Near-Millimeter-Wave Polarizing Wire Grid Fabrication and Evaluation

The wavelengths in the near-millimeter wavelength region (NMMW — roughly 0.3 to 3 mm) are sufficiently small that the conventional microwave fundamental-mode waveguide techniques are difficult to implement and are often of limited effectiveness. Quasi-optical components are frequently employed to overcome these difficulties. Free-standing planar one-dimensional wire grids show promise, based on their strong polarizing properties, in the fabrication of many such components. In this paper we discuss a straight-forward method of fabrication of one-dimensional wire grids that has been employed on a normal machine shop lathe to produce grids of sufficient quality for many NMMW applications. Examination of their mechanical quality and NMMW performance is also presented.