixa de micro-ondas, filtros, entre outros. Embora vários modelos tenham sido propostos para resolver este problema, as técnicas numéricas convencionais baseadas em elementos finitos, diferenças finitas e volumes finitos requerem altos custos computacionais. Para superar esses problemas, foi desenvolvida uma formulação variacional para resolver as equações de Maxwell em um sistema de coordenadas toroidal local, por meio de um novo funcional introduzido neste trabalho. O funcional foi adaptado para domínios uniformemente curvados com seção transversal arbitrária, e investigações analíticas foram conduzidas para confirmar suas características estacionárias. O formalismo Rayleigh-Ritz foi utilizado para converter o funcional em um problema equivalente de autovalores e autovetores, usando uma expansão em harmônicas retangulares de um guia de onda reto como funções de base para modelar um guia de onda retangular curvo. Um algoritmo numérico foi desenvolvido em Matlab para validar nosso modelo, e os resultados foram comparados com soluções perturbacionais e numéricas de referência, demonstrando alta precisão e menor custo computacional. / [en] This study presents a computational method for modeling electromagnetic fields in curved rectangular waveguides with uniform cross-section, using the variational Rayleigh-Ritz method. The potential applications of this research in engineering include the design of feeders for antennas, microwave mode converter devices, filters, among others. While various models have been proposed to solve this problem, conventional numerical techniques based on finite elements, finite differences, and finite volumes require high computational costs. To overcome these issues, a variational formulation for solving Maxwell s equations in a local toroidal coordinate system was developed via a novel functional introduced in this work. The functional was adapted to handle uniformly bend domains with arbitrary cross-section, and analytical investigations were conducted to confirm its stationary characteristics. The Rayleigh-Ritz formalism was employed to convert the functional into an equivalent problem of eigenvalues and eigenvectors using an expansion in terms of rectangular harmonics of a straight waveguide as basis functions for modeling a bend rectangular waveguide. A numerical algorithm was developed in Matlab to validate our model, and the results were compared against reference perturbational and numerical solutions, demonstrating high accuracy and lower computational costs.

L'hybridation des méthodes numériques est l'une des nombreuses pistes dans la recherche de la rapidité et de l'efficacité et de la précision d'une modélisation électromagnétique des structures complexes associant des parties de formes régulières de grandes dimensions électriques et des parties de formes complexes de dimensions plus modestes. Au lieu d'une seule formulation globale, on cherche à appliquer l'hybridation de plusieurs méthodes numériques notamment la méthode variationnelle multimodale (MVM), la méthode des éléments finis (FEM) et les réseaux de neurones artificiels. Un nouveau schéma hybride original qui combine la MVM et la FEM a été proposé pour caractériser une discontinuité complexe dans un guide d'onde rectangulaire. Les résultats obtenus tout en étant conformes aux résultats fournis par les simulateurs commerciaux et les résultats expérimentaux, apportent une amélioration sensible quant au temps de calcul. Le schéma hybride a été étendu pour la caractérisation des discontinuités complexes en cascade et appliqué à la conception de filtres micro-onde présentant des discontinuités complexes permettant ainsi un gain de temps très important. L'hybridation des réseaux de neurones artificiels et les méthodes modales a amélioré le temps de calcul pour l'analyse des discontinuités simples dans les guides d'onde rectangulaires ce qui a permis d'améliorer l'optimisation des filtres à guides d'ondes nervurés. / Hybridization of numerical methods is one inventive way in the research of the rapidity, the efficiency and the precision of the electromagnetic modeling of complex structures joining straight and large elements with complex and small ones. Instead of a global and unique formulation, we hybridize many numerical methods which are the modal methods, the finite element methods and the artificial neural networks. A novel computer- ided design (CAD) tool of complex passive microwave devices in rectangular waveguide technology is suggested. The multimodal variational method is applied to the full-wave description in the rectangular waveguides while the finite element analysis characterizes waves in the arbitrarily shaped discontinuities. The suggested hybrid approach is successfully applied to the full-wave analysis of complex discontinuities with great practical interest, thus improving CPU time and memory storage against several full-wave finite element method (FEM) based CAD tools. The proposed hybrid CAD tool is successfully extended to the design of filters with cascaded complex discontinuities. The hybridization of modal methods and the artificial neural networks improved the CPU time in the analysis of simple waveguide discontinuities which enhanced the optimization of rectangular ridged waveguide filters.