An Origami-Inspired Low-Cost Waveguide Design, Fabrication and Measurements for X-band Satellite Communication Systems

In many applications such as satellite communication, transmission lines are required and waveguides are widely used in these applications. This passive component, which is an indispensable element of microwave systems, is generally not suitable for practical and low-cost applications due to being produced from costly and heavy metals. Therefore, nowadays, the tendency to use low-cost, light and practical components has increased. In this study, origami-inspired waveguide design for X-band satellite communication systems is aimed. This component, which is formed by folding a paper into a three-dimensional structure and covering it with a conductive material, is both practical and fast to produce, portable and adjustable. The obtained simulation results match well with the experimental results, and it has been proven that the paper-based waveguide performs as well as the conventional aluminum waveguide. This makes the proposed method an innovative and cost-effective solution for waveguide fabrication.