Integral method of nondestructive testing of optically transparent dielectric elements of band-pass filters

The narrow and wide band-pass filters with high electrical parameters both in the centimeter and millimeter wave band developed in the Microwave laboratory are built on the basis of H- and E-plane inserts made of a high Q dielectric monocrystal leukosapphire (tg δ ? 6*10^?6 in centimeter wave band). The filters based on the E-plane inserts have a rare spectrum of parasitic modes (up to doubled working frequency and higher) and those based on the H-plane inserts have lower insertion loss in the bandwidth. Fig.1 shows the design of a band-pass filter in which the resonators of both the first and second types are used to improve stability of amplitude-frequency characteristic in response to influence of production process and climatic factors. The electrodynamic calculation of such a filter electrical parameters is carried out according to the technique analogous to the one described in 1]. The prooedure of the band-pass filter manufacture envisages the operation of determining whether a specific dielectric element fits for pasting into the filter body. The most expedient testing method for filter elements is the electromagnetic resonance method. However, since the monocrystal leukosapphire is an anisotropic, opticallytransparent material 2], there exists a possibility of using not only the traditional SHF (Super High Frequency) method but also the method of optical testing of the quality of the dielectric element by the shape of conoscopic figures that enables to increase the output of suitable products with reduction of expenditure. A new approach to the nondestructive testing of optically-transparent filter elements using both methods and their mutual dependence in technological process, has been suggested.